Fla. Teen Hiccuping for Over 3 Weeks

[IRiSHMaFIA]

(AP) Jennifer Mee can't stop hiccuping. For more than three weeks now, the 15-year-old St. Petersburg teen has hiccuped close to 50 times a minute _ despite the best efforts of doctors and home remedies.

She's had blood tests, a CT scan and an MRI. Drugs haven't worked. Neither has holding her breath, putting sugar under her tongue, sipping pickle juice, breathing into a paper bag and drinking out of the wrong side of a glass.

And, yes, people have tried to scare them out of her.

The hiccups do stop when she's sleeping.

According to the National Institutes of Health, hiccups are caused by involuntary contractions of the diaphragm, which causes vocal cords to briefly close, which makes that distinctive hiccup sound. They can start for no reason or be triggered by anything from spicy foods to stress.

It is not clear what triggered Jennifer's hiccups, which started in school Jan. 23. Her mother, Rachel Robidoux, recently turned to the local newspaper for help.

"I'm just looking for some answers where somebody's gone through this," Robidoux told the St. Petersburg Times. "At this point, we're willing to do anything."

_______________________________________________________________________

It's nothing a baseball bat to the head wouldn't fix?

I remember having hiccups in mass when I was quite young. This kind hearted nun told me of a priest that died from doing it too much. Kind of warmed my soul she shared that with me...NOT

[Skylace]

My dad had a sure fire cure for the hiccups. It always worked for me, everyone else in the family and every student I ever had with the hiccups. But it's hard to describe in writing!

I feel for that little girl and I hope they find something soon.

[IRiSHMaFIA]

My dad had a sure fire cure for the hiccups. It always worked for me, everyone else in the family and every student I ever had with the hiccups. But it's hard to describe in writing!

I feel for that little girl and I hope they find something soon.

My dad had a good cure as well and also hard to describe, but it's like you have to hold a glass with 2 fingers and plug your nose same time and drink....then hold your breath. It looks as odd as trying to explain it, but it always worked!

[Skylace]

My dad had a sure fire cure for the hiccups. It always worked for me, everyone else in the family and every student I ever had with the hiccups. But it's hard to describe in writing!

I feel for that little girl and I hope they find something soon.

My dad had a good cure as well and also hard to describe, but it's like you have to hold a glass with 2 fingers and plug your nose same time and drink....then hold your breath. It looks as odd as trying to explain it, but it always worked!

That's pretty much ours without holding the breath. You had to take three big sips and then breath slowly after with deep breaths and not talk.

Our dad's obviously learned from the same school of hiccup cures!

[faceless]

if it doesn't happen when she's asleep then surely it must mean that it's neuro/psychological? I recommend a healthy dose of hash - I bet it would work.

[girldorksrule]

I heard about this on the news this morning but didn't catch the full story. I was wondering about the sleep.

My cure is simple...relax the diaphragm. I've never needed to do any of the other things since I've learned that trick LOL

[IRiSHMaFIA]

Girl's 5 weeks of hiccups finally end

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - She sipped pickle juice, held her breath, breathed into a bag, even went to a neurologist, but for more than five weeks nothing would stop a 15-year-old girl's rapid hiccups — until they finally just stopped on their own.

After trying countless remedies and attracting national media attention, Jennifer Mee said her hiccups suddenly stopped around 5 p.m. Wednesday. No one is certain why.

"Right now, my nose is burning and my throat hurts," she told the St. Petersburg Times, but she said she felt a lot better than she has in weeks.

Jennifer had started hiccuping Jan. 23 close to 50 times a minute and said it only stopped when she was sleeping.

She saw an infectious disease specialist, a neurologist, a chiropractor, a hypnotist and an acupuncturist. She tried a patented device that is designed to stop hiccups, plus all the old remedies. Her mother called the media two weeks ago to try to find more help for her daughter, who ended up on NBC's "Today" show.

According to the National Institutes of Health, hiccups can be triggered by anything from spicy foods to stress, and they can start for no reason at all. They're caused by involuntary contractions of the diaphragm, which causes the vocal cords to close briefly, making that distinctive sound.

[Skylace]

I am so glad they stopped. Bless her that had to be terrible.

[girldorksrule]

"Right now, my nose is burning and my throat hurts," she told the St. Petersburg Times, but she said she felt a lot better than she has in weeks.

Poor thing!!!

[Boab]

If we can submit scores for hiccuping then i bet i get the top score

[IRiSHMaFIA]

If we can submit scores for hiccuping then i bet i get the top score

Now that's one trophy I'd not want. You can have it!