inability to burp

Yes! It usually begins when I get nervous or anxious! Which is often the worst time for it to start because I'm doing something really important!

WOW this is pretty cool to find a discussion all about a problem I have never heard of anyone else having!! Each and every one of you says something I completely relate with! I have always said I don't burp, I gurgle. or When people ask me if i fart after i say i cant burb I say "well i don't explode!" Some of you mention being able to burp only by use of the gag reflex. This too applies to me yet I am too afraid of a real spewing so this only happens after a few brewski's The sick feeling becomes so bad i go to the bathroom expecting to upchuck and end up lettting out the biggest burps you've ever heard but no vomit! Besides this, I will burp as i call it accidentally about 3 to 5 times year. And I agree with whoever said they too let out the occasional burp it's VERY exciting and catches my attention like "oh! I burped!" Here's the funny part though. Most of you have had this problem your whole life... for me, i can actually remember a time (vaguely) that i could burp, and actually remember the last day i ever burped voluntarily! I do not know the date but I was 6 years old in grade one. (I'm now turning 32 in june) I woke up one morning and seemed to have a lot of gas!! letting out burp after burp all morning. Well I went to school and at some point durig the day i had the need to burp. I opened my mouth and SPLOOSH threw up all over my desk! I didn't even feel sick that day! just gassy. I really do wonder if for me the problem is psycological. (like i think i'll puke if that trap door opens) but either way try as i might i don't have the first clue or ability to let gass back out as a burp. When I was younger i really would feel quite sick after every meal and yes laying down (usually on my stomach) for about 5-10 min really did help however as i have gotten older i find it doesn't usually become this bad too often usually just a couple to five times a month. I drink pop and beer and let me offer a trick to this. Use a straw. it puts less air in your stomach i guess cus it sure causes me less discomfort than not using one. I mean beer too - use a straw. (people wont look at you funny for long and if your a girl like me just say you don't want to mess up your lipstik/makeup. ) Oh and I find that Malox works the best for me in alleviating at least some disconfort. Neither tums nor rolaids do a thing for me. So anyways thanks to all you non burpers like me who wrote these pages! I found it because i was feeling very much in pain wishing i could let out the trapped air in my chest so i layed on my bed and typed 'unable to burp gas cures' into google and this was at the top of the list. I read the entries and found myself entertained and comforted! And let me tell you, the pain is gone and i havent left the computer! lol this page is a cure!!!! Thanks again to all of you for truly understanding the frustration of not being able to burp. Oh and does anyone else hate it when people pat you on the back and try to burp you like a baby? SOOOO doesn't work and so annoying!! LOVE AND LUCK TO ALL!

@dhankdoko,

I understand, everything, where you are coming from; I'm 22, recently turned, and have had all the tests you mentioned performed, but in the name of the upset stomach issues I've been dealing with since I was 16. I have consistently believed that I had chrons, IBS, or just antacid problems. I've had all the tests done like you, the barium x-ray, the endoscopy, colonoscopy, blood work, physicals, interviews, diets, etc, and nothing have proven effective. The doctors always try to 'dismiss' it and don't try to understand what I'm saying; only this evening and over the past few days have I come to realize that I never burp-, except a few times tonight, but it's wierd because I''m wondering if the inability to burp relates to G.I> problems with indigestion. I don't have any answers for you unfortunately because I feel just as lost as ever. Now I'm thinking that I will have to do an intensive excersise with a nutritionist to determine if all the problems are related to the food intake on a daily level, and it's really hard to monitor everything one eats when your a busy young person on a crazy plastic schedule trying to figure out much more than 'silly stomache issues' , a very real issue that indeed can make or break certain days...

I cannot believe this! I am 25 years old and I have suffered from this my whole life. My younger sister has the same problem too. I cannot drink beer enjoyably and it's embarrassing, but sometimes I have to go to the bathroom and stick my finger down my throat to get a wierd burp to come out. I get the "throat growls" as people are referring to them too! My boyfriend of alost 3 years thinks it's funny and "cute" but I HATE IT!! I agree that everyone I try to tell about it looks at me like I'm a freak. Sometimes I get sharp pains in my stomach after a meal or if I drink more than one carbonated beverage that are so painful I feel like my stomach will split in two. I feel so silly being so excited about finding this page! I am so relieved to not be alone with this problem!

Hi everyone! I'm 25 years old, and as far as I can remember, I was on 6th grade when I first experienced these gurgles on my throat as everyone here is talking about. When I was in highschool, I have consulted a G.P. doctor and was prescribed to take antacids, however, this did not solve the problem, so I stopped taking them after some time. What I did was I stopped taking in carbonated and caffeinated beverages which quite helped relieve the gurgles. However, when I entered the university where I needed to spend a lot of sleepless nights to pass all the requirements, coffee has been my best bud. But then, this led to the worse gurgles I ever had. I started to look for relief such as all sorts of antacids until one day, I found relief from inducing the gag reflex by sticking my fingers down my throat. I was so amazed when I found this out! However, when I am in places for formal parties or conventions, even if I have to do this in the bathroom, I find it quite embarassing of the loud burping sound.
Until few months ago, I was reading a book. A 2,000-page, hardbound book. I usually lie down in bed when I read with the book placed in front of me, resting just below my breasts. After a day or two of doing this routine, I found out that I was giving out "little burps" I was so surprised I was finally able to burp! I was trying to decipher what made me burp until I figured out maybe it was because of the pressure on the esophageal sphincter. From then on, whenever I feel fullness on my chest, I place something heavy on my chest to help me relieve the gas. And oh, excuse me for the word, it makes me fart a lot too, which is actually an additional to the relief. I hope this will work for everyone too. Good luck, and I hope everyone learns to burp!

Yeah, old thread, but here goes. I am 38, female, and have had this, on top of other problems, my whole life. I cannot ever remember burping and never thought much about it until after my first abdominal surgery at the age of 19 (not related, ectopic pregnancy).

Since then, I have had 4 more major abdominal surgeries, mostly related to and a result of abdominal adhesions (Google it). I have had periodic episodes of severe abdominal distension (go from relatively flat to looking 7-8 months pregnant in the space of 10 minutes) which are extremely painful. These can last anywhere from a few hours (rare) to 1-5 days (most common) to the longest period of 3 months (that's where you are contemplating suicide). Most of my clothing is maternity, just in case it happens. I try never to eat out and about in public, because I never know if it might happen again and if so how long it might take.

Apparently I have several problems, the two largest being the abdominal adhesions and the inability to burp, but much of this has had to be self-diagnosed. Several of the lazy ER doctors diagnosed me with IBS, which is utterly and completely WRONG, because one of the identifying factors of IBS is that the symptoms are relieved with bowel movements.

Sorry, doc, no dice! Things down there work just fine. Most of the difficulty seems to come from the upper area, around the stomach. There is always a lot of pressure and pain (not to mention the pain that all the pressure causes further down, all the way into the pelvic area; that is the result of the adhesions). It is impossible for me to burp it out, and I have tried the different "tricks" and lying on the left side, etc., to no avail.

If I could just manage to burp, most of the other problems would be relatively minor. I have learned how to live with the pain of the adhesions and how to dress for the occasional abdominal distension; I can even deal with the second occurrence of pelvic prolapse after years of trauma and pressure. But add the inability to burp to the other problems and you have (in my case) 16 years of suffering. The cherry on top is that I have been unable to hold a regular job for years as when I "get sick," I can barely stand upright and sitting in a regular chair is agony (hard to fold a distended tummy; ask any pregnant woman). I am ineligible for any kind of disability without any kind of official diagnosis and no longer have health insurance (no job = no insurance = can't afford to go to a doctor anymore = no diagnosis and so on).

I keep looking for some kind of real acknowledgment and/or treatment for this ridiculous inability to burp, but the irony is that if they ever come up with one, I won't be able to afford it.

Sorry, long post, but I have been living with this for a long time, and it only seems to be getting worse. Good luck to all the others out there with this problem, and if you do have it, I would suggest that you avoid ANY abdominal surgery as much as you can because it seems to be a really bad combination.

This all sounds very tough. I'm wondering if gastroenterology specialists know how to solve some of this. (I just read the next to last post about the heavy book - interesting).

Are any of you close to a university medical center? They usually have gastroenterology specialists, and sometimes have clinics for those who can't deal with the costs of a private m.d.

I too have an inability to burp and am glad i googled and found this thread. It is excruciating and I always have to warn my friends that I need to burp and I am ok before i head to the bathroom to "throw up". It is really embarrassing and due to my small stature, some will link it to bulimia which I don't have. When i try to throw up, nothing comes up, not even acid. I have to do it many times just to get some burps out...or what I think are burps. Especially in the evenings, I will tend to have like more saliva due to he gurgling. It seems kind of weird and that is the best way I can explain it and I keep having to swallow my own spit which is supposed to be normal but it feels kind of gross. I am surprised there is no research going into this and no doctor know about this and neither is there a cure. Thanks for sharing.

O M G!!!!
I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS CONDITION!!!
SOMETIMES, MEXiCAN MEN LOOK AT ME WEiRD BECAUSE SOMETiMES WHEN TOO MUCH AiR BUiLDS UP i THROW UP AiR. LiKE, ONLY AiR. AND I GET JUDGED OFTEN WHEN i GROWL FROM THE BACK OF MY THROAT AND SOMETiMES WHEN i GET REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE i HiSS AT PEOPLE OUT OF ANGER FOR MY CONDiTiON.
ALL i NEED iS A SOLUTiON, BUT WHEN I TALK TO PEOPLE ABOUT iT THEY LAUGH AND THROW STUFF AT ME. UNFORTUNATELY, EVERY TiME i OPEN MY MOUTH PEOPLE LAUGH WHiCH MAKES iT MORE DiFFiCULT TO BE TAKEN SERiOUS BUT i ACTUALLY NEED HELP WITH THE SiTUATiON THAT i HAVE.
PLEASE, WE SHOULD START AN iNCORPORATiON FOR NON-BURPERS WHO ARE DiSCRiMiNATED AGAiNST iN THE NATURAL BURPiNG WORLD.

MAY THE CONTRACTUAL ESOPHAGUS BE WiTH YOU, MY BRETHREN.
ADiOS & SAYONARA.

-STACi.

Hi Caribou... I have the SAME problem... also only can burp if i stick my finger donw my throat. Also if i cough a lot holding up (some strange move) i can burp as well. Did you ever had that surgery?

Our 10 year old son has not hurled since he was an infant. We have seen GI docs and just went to neurology......their answer......he has a tic. When he eats and or drinks, the air just doesn't come out. His head dips down in an almost siezure like way. We have taken videos and shown them to several doctors with the same puzzled look each time. They want to try Clonidiene......still very unsure about the whole situation. My PCP has suggested a spasm of the esophagus......

Celts I have the same problem for approximatley a year now. I also have an autoimmune disease called Behcets that MAY be causing my esophagus to swell. I have been reading into the LES that won't contract and I feel that is what is wrong with me as well. I have no yet gone to the doctor b/c the pain has not become that severe, just embarrassing b/c constantly burping myself.

What I have found that works is actually taking a lighter and slamming it into the little "lighter shaped" part of your esophagus. It makes me burp easier than bending over OR even manually burping myself from behind.

OMG ... I can't believe this, I am 48 and exactly the same as most of you for my entire life and when an accidental burp comes out once in a blue moon, you'd think that I won the lottery!!
I have been practicing and I have begged and begged my husband and my 2 boys to TEACH me how to burp.
I even blamed my mother for this, as I am Chinese and after being the 5th daughter, my brother came along 18 mths after me and I figured I was neglected once the "son" came along and never got burped after being fed!!
My stomach bloats up to a hard ball and all I can do is lie down to help relieve the pain and then eventually end up FARTING ... which is NOT very ladylike, but that is what happens. I'd rather BURP than FART ... guess I will check out the operation in Canada that was mentioned.
GLAD TO KNOW THAT I AM NOT "STRANGE", as my husband and kids refer to me!!!

My is worse fellas, indeed when even you try to explain it to anyone they do not get you and thinks u are something else, not being able to burb is killing me when I do not have a can of coke with me

Guys, i know how you all feel, and i cant believe that there are so many people who are suffering with similar inability to burp issues like me. Im 35 and i have got this condition for more than two years. Like many of you guys no GP and gasrtologist believe in what i say to them. I also have done literally every test like endoscopies, barrium swallow, barrium meal and God know what. Any way i have recently done a test called Esophageal Manometry in which it was diagnosed that my lower esophagel sphincter is mostly relaxed and allow the regugitation of air upwards into the esophagus.

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Gastroesophageal-reflux-disease/Pages/Diagnosis.aspx .

My suggestion to who ever is suffering from similar problem, might want to get the manometry test done for diagnosis of this miserable condition.

Hope that helps, send me an e-amil if have any more questions. [email protected]

I have also never been able to burp even as an infant. I just cried and cried. I have never been able to enjoy a soft drink due to the aftermath of this condition. Every doctor I have explained this to has brushed it off, but it is a hindrance on my day to day life. I slowly get bloated throughout the day and have lay down. Not to be rude, but, i have to wait for it to come out of the other end to fit back into my pants. I eat small meals throughout the day because regular meals hurt. I get the gurgling sound too, it goes up into my throat but is pushed back down, and sometimes it is very painful. I've looked online and there is a lot of hokus pokus about forcing it, or about tilting your head and such. But these suggestions are useless. I acknowledge this as a serious medical condition because i have it myself and you described it to a T.

no

I am soso relieved to have found this discussion its now almost one in the morning and im sprawled in bed have been since bloody 9pm trying every possible position to stop myself feeling so ill from trying to burp!!!!

im 21 and have suffered the same all my life and its making me miserable! my sisters 26 and suffers exactly the same and everyone else we tell thinks we are lying..or completely CRAZY!! my friends have tried everything to teach me aswel as every guy iv met! haha, its just ridiculous. i spend my whole working day trying my hardest to squeeze a meazly burp out....and never do. and go home feeling so ill! i convince myself im really not well sometimes its kinda scary and no1 understands. im relieved to find this page, just for the fact there seems to be so many people suffering with this. i am laid here trying to get rid of the gurgles as i type its depressing however, no matter WHAT iv searched there seems to be no cure. or any doctor to have actually taken the mater serious!!

Apparently the research on this problem is beginning. It's officially called "Dysfunction of the belch reflex". I don't believe there is any cure yet but I think all us fellow non-burpers anxiously await the day we don't have to lie down after every meal!

Hi Dhandoko...Please update me if you got any solution/remedy to your problem..After reading your post I felt like they are exactly my symptoms which exists for more than two years now and still driving me crazy ..so much so that I am thinking of leaving of my job !! Plz help if you can...