Team DailyPedia
Doctors are baffled by a 27-year-old mom’s bizarre condition.
Lisa Graves, a mom of two, has suffered from hiccups after she became pregnant in January 2008. Eight years has passed and she still continues to hiccup up to 100 times a day.
Initially, doctors suspected that the self-employed tattoo artist’s strange condition was caused by her pregnancy. However, Graves’s condition didn’t improve even after giving birth.
Now, she must stay away from fizzy drinks and alcohol which can set off a fit of hiccups. She has also refrained from going to cinemas and quiet restaurants to avoid embarrassing situations.
“I hiccup every hour without fail—it’s really loud it almost sounds like a scream. Some people have even said I sound like a dinosaur,” she told The Daily Mail UK.
According to Graves, she has tried a number of remedies including drinking water upside down and getting people to frighten her. Unfortunately, none of these techniques worked.
She has also sought the help of numerous doctors who have done several tests on her. Graves even underwent a gastroscopy, but the findings revealed nothing unusual. Medical experts remain clueless about the cause of her unusual ailment.
A reflex action, hiccups happen when the diaphragm suddenly and involuntarily contracts. As a result, a hiccup sound is produced at the top of the windpipe. It is caused by eating too fast, drinking alcohol as well as emotional stress. Among women, it usually happens just before a period and decreases significantly during pregnancy.
Sufferers with hiccups lasting longer than 48 hours must immediately see a doctor to verify if there is an underlying condition.
