An influencer unable to burp and as result left emitting ’embarrassing’ dinosaur-like noises alongside flatulence has found a surprising cure for her condition.
Lauren Petrie, from Kettering, Northamptonshire first realised she was incapable of belching at the age of 17.
As a result, she said she was left suffering from extreme bloating, cramping and loud saurian gurgling noises coming from her throat for years and would also ‘fart a lot’.
But although she had experienced the odd malady for years, Lauren now 34, noticed they had become increasingly debilitating over the last two years,
A clip, shared by Lauren shows her opening her mouth and a mini ‘dinosaur roar’-like sound emerging. But she found relief from a bizarre source, Botox.
Lauren said, before turning to the primarily cosmetic jab, her symptoms became so severe and frequent that it ‘consumed her whole life’ as she began to fear going out.
She was eventually with a condition called Retrograde Cricopharyngeus Dysfunction (RCPD) which is where the muscle at the back of her throat cannot relax, preventing air from escaping the stomach in a belch.
This can cause people with RCPD to experience abdominal and chest bloating and pain, excessive flatulence, nausea and gurgling noises from the neck and chest.
RCPD was only medically defined in 2019, meaning experts are still exploring how rare it is and treatment options.
Lauren eventually found relief by spending £6,000 on Botox injections to her neck and throat and saw her symptoms drastically improve.
Botos is the most recognised brand of the substance Botulinum toxin which is famous for paralyse facial muscles with the aim of reducing wrinkles.
Lauren Petrie, from Kettering, Northamptonshire first realised she was incapable of belching at the age of 17
While most commonly used in the cosmetic industry Botox is used medically in the NHS for its ability to paralyse muscles able to treat conditions such as chronic headaches, excessive sweating and a variety of neurological problems.
Recalling her experience of RCPD before getting Botox Lauren said: ‘It’s so embarrassing. My throat would make this very loud gurgle noise. It kind of sounds like a frog.
‘It would always happen in the most awkward situations you know even in school in assemblies, you know when it’s meant to be quiet and all of a sudden my throat was making this weird noise.
‘It was really loud and embarrassing. It sounded like a dinosaur.
‘Obviously because air couldn’t come up through my mouth it goes down the other way. The air has to come out some way.
‘That (breaking wind) was obviously quite awkward as well. Luckily my boyfriend has a good sense of humour.’
While Lauren had taken her, at the time, unexplained biological quirk in her stride a few years ago it started getting disruptive.
‘Two and a half years ago it just became like a chronic illness for me no matter what I ate or drank,’ she said.
The influencer and YouTube content creator who creates videos about tattoos was eventually with a condition called Retrograde Cricopharyngeus Dysfunction which is where the muscle at the back of her throat cannot relax, preventing air from escaping the stomach in a belch
Lauren eventually found relief by spending £6,000 on Botox injections to her neck and throat and saw her symptoms drastically improve
‘I’d wake up, I’d have two good hours and then I’d have all my symptoms. It’s not been pretty, it’s not been fun.
‘Sometimes it would be so bad that it would feel like I was kind of drowning in my own air like my chest felt awful.
‘It basically just consumed my whole life. It got to the point when I was in my mid-20s when I would dread going out all day.’
Lauren first went to her GP in November 2022 but with them unable to help she saw an ear nose and throat specialist that advised her to get Botox.
However, two routine Botox treatments last year were unsuccessful, and it was eventually decided Lauren would need to have a special procedure where she would be anaesthetised.
This op, undertaken earlier this month, would allow a larger amount of Botox than the two previous attempts to be injected directly into her throat.
Thankfully, this last round of the jabs has, so far, proven successful and Lauren enjoying a new lease on life.
‘It does feel freeing. I was so happy. This higher dosage is working so much better. That’s why I’m praying this is the dose that sticks,’ she said.
‘I haven’t been out and gallivanting just yet but I do have plans for November, December time to be able to go out and enjoy myself in London.
‘Do the whole Winter Wonderland thing and be able to eat some churros and not feel miserable.
‘Yesterday I managed to have breakfast and an early late lunch dinner situation which is something I couldn’t do for years and I was just like oh my god this is amazing and I didn’t feel like garbage afterwards either.
‘It sucks you have to pay that much money for such a simple thing. But I’m very grateful and fortunate that I can afford it.’
