Florida girl hiccuping again after nose bleed

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- A 15-year-old 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 starting Jan. 23, began hiccuping again Thursday morning after a nose bleed, said her mother, Rachel Robidoux.

It occured during Mee's second day back at school since her first bout of hiccups stopped Feb. 28, said Robidoux.

"I'm at my wit's end," Robidoux said.

Mee was taken to the emergency room 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 that distinctive sound.