u/Regency9877

I’ve had R-CPD for as long as I can remember. I haven’t vomited since I was four and only had roughly one microburp every one to two years going back as far as my memory allows. I’ve always known I couldn’t burp but I attributed it to never “learning”. I always thought the bloating and throat gargling were normal from eating too much. I always had to take pills with food, not beverages, or they’d get stuck in my throat. I passed gas so frequently my math teacher in middle school called me the Stanley Steemer and I developed an unwanted reputation. My mother thought it was lactose intolerance at first. The only benefit to this unwanted superpower was using it to torment my siblings when they were being nasty to me.

When I was a teenager, I caught norovirus and woke up one morning as my chest repeatedly seized up and caused me to wince so hard until I would violently cough. This happened about six times that day and never occurred again. I mentioned it to my doctor years later, but she was as stumped as I was. I brushed it off as respiratory issues from a bad cold or flu. I would learn only two months ago, when I caught norovirus again and experienced the very same terrifying and painful sensation for the first time in 22 years, that it was my body trying - and failing - to throw up. Interestingly, this happened shortly after I learned of the Botox procedure and had my operation scheduled for the following month. In my late 20s, I tried researching this condition, but at the time it didn’t have a name and there was no substantial info I could find.

It’s now been 24 days since my procedure (100 units, internal injection under anesthesia). The following day I felt normal, but the day after it got rough. The swallowing trouble was really hard in the first week and a half, and I didn’t get a microburp until the sixth day afterward. Three nights ago, I suddenly let out a manually-induced burp so long and loud that my wife overheard and asked if I was okay as I sat stunned and motionless in my chair for 20 seconds contemplating what just happened. Today I’ve managed to burp more times than my gassy younger brother probably does in a month. It leaves a horrendous taste in my mouth but damn if it doesn’t feel great. I still have to move my neck down sharply, push really hard, and turn to the side for any manually-induced burps but I’m thinking and hoping it may get easier and less laborious with time. Microburps are becoming more common and larger. Swallowing has been improving daily, but the changes are very gradual. Week three has been the most significant improvement.

I want to thank this community. A good friend of mine who is a nurse and, like all my friends, knew I couldn’t burp, stumbled upon this sub and forwarded it to me one day a few months ago (and I thank her endlessly). It was then that I learned about the procedure and found out using the interactive map that there was a doctor near me - the only one near me at the time of this post - who performed the procedure and was fortunately in my healthcare network. I wish I learned about this group earlier so I could have shared personal and learning experiences with everyone here.

I also want to thank Dr. McHugh and Dr. Diop for curing me and for their care, friendliness, and enthusiasm in helping people like me who dealt with this strange and rare condition. And a big thank you to my primary care provider, Dr. Quan, who has been my amazing endocrinologist for 19 years and gave me the much-needed referral.

And thank you to Dr. Bastian for his research, study, and raising awareness of this condition, and for educating so many doctors and patients on the expectations, side effects, and nuances of this procedure.

I never knew how much I was suffering, or that it could be fixed, without this sub. I’m so very grateful.

Unfortunately, my wife - who is genuinely happy for me - is also already starting to get tired of my burping. I think she preferred it when I only had one way to be gross instead of two.