hiccups are typically caused by stress, eating too quickly or consuming carbonated beverages or alcohol. this can lead to an involuntary contraction of the diaphragm and a quick gasp for air that is accompanied by the telltale“hic” sound from the vocal cords as they suddenly close shut.
during a brief lapse in his condition later in 2007, sands was able to travel abroad to seek further treatment. this led to the discovery of a congenital condition in the valve that connects his stomach to his esophagus. doctors believed this was causing his vomiting and heartburn, but surgery to correct the issue did nothing to halt the hiccups.
as his saga stretched on, sands received increased media coverage of his condition, prompting a television station to offer him an all-expenses-paid trip to japan for treatment by a specialist. after meeting with his new patient, the doctor quickly ordered an mri that revealed the root of the problem: he had a tumour in his brainstem.
“it totally knocked my socks off,” sands said. “it’s lucky there was a chair under me because i almost fell off. i burst into tears and thought i was going to die.”
as dire as the news sounded, the location of the tumour could have been much worse, said martin makary, a surgeon and professor at the john hopkins school of public health. “the brain stem is a great location to remove tumours without a lot of peripheral damage, so (surgery) can be done with a very clean cut.”
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