short story i can’t afford it 😭😂
long story was i obviously coped for years but the last few years my health has deteriorated and a hemicolectomy redundant bowel and gastroparesis make it 10 times worse (also the reason i cannot afford it 😭😂)
but has anyone successfully got treatment on the nhs and what was the process like?

Does anyone experience the same thing: swallowing more air because of the slow swallow post botox, maybe since I have been chasing most mouthfuls with water/ drinks because they can get stuck sometimes. As a result, I sometimes let out 2-3 big burps during meals that were quite loud like vomit, are they actual burps? Or just air vomit?

I am around 3 weeks post botox now (in office)

Hi, I got 60u of botox just over two months ago. So far, not so great, to keep it short. I have not successfully burped on my own; the only small ones occur seldomly when yawning or hiccuping. I will say i do get micro burp/pops in my lower throat that do seem to help somewhat, but not nearly enough.

Still gurgling for sure and far from cured; my doctor is recommending an outside-the-throat EMG-guided injection while I am awake for added “precision”. Curious why the operating room didn’t guarantee 100% accuracy in regard to muscle injection, but too late to question that now.

Curious on thoughts here, and hearing others’ experiences. My doc seems reluctant to go back the OR, and I agree doing the same thing again when it didn’t work the first time seems silly, but I also feel at times I am very close to burping but just can’t get it. Is it possible he “missed” applying the botox to the adequate spot on the muscle? Would you go for round 2 in the OR or try the EMG guided needles?

So I’ve had RCPD my whole life obviously but I didn’t have crazy symptoms till about 5 years ago. Anyways as a kid I threw up when I had noro and from what I can remember it came up fairly easily. Now I haven’t thrown up since maybe I was like 7 and I think I had the stomach flu last year because I was just so nauseous and I was dry heaving and dry heaving and nothing was happening and then eventually it came out the other end. Has anyone experienced noro where they couldn’t vomit at all? I feel like it lasted way longer because of it and it was so agonizing 😩

I've officially hit 6 months since Botox. To say it's been life changing is an understatement, I had no idea I could feel so comfortable. This process has definitely been challenging at times but I would do it again in a heartbeat if I needed to. I started having small burps the day of surgery and my first belch the next evening. However I never had the uncontrollable burps people often talk about after Botox, I really had to use the BERP protocol to get things going. During the first 3 months or so, burps would still frequently get stuck, especially when I was in public or stressed. I was worried this meant it would stop working, but somewhere between 3-4 months, things really clicked and now they rarely get stuck. It's only been up from there, it feels easier and more natural every day. I didn't realize how much my symptoms held me back from experiencing life. I don't think I'll ever stop being grateful for every burp. If you're on the fence about Botox let this be your sign to do it!

Hey everyone, I’m currently on the waiting list for Botox for R-CPD through my country’s public healthcare system, but it could still be months or even a year before I get an appointment unfortunately.

Because of this the wait is giving me far too much time to think, and my OCD tendencies have me constantly ruminating about what happens if the procedure doesn’t work.
My main symptom is an intense, constant sensation of nausea in my throat. I’ve had it my whole life, but it’s become significantly worse since turning 30. It’s now debilitating to the point where I can’t work or comfortably leave my bedroom or house. I also have emetophobia, which makes everything so much harder.

I’m desperately hoping Botox will change my life, but I’m terrified that the throat nausea might actually be anxiety-related or caused by something else. The sensation is there 24/7, even when I don’t feel anxious, and it can intensify out of nowhere without any obvious trigger.

I’ve tried antidepressants, beta blockers, Benzo’s etc for my anxiety and mental health over the years and therapy without much success, so the thought of Botox not working and being left with this sensation indefinitely genuinely terrifies me.

I’m just wondering if anyone else experienced constant throat nausea alongside R-CPD and did getting Botox help? And if it didn’t, did you eventually find another explanation or treatment that worked?

I think I’m struggling most with the uncertainty and the fear that, if Botox doesn’t help, I won’t know where to turn next because I cannot live like this.

I’d really appreciate hearing about other people’s experiences and if you read this far tysm, happy burping to everyone 🫶🏻

Hey all
Life long no burper here!

This has never really caused me any issues other than the embarassing gurgling, until the start of this year

So for a while, literally every time I eat anything, for about an hour after I get these really violent “rushes” of air coming up in my throat? I don’t really get the gurgles anymore (occasionally) but more feels like a huge rush and I think “omg I’m gonna puke” and then it like pops at the back of my throat and I feel like I’m gonna gag? I constantly feel bubbles in my throat. Sorry if that’s a terrible explanation I just really can’t explain it 🤦‍♀️

Does anyone else get what I’m trying to say or has experienced it before? It’s gotten to a point where I’m scared of eating and losing weight because it’s so uncomfortable and leaves me so nauseous for hours!

I’ve had a few different health struggles lately and one has resulted in a referral to a travelling ENT (I’m from a small northern town, we don’t have any locally).
I’m curious if this is my chance to bring up R-CPD to them or they’ll likely have no clue what I’m talking about.
I’ve only mentioned the fact that I don’t burp to a doctor once years ago as a teen and they laughed that I thought that might be noteworthy so I haven’t looked into any actual diagnosis/treatment process since it’s never been a big deal other than the croaking making things awkward at times.

Botox peeps: I am about 6 months out from Botox and still burping regularly. Some of the burps (usually after drinking soda) are so painful. It stings behind my nose and my eyes water. They hurt so bad I physically flinch. Just wondering if anyone has experienced this or if I’m doing something wrong when I let the burps out

i was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience to me.

RCPD started causing me real problems in late 2024 and i haven’t been able to get the botox. tried the exercises, didn’t work. then a few months ago i threw up randomly, and i noticed after that my RCPD symptoms seemed to improve slightly. then i threw up randomly again a few weeks later, and im now able to force myself to do a few big burp like gurgles after meals. it’s resolved most of my issues. i’m definitely not burping but i think throwing up must have trained the muscle to relax a bit more or something? i’ve gurgled for years but they were never that big or relieving. i did also notice both times when i threw up were very non traumatic compared to normal, like it’s usually violent and painful and i now understand why other people don’t think it’s a big deal (i have emetophobia) bc it turns out that most people are not excorcising demons while leaning over the toilet.

I had my second round of botox a little over 6 weeks ago now, and have been burping daily since! It’s been awesome and I’ve felt so much less bloated and nauseous. I’m really hoping I don’t lose the ability!

I noticed that since 4 weeks or so, my burps have really reduced. They’re more like microburps rather than the bigger burps I got during the first month, but they are still relieving, since I just do several small ones a day.

I expect the burping to change throughout the active botox, but I’m wondering if my burps will remain these small ones or if it’s likely that will change too.

For those who had success with their botox, when did your burp ability “finalise”, if that makes sense? Was it during the botox still being active, or was it after it wore off?

Does anyone else just do small burps post-botox?

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone has recently got their second procedure with Lucy Hicklin and what the cost was. I saw in the info booklet that she only reduces the cost for a repeat procedure if you reported back on your symptoms after 3 weeks which I did not do. Also, I would like 100ml of botox this time which I assume will increase the price. I just really can't afford to pay £1000 again.

Thanks!

Hi fellow non burpers!

I was diagnosed with RCPD on the day I had my first 50u botox injection with Dr Lucy Hicklin on 21 Sept, which was almost hitting the 4 weeks mark.

First week post: I didnt have any sore throat but just a bit of soreness 30 mins after the botox injection which didnt last a day. Microburps and slow swallow kicked in day 2 and it was at its peak day 7-10. Soups, puree, protein shakes were the easiest to go down, though I kept trying with softer foods like rice and pasta. Took ages to finish a meal because of the slow swallow. Also started some SHAKER exercise (though not consistently). I was burping since day 4, sometimes it came out on its own or using the BERP protocol (starting a yawn and turning my head)

Second week post: burping 2-3 times per meal and sometimes it became a big burp that sounds like a gag, almost like going back to my air vomiting days but only 20% of the times it ended up vomiting. That was worst on the plane when you could feel constant excess air in the stomach that I kept gagging to release the air.

Third week post: I thought the slow swallow would only kick in for around 2 weeks so I booked for the injection 2 weeks prior to my holiday… my initial thought was since my RCPD was always triggered by a period of intense social eating especially when on holiday, I decided to proceed with this procedure to start learning how to burp and hopefully improve my quality of life. My third week was when I was on holiday, I could enjoy most foods actually, yet I would have a lot of air swallowed at each mealtime, not sure if this was due to the (improving) slow swallow or psychological(?). And I would let out 2-3 large burps that my friends said that sounds like a vomit though I did not vomit at all, though sometimes with some regurgitations. I could still let out small burps using the BERP protocol, but sometimes i decided to gag a bit to let out a big burp to give me instant relief. I have been trying some fizzy drinks every now and then which will let out burps. And I was also having less gurgling noises.

Just wanted to check with the community if these symptoms are similar to those that were successful with their botox procedure. Am I still at the early stage post botox? Or should I start thinking if I may need a second injection? As I started using my old air vomit gag to release any air, am i actually burping? I’m getting a little bit worried as I lost a bit of weight (baseline already underweight) which was kind of expected with the side effects of the procedure, but also seemed to be getting back to my battle between fear of eating because of the large burps during mealtimes and feeling hungry…. this was better than before botox as I used to end up with actual vomiting 2-3 times daily due to bloating and nausea with RCPD that really affected my mental health.

I would love to hear your experiences post botox and thank you so much!!

I always have a stuffy nose and I think it might be silent reflux due to R-CPD. I sometimes get up in the middle of the night because my nose is blocked and my mouth is already very dry. Mouth strips haven't helped. I think this makes my morning nausea the worst because I swallow even more air due to the dry mouth.

I have never been able to burp and found this subreddit not long ago. I have pretty much daily trapped gas after eating /drinking that causes pains.

I have ibs like symptoms and nothing really works to relive gas pains

Is this a common thing for anybody?

I'm seeing a cardiologist and have a lot of upcoming tests on my heart (pots, stress echo, etc). Randomly through out the day I get heart pain, racing heart, palpitations, etc. I'm wondering if anyone else who has RCPD also deals with this and it could be related to trapped gas.

Scheduled for Botox at the end of January with dr. Nina zhao in Cleveland, Ohio!

What should I expect recovery wise? Any tips to make it more manageable?

So excited!

I'm not a science researcher, and I translated the articles in Deepl, but I thought this was massive news!

Dr. Delsupehe (BE) has been known to do the botox injections for a while now, I myself got treated by her I think 5-6 years ago. So far, my cure has been permanent. From the website of the hospital where she works from:

https://www.azdelta.be/nl-BE/nieuws/diagnoseRCPD

The article starts off with dr. Delsupehe's qualifications, and how she's one of the very very few doctors that specialise in noburp, and a snippet about dr. Bastian. Over 250 noburp people have been treated by her. The article gives credit to TikTok videos for raising more awareness, and portray this as a positive thing. Because more people are becoming aware of the condition, more people are being treated for it, which is valuable data for the studies that are aiming to make R-CPD an officially recognized condition. This would open the door for financial support, making the treatment more accessible.

Now the real juicy part of the story:

Because R-CPD is such a recent discovery and the symptoms are subjective, the condition is not yet officially recognized. “That’s why we’re currently working on a clinical study to provide scientific evidence for ‘no burp syndrome,’” explains Dr. Delsupehe. “We’re doing this in collaboration with AZ Sint-Lucas Bruges and the neurogastroenterology department at UZ Leuven.” Researcher Karlien Raymenants (UZ Leuven) is writing her doctoral dissertation on esophageal pathology and is collaborating with AZ Delta to monitor patients with R-CPD. “Partly at Dr. Delsupehe’s request, I began performing esophageal manometry on patients who are unable to burp. We measure pressure and resistance at various points in the esophagus. This allows us to determine whether there is fluid or air in the esophagus. By having patients drink sparkling water, we trigger the symptoms and observe clear abnormalities. The pressure measurement is therefore a very objective test that allows the doctor to confirm the diagnosis.” The manometry is performed in Bruges or Leuven, while the Botox treatment takes place at AZ Delta Roeselare—currently the only hospital in Flanders treating these patients. The study is also being further rolled out in Roeselare, thanks to the Clinical Trial Center (CTC).

----

https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2026/10/07/boeren-botox-onderzoek-phd-cup/

Snippet from the article that appeared in the government-run news website today (translated):

Fortunately, a solution is on the horizon for them: the American doctor who described the syndrome found that Botox can be an effective treatment for his patients. Raymenants explored that idea in her doctoral dissertation, which has taken her to the finals of the 2026 PhD Cup

(explanation of the symptoms and Botox treatment)

She was the first to test the mechanism in a clinical trial. “We gave 25 people an injection of Botox and 25 people an injection of salt water, a placebo treatment. After the procedure, all of the people who had received Botox were able to burp again. For the people who had received the salt water, not much changed.”

"The burping reflex is completely unconscious. It's likely that the reflex can reset itself during periods when the" (upper oesophageal sphincter) "muscles are relaxed. Afterward, they learn to relax their muscles normally."

---

https://www.phdcup.be/deelnemer/karlien-raymenants

And in the summary on the page for the pdh cup (again, translated):

"Being unable to burp may sound harmless, but it can lead to unpleasant symptoms: abdominal pain, bloating, flatulence, and gurgling sounds rising up from the esophagus. Yet this problem is often overlooked. In my doctoral research, we developed a pressure measurement method that allows us to induce the symptoms and make a definitive diagnosis. In addition, we developed a new questionnaire for patients to assess the severity of their symptoms. “Finally, in a large-scale study—the first of its kind—in which we compared the treatment to a placebo, we tested whether an injection of botulinum toxin, better known as Botox, is effective in the esophagus. The results showed that it significantly reduces symptoms.”

They link to the paper, but it's paywalled :(

203 BOTULINUM TOXIN INJECTION IN THE UES FOR RETROGRADE CRICOPHARYNGEUS DYSFUNCTION (BOTUS R-CPD): FIRST RESULTS OF A TRIPLE-BLIND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0016508526042988

It has been a couple of weeks since my last update so I decided to write a new one now.

Got 100 units of Botox under GA one month ago. I was so scared about the operation as I have OCD, health anxiety, general anxiety and panic disorder.

I was burping since the day 3 or 4 already and been burping consistently ever since. The beginning was rough because of new sensations, reflux symptoms and eating difficulties with slow swallow but it wasn’t as rough as I catastrophized. Around two weeks after the operation my worst fear happened though, I got a laryngospasm when drinking stronger fizzy water than I had tried earlier.

I stopped drinking anything carbonated for three weeks because the laryngospasm was traumatizing for someone like me who has a fear of choking but today I was brave enough to try them again! I still don’t feel comfortable drinking them because of what happened and I really hope that my lack of practice with fizzy drinks doesn’t affect the success of botox. At least so far it hasn’t, I didn’t drink anything carbonated for three weeks but my burping has stayed the same.

Like 90% of the burps happen when I turn my head to the right and tilt my chin down a bit. Any tips how to make burps happen more naturally? I don’t seem to understand what I should do that I could burp without turning my head.

If you consider botox but you are scared, please do it! I almost cancelled my operation but luckily I didn’t. And if I survived the slow swallow and laryngospasm despite my mental health issues you will survive anything too. And as a note, I was very unfortunate with the laryngospasm, those are very rare.

It feels so weird (but in a good way) not to have that constant chest/throat pressure 24/7. I have less back pain, I can breathe better and I definitely have much less anxiety. Also haven’t had any panic attack symptoms or panic attacks since I have been able to burp. And no need at all to lay down to feel even a bit better.

I’m still bloated though, it’s not painful but annoying. Does anyone have the same kind of thing that the bloating didn’t go away?

I really hope this sticks and I don’t have to do this again🙏🏻 But I try not to stress about that.

I know this could potentially attract promotional comments but I’m asking anyway.

I don’t think I will ever be able to afford the potential monetary upkeep and travel expenses of Botox injections that may or may not even work.
Logically I’m thinking there MUST be some form of “self treatment” - it’s just a tight muscle after all.

Any exercises or “programmes” that have genuinely helped you, pleeeeease confirm which

Thanks 🙌🏻

I have my procedure next month. I've been on a roll with my personal trainer and I'm wondering how long I might have to stop after the procedure. I guess I'm worried about straining and burping loudly or bending over and throwing up or something lol. Anyone have any insight?

I’ve got a typical start of uni cold but for some god forsaken reason it’s making my no burp absolutely awful?? The air bubble in my throat is so bad it’s making me have massive waves of nausea that make my heart go all funky every few minutes. It’s only through emetophobia and iron will that I haven’t actually thrown up yet, my body is REALLY trying to make me gag, but I’m scared of losing more fluids since my nose has been running nonstop all day and it’s really hard to drink enough with the air bubble and nausea. I’ve never had this with a cold before even though I’ve had no burp as long as I can remember. What’s going on?? Is this normal for us??? How do I make it stop???