Kaliesha Harris can't burp, and it's made her life miserable. Sipping a soda leaves her in agony. Moreover, her stomach bubbles, but relief never comes. She suffers from retrograde cricopharyngeus dysfunction (R-CPD), a rare condition dubbed "no-burp syndrome."
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Now, Harris is set to undergo surgery to fix it, aiming to belch for the first time.
The Struggle of No-Burp Syndrome
R-CPD stops the cricopharyngeus muscle at the top of the esophagus from relaxing. Consequently, this traps air in the stomach and esophagus, as relayed by the New York Post. As a result, Harris faces bloating, excessive gas, and gurgling noises in her chest and neck.
"When I drink carbonated drinks, the air can't escape," she told The Post. "It causes such bad gas pain --I've been in tears on the floor."
For years, Harris thought she was alone. Then, she stumbled upon a TikTok post. Furthermore, she learned there are others who can't burp either," she said. The discovery led her to a solution: a procedure to treat R-CPD. "I'm not just weird -- there's something I can do about it!" she shared in a TikTok video, beaming with hope.
Procedure Offers Hope
Harris scheduled her surgery for September 2025, traveling four hours to a specialist. The outpatient procedure involves injecting Botox into the cricopharyngeal muscle under general anesthesia. Botox stops the muscle from contracting, allowing gas to escape through the mouth.
"The Botox is temporary, but 80% of people see permanent results," Harris explained. Her body may learn to keep the muscle relaxed. Additionally, the other 20% might need a second injection for lasting relief.
R-CPD got its official name in 2019 after a scientific paper was published. Dr. Yakubu Karagama, an ear, nose, and throat consultant at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in London, described its impact to the BBC.
"Some patients have to lie down or force themselves to be sick to release the gas," he said. He called it a privilege to codify the diagnosis and help patients who've suffered for years.
One patient, treated by Dr. Robert Bastian, reported life-changing results.
"Any gurgling is gone, bloating has diminished almost entirely," they said. Their day-to-day life improved drastically, the Post reported.
Therefore, Harris hopes for the same outcome. "I'm so excited to be able to burp!" she said, counting down to her procedure.
