# Ugh, I have the hiccups **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 12, 2008, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-i-have-the-hiccups/441047 "2008-03-12T00:22:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-i-have-the-hiccups/441047/1 "2008-03-12T00:22:22Z")
Ever since my gastric bypass surgery, I get one single hiccup when I am full. It’s what I call my “soft” sign to stop eating. Long story short – when you remove the bottom of the stomach from the digestive system, your body needs a new way to tell you you’re full. That’s normal for me – I get full and my body has one hiccup, I’m done. Not tonight. Nope, as I sit here trying to type coherently, I have the hiccups. Full-blown, painful, loud and stupid-sounding hiccups. I realised something just now – the only thing worse than an interrupted yawn, is one interrupted by a farking hiccup. Shoot me? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-i-have-the-hiccups/441047/2 "2008-03-12T00:24:02Z")
BOO!!! Better? ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-i-have-the-hiccups/441047/3 "2008-03-12T00:26:48Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] BOO!!! Better? [/QUOTE] If only. The sad thing is, I don’t spook easily (as in, I can name 1 movie in my entire life that made me jump and it was only because I was distracted at just the right moment), so I will probably have these stupid hiccups until I pass out from exhaustion. ---
**Author:** ![Raspberry\_NOT\_Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecd19e/32.png) [@Raspberry\_NOT\_Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raspberry_NOT_Rhubarb)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-i-have-the-hiccups/441047/4 "2008-03-12T00:47:53Z")
Whenever I get hiccups I think about the poor dude who had them for 60 years, or whatever. That usually makes them stop. ---
**Author:** ![Lilacs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Lilacs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lilacs)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-i-have-the-hiccups/441047/5 "2008-03-12T00:53:16Z")
And don’t they just get more painful as you get older? As I kid I thought they were kinda funny. Now it’s just dreadful. Although they don’t last long. I switched to drinking Pepsi for awhile a couple of weeks ago and started hiccuping every time I drank one. I have returned to my regular Coke. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-i-have-the-hiccups/441047/6 "2008-03-12T03:26:41Z")
So apparently you’re supposed to drink upside down from a glass of salt water while burping, gargling, swallowing a mouthful of peanut butter, spinning around on one foot, and eating French salad dressing? (Serious answer, hopefully not too late: holding my breath (and plugging my nose) for ten to fifteen seconds usually works for me.) ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-i-have-the-hiccups/441047/7 "2008-03-12T03:49:05Z")
If you’re able to, lie down. The idea is to completely relax your diaphram. After a few deep breaths, hold your breath as long as comfortable and remembering to keep your body relaxed. Slowly release and repeat until hiccups are gone. Works for all but the drunkest hiccups. ---
**Author:** ![Maui\_Lion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@Maui\_Lion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maui_Lion)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-i-have-the-hiccups/441047/8 "2008-03-12T04:57:58Z")
What always worked for my hiccups was to take as deep a breath as physically possible. That’s right, stretch that diaphragm. Stretch it! Stretch I say! Now hold it! Hold it. …Hooold that breath…don’t pass out!.. Phew! Let it out very slowly, ease yourself back down. That works for me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![threnodyangelfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@threnodyangelfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threnodyangelfire)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-i-have-the-hiccups/441047/9 "2008-03-12T05:12:59Z")
Apparently, there is a [cure for them](http://tiffanytaylor.wordpress.com/2006/10/10/getting-to-the-bottom-of-incurable-hiccups/). Not tried it though. ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-i-have-the-hiccups/441047/10 "2008-03-12T11:56:40Z")
Thanks for all the advice. Stupid hiccups went on for about 2 hours and then just poof went away. Of course, whenever I do my one hiccup after eating, people always assume it will be followed by more and I assure them it won’t be. To be sure, I don’t think I’ve had an actual case of the hiccups (more then one or two at once) in at least 6 years, so I guess I am still lucky.