Man has Botox to help him BURP again...
MAN OVERCOMES PAINFUL AFFLICTION FOLLOWING PIONEERING PROCEDURE
A RECORD label talent spotter who could not burp for 34 years – because of a condition so rare it has no name – can belch again, thanks to Botox injections in his throat.
Left in agony after meals when the affliction stopped him from releasing gas from his stomach, since having Botox – more commonly associated with smoothing out wrinkles – Neil Ribbens, 34, has been burping ‘like a frog.’
Praising the 40-minute procedure he had in February at BMI The Alexandra Hospital in Cheadle, Stockport, Neil, said: “It’s the best thing that could have happened to me.”
He added: “I’m more confident, I’m healthier and I just feel all-round so much happier.”
Neil, who stopped being able to burp after developing the strange condition as a baby, saw various doctors over the years to no avail.
No one could recommend effective medication to relieve his daily suffering and he felt some medics failed to take him seriously.
He said: “One doctor I spoke to laughed, which wasn’t great.
“There was no one who had heard of my condition.”
His greatest discomfort happened after eating a large meal or drinking alcohol and fizzy drinks, when he would develop crippling stomach aches, violent hiccups and his belly would bloat to more than twice its normal size.
He said: “I avoided going to the pub with friends until I was about 25, because I knew I’d be in pain and would have to leave.
“Not being able to burp really impacted on my social life.
“If I had a three-course dinner I’d feel terrible afterwards, which led to me missing things like big work Christmas meals.”
When Neil did eat large meals, they would invariably trigger a peculiar gurgling sound, coming from the bottom of his throat – which he described as ‘the strangest sound you’ve ever heard coming from a human body.’
This would be followed by a tightness in the chest and the taste of acid in his mouth.
The build-up of gas often led to embarrassing consequences.
Neil explained: “I basically became very good at releasing gas ‘downstairs.’ It would build in the stomach and eventually all get released by, shall we say, ‘letting go.’”
Eventually, after years of living with the curious disorder, early this year Neil finally discovered through an online forum a doctor in Manchester, Mr Karagama, who is pioneering a revolutionary new method for treating the condition using Botox.
A relaxant, Botox is most commonly used to iron out facial wrinkles, but Neil had it injected into his larynx, which had previously been so tensed that gas could not escape from his throat.
Neil, who had the procedure, costing around £3,000 privately, said: “My surgery was a huge success and I can now burp to my heart’s content.”
One person who is particularly pleased that Neil’s problem is finally cured is his girlfriend, Pavla Machova, 27.
Neil added: “It’s the best thing that could have happened to me in all honesty – for my health and for my love life.”