US hiccup marathon girl is hiccuping again

A 15-year-old US girl who hiccuped her way through part of January and all of February is hiccuping once again.

Jennifer Mee, who hiccuped close to 50 times each waking minute for more than five weeks from January 23, began hiccuping again yesterday morning after a nose bleed, said her mother Rachel Robidoux in St. Petersburg, Florida.

It occurred during Mee’s second day back at school since her first bout of hiccups stopped on February 28, said Robidoux.

“I’m at my wits’ end,” Robidoux said.

Mee was taken to hospital earlier this month when her hiccups returned. They stopped, though, and Mee felt it was safe to go back to school.

During her first bout of hiccups, Mee saw an infectious disease specialist, a neurologist, a chiropractor, a hypnotist and an acupuncturist. She tried a patented device that is designed to stop hiccups, plus all the old remedies.

According to the National Institutes of Health, hiccups can be triggered by anything from spicy foods to stress, and they can start for no reason at all.

They’re caused by involuntary contractions of the diaphragm, which causes the vocal cords to close briefly, making a distinctive sound.