Emily Marsh Schoolgirl hiccupping every 2 seconds for 10 weeks Country: Great Britain

Emily Marsh: The Girl Who Hiccups Every 2 Seconds for 10 Weeks

Emily Marsh, a 13-year-old English schoolgirl from Wallington, Surrey, has been suffering from chronic hiccups. The young girl hiccups every two seconds for the past ten weeks, puzzling doctors who have been unable to identify and treat the underlying cause. Emily hiccups even while she sleeps. Despite appearing smiley in photographs, she is actually exhausted from this rare condition and often has to take breaks from her daily activities in the afternoon. According to experts, chronic hiccups are so rare that there are currently no medications or treatments available. Emily has undergone a series of tests, including MRI and ultrasound, and has tried various remedies, from breath-holding to consuming spoonfuls of vinegar, but nothing has helped so far. She remains resilient, but in reality, she is constantly in pain, experiences throat discomfort, and suffers from persistent fatigue. Strangers frequently offer Emily a glass of water, which has become irritating. Fortunately, her classmates at Stanley Park High School have been understanding of her unusual condition, although she can only attend school for half of the day now. The involuntary contractions of her diaphragm that cause the hiccups become barely noticeable when Emily is in deep sleep, but as soon as she wakes up, they start again at full force. Specialists who have been working with Emily are frustrated that nothing seems to work for her. They have even tried hypnotherapy and osteopathy, but to no avail, and they have run out of ideas. Now, they can only hope that someone, somewhere, has a solution to this problem—or at least can come up with one.

Unfortunately, when looking at other cases of chronic hiccups, there is cause for concern. For instance, Charles Osborne, an American man, hiccuped continuously for 68 years from 1922 to 1990, before the hiccups mysteriously stopped. On the other hand, in 2007, teenage girl Jennifer Mee from Florida hiccuped 50 times per minute for five weeks, after which it suddenly stopped on its own.