Protracted hiccups, no one can work out why, I'm tired and frustrated

squids

I've had protracted hiccups/painful diaphragm spasms (whatever you want to call them) for nearly 7 years now, and they've slowly got more frequent and intrusive/causing other symptoms over that time.

Last year, after going through several different kinds of medication, I got put on baclofen, which has reduced the frequency to about 1/10 of what it was which is nice, but it's slowly ramping up again.

I've been referred to a gastro who I saw for the first time recently, but he was very clear that it's not a condition that's well understood or indeed understood at all and it may just go away on its own over the next few decades, or it won't, and all I can really do is keep on the baclofen while it's working and maybe see a psychiatrist if one will have me (people thus far don't seem to like giving me CBT due to autism) to deal with it better. He's also sent me for some blood tests, but given they haven't contacted me about them yet 3 weeks after having them taken indicates that they're probably not showing anything.

It's not the most disabling condition I have, that's the autism, but it causes a lot of pain, fatigue, and is extremely loud (frequently compared to a pterodactyl) and impossible to hide from acquaintances, so I'm constantly having to explain it when I squawk loudly in public. And people periodically don't see me for a while and then see me and go 'is that still happening then'. Yes it's still happening, no I still don't know why, yes I've seen a doctor about it, yes I've tried that dietary/lifestyle change. etc.

Has anyone experienced this before? Did it go away on its own? Also, for those with also unknown issues, how do you deal with the frustration of not knowing why your body has developed a weird symptom no one can explain?

Rachel_Scope

Hi @squids. Sorry no-one was able to respond. How are you today? I'm sorry that you're experiencing this and not have an answer as to why.