Singer's with Two-Year of Hiccups to have an operation

Christopher Sands has struggled to sleep, eat and hold down food for nearly two years.

He has puzzled medics who say there is no physical reason why Mr Sands should hiccup up to once every two seconds.

Mr Sands is set to have surgery on his stomach valve to stop him vomiting after eating, but doctors have warned this may not help the hiccups.

The 25-year-old musician from Lincoln is unable to sing or perform with his band, Ebullient, and receives incapacity benefit.

He has poured out his frustration on his MySpace blog.

"Just recently I have been bringing every meal I eat back up again, I am starting to feel quite weak and my trousers all need belts now, so I made a visit to the doctor's, explained everything to her," he posted.

Other entries describe the rounds of doctors' visits, and how even a tube inserted through his nose failed to diagnose or help the problem.

"I still have them and they aren't getting any better," he wrote.

Mr Sands has tried medicine, alternative therapies and old-wives' tales, but none has worked since the constant hiccups started in February 2007.

Hiccups are an involuntary reflex that occur when the diaphragm suddenly contracts.

"Intractable" hiccups - a bout that continues for more than a month - affect more men than women and often indicate an underlying problem, according to the NHS.