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Have you ever had hiccups with or after chemotherapy?
We all know what hiccups are, right? They are involuntary contractions of the diaphragm — the muscle that separates your chest from your abdomen and plays an important role in breathing. Each contraction is followed by a sudden closure of your vocal cords, which produces the characteristic "hic" sound.
Mayo Clinic investigators want to learn more about hiccups in people who are receiving cancer treatment and, if you have experienced hiccups, how they may have affected your quality of life.
So, whether you’ve had hiccups or not, we asked Connect members to take part in a survey. Responses in the survey remain anonymous and are kept completely confidential. The survey is now closed. I will share the results of survey after analysis.
In the meantime, feel free to take part in this discussion about hiccups, if you want to share.
Have you had hiccups after chemotherapy? If yes, were they different than you’ve experienced before? Did they bother you or affect your daily living?
+++Study Results+++
Frequency and Symptomatology of Hiccups in Patients With Cancer: Using an On-Line Medical Community to Better Understand the Patient Experience
By C Ehret, C Young, C Ellefson, L Aase, A Jatoi
Published April 1, 2021
https://doi.org/10.1177/10499091211006923
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What meds if you do not mind
Wondering if it is my blood pressure med
I have hiccups for two days then nothing for 8 days then it repeats the cycle again and again for past year
Thanks
My husband had the hiccups non-stop to the point that we even talked to his care providers about it hoping to find a solution to bring him some relief. He had Glioblastoma. It was diagnosed at Grade 2, left temporal lobe. Initial treatment was radiation, keppra, steroids, and temozolomide. It progressed to Grade 4 and we opted for a clinical trial. He died before ever completing the initial,full first round of the IV chemo combo. He had hiccups until he died and never got any relief. They drove him crazy & made me feel even more helpless. He had so many different & extreme side effects from everything. He's one of the strongest people I've ever known.
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3 ReactionsMy husband was also on Dexamethasone. I always felt like it had something to do with the steroids because the side effects were horrendous to the point that he stopped taking it. He got huge pustules & boils on his face & neck. He swelled so much. He still had the hiccups even after he stopped taking the steroids. They left so many permanent, lasting effects, even when the side effects were not as bad as when he was taking steroids.
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1 ReactionThank you so much Brandy
Sorry to hear his passing
Like you say side affects are terrible
I always felt that the steroids were worse than the chemo
No luck with my hiccups yet but last episode was the easiest yet only lasted 1 1/2 days a new record good for a week off til next time
Bob a.
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1 ReactionI am coming up to a year since last chemo on my 84 th birthday. The hiccups, from seeing everyone’s comments seem like chemo drugs are often different.
Steroids seem like the only common thread however mine did not occur until after last chemo session
So am perplexed as to actual cause. Have tried a lot home remedy but no luck. Finally got back to 45 minute daily walks it is really helping to regain my physical strength will get back to golfing this summer hopefully
I hope hiccups will be gone by then. Always hopeful
Best to everyone
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2 ReactionsI'm on my fifth round and the hiccups started at the 2nd and are honestly one of the most annoying side effects. They gave Thorazine )anti-psychotic) but I view the cure as worse than the illness in this case. I treat it by sleeping, drinking lukewarm water, and sucking on hard candies as that seems to help momentarily.
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1 ReactionThanks for response
I also found that a little something quieted them for a short time
Pills to lessen them really did nothing
Tried baking sofa, apple vinegar, sugar did nothing
Ice water helps a little.
Gaging and not getting your breath I found the worst but is less frequent now, nine months after last chemo
Reaching for the sky or shouting helps this gaging best for me but wife does not like it
Keep trying hoping for best at least I uasually get a weeks rest between bouts of hiccups which are continuous
Bob a
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1 ReactionYes, I get hiccups with FOLFOX chemo infusions, all the time. I just complted infusion #10. Hiccups are frequent and a nuisance. I have accepted the side effect as the 'new normal' as long as I am on chemo, every 2 weeks.
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1 ReactionHiccups are still with me
Seven days of no hiccups then two or three days of hiccup ‘this cycle on and off is like clock work
Surely there must be a reason
Has anyone experienced this and if so did you ever find a cure
Interfears with everything just like missing part of your life
I wonder if mayo has a hint from their survey
I have hiccups all the time, but I never connected it with the folfox chemo, but with the esophagitis brought on by the palliative radiation treatments I had received recently. Now that the esophagitis has cleared up, I am still having hiccups all the time, though they have been reduced to nuisance status, unlike the painful ones that I had before. My oncologist said they’re from the diaphragm being affected by the tumor, whatever that really means.
I’m stage 4 also, and surgery is not something I think about. Its something I consider unlikely, but possible in the future.
I hope your husband does well with continued treatment.