Mother who has hiccupped up to 100 times a day for 12 years is finally given an answer for her bizarre ailment as doctors conclude a STROKE during pregnancy triggered her condition

• Lisa Graves, from Lincoln, has hiccupped up to 100 times a day since 2008
• After extensive tests, it has been claimed that Mrs Graves suffered a stroke 
• Mrs Graves’ case is considered ‘very rare’ and may be curable, doctors say
• But she doesn’t want to take medication and has got used to the hiccups 

A mother-of-two who hasn’t stopped hiccupping for 12 years claims doctors have worked out the cause of her bizarre ailment – a stroke during pregnancy.

Lisa Graves, 31, from Lincoln, has hiccupped up to 100 times a day since her first pregnancy in 2008.  

While baby Emily, now 11, was born healthy, medics were baffled when Mrs Graves was left hiccupping. 

The nail technician has tried everything to stop the annoying disruptions, from sucking a lemon, being ‘jumped’ and a spoonful of sugar.

After extensive tests, including an MRI, doctors claim Mrs Graves must have had a stroke during pregnancy and the hiccups were a unusual side effect.

Chronic hiccups can be cured – but Mrs Graves refuses the medication because of potential side effects.

A hiccup is a sudden, involuntary contraction of the diaphragm, which has been linked to medical conditions including stroke, meningitis and brain tumours.

Mothers-to-be are at a heightened risk of stroke due to the extra pressure on their body. However, Mrs Graves’ side effect is considered ‘very rare’. 

Lisa Graves, 31, of Lincoln, has hiccupped up to 100 times a day since her first pregnancy in 2008. She has finally been told by doctors the cause was most likely a stroke

The nail technician tried everything to stop the annoying disruptions, from sucking a lemon, being ‘jumped’ and a spoon of sugar 

Mrs Graves said: ‘Knowing what happened to me during my pregnancy for no reason, I’m lucky. It could have been a lot worse. 

‘I was surprised to learn that I’d had a stroke during pregnancy – and never once thought it could be the cause of my hiccups.

‘I’d never heard of a condition like mine before. 

‘I initially tried every hiccup remedy in the book – people making me jump, sucking on a lemon, literally everything. But nothing worked.’ 

Mrs Graves’ hiccups are random and may be 20 in an hour or none at all. They vary in volume, she said. 

Fizzy drinks and alcohol can exacerbate the condition.  

Mrs Graves has visited numerous doctors over the years, despite initially putting off having tests because she was terrified of being told she had a brain tumour.

She also considered she had a tic or behavioural problem. 

Bouts of hiccups that last longer than 48 hours are known as persistent hiccups and rare cases which go on for more than a month are referred to as intractable hiccups.

GPs can prescribe medications which relax the diaphragm muscle or its nerve supply. 

But Mrs Graves refused medication, offered to her when neurologists figured out the cause.

It is not clear what drugs she has been offered. However, chlorpromazine or haloperidol, typically used as anti-phsychotics but also for the treatment of prolonged hiccups, can cause dizziness, drowsiness and trouble sleeping.

Mrs Graves said: ‘I decided to not go down the medicated route. I didn’t want to be dependent on them.

‘The medication offered is used for multiple illnesses and therefore has a lot of side effects. There was no guarantee it would work, and it was manageable.’

Mrs Graves has grown used to her unusual condition, but others have described her hiccups like the sound of a dog being stood on, a chicken and a dinosaur. 

Whilst her engineer husband, Matthew, 35, and daughters Emily and Sophie, seven, barely bat an eyelid, Mrs Graves’ colleagues are still taken by surprise.  

Mrs Graves’ hiccups are random and may be 20 in an hour or none at all. They vary in volume

Whilst her engineer husband, Matthew, 35, and daughters Emily and Sophie, seven, barely bat an eyelid, Mrs Graves’ colleagues at her nail salon (pictured) are still taken by surprise

Mrs Graves refused medication. However, she still struggles to cope with her hiccups in public because they can be embarrassing. She is pictured hiccuping at work

CAN A STROKE CAUSE HICCUPS? 

Conditions that affect the central nervous system (CNS), including stroke, traumatic brain injury, encephalitis or a brain tumour, have been linked to the onset of hiccups.

Prolonged hiccups last a month or more, and any bout that continues over two months is known as intractable hiccups.

Hiccups are an involuntarily spasm of the diaphragm, which is under the rib cage, followed by a sudden intake of air with a closure of the glottis – the part of the larynx consisting of the vocal cords and the opening between them. The abrupt air rush into lungs makes the ‘hic’ sound.

A set of certain nerves in the body -such as the peripheral phrenic pathway – is likely responsible for hiccup, scientists say.

The central midbrain, a part of the central nervous system associated with vision, hearing, motor control, and temperature regulation, is also understood to play a role.

An irritant, such as a tumour, could invade the ‘reflex arc’ of nerves involved in a hiccup, triggering them. Similarly, impact on the central midbrain, due to stroke, could cause them.

Stroke can have a lasting impact by effecting speech, swallowing, bladder or bowel control and co-ordination to name a few.

Treatment of chronic hiccups involve various drugs that may treat an underlying condition of block nerves. 

She said: ‘For my two daughters, I’ve hiccupped their entire lives so it doesn’t bother them.

‘It can wake me up in the night, and sometimes my husband too, but it’s only a minor inconvenience.

‘I’m lucky – I own my salon and the majority of the girls that I work with have grown used to it.

‘But I can still make them jump, and there’s been plenty of mishaps when we’re working on nails – with a wild stroke of the brush here and there.’ 

Mrs Graves can find the condition hard to manage, often feeling the need to explain and pre-warn people. 

She said: ‘Sometimes I do go on work courses and meals out with the family, things like that and they can be hard.

‘I feel like I have to let people know what might happen – it’s a loud noise, and it can be embarrassing.

‘I think I’m likely to be hiccupping till my grave – but it’s become part of me now.’

The longest period of hiccupping on record, according to The British Society of Gastroenterology, is 68 years.

The record-holder, Charles Osborne, of Anthon, Iowa, started hiccupping in 1922 and continued hiccupping until February 1990, the year before his death. 

According to Mrs Graves, the involuntary contraction of her diaphragm now happens most when she’s comfortable and relaxed.

She said: ‘For everyone who knows me know, it’s just a way of life, just who I am.

‘I can hiccup in the middle of a conversation, and it can be loud – most people say it sounds like a dog being stood on, although I’ve recently people say it sounds a bit like a chicken too.

‘Now though, I’ve grown used to it.

‘There was a time when I’d feel quite embarrassed about it, and would put off going out in public, but now, I just get on with it.’ 

Pregnancy and the postpartum period have an increased risk of ischemic stroke, which is when a blood clot blocks blood supply to the brain.

Incidence estimates have varies between nine to 34 strokes per 100,000 deliveries worldwide.

Normally a stroke causes symptoms – drooping face, slurred speech or paralysis of muscles.

But sometimes a ‘silent stroke’ doesn’t have typical symptoms and a person might forget subtle signs even occurred.  

WHAT ARE HICCUPS? 

Hiccups occur when the diaphragm suddenly and involuntarily contracts, resulting in a hiccup sound being produced at the top of the windpipe.

Hiccups are a reflex action, which means we do not have control over them.

While short bouts are common and harmless, those that last longer than 48 hours are known as persistent hiccups – and sufferers should contact their doctor to see if there is an underlying condition.

Initial tests are usually blood tests, an electrocardiogram (ECG – heart tracing) and a chest X-ray.

In rare cases hiccups last longer than a month – known as intractable hiccups.

In women, hiccups are more common just before a period but actually decrease markedly during pregnancy.

They can be caused by emotional stress, eating too fast, and drinking alcohol.

In rare cases they can be caused by an underlying condition, such as acid reflux and can also be triggered by some medications such as steroids.

However, sometimes a cause can’t be pinpointed.

Remedies for short-term hiccups include sipping iced water, biting on a lemon, drawing the knees up to compress the chest and controlled breathing.

GPs can prescribe medications such as chlorpromazine or haloperidol for persistent cases, which can relax the diaphragm muscle or its nerve supply. 

Source: patient.co.uk

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