Table 2 Main category “change of quality of life” – Subcategories: (A) accompanying symptoms, (B) emotional burden, and (C) change in self-image with sub-subcategories and examples of quotation

A) Accompanying symptoms - Sub-subcategory:

ID: Examples of quotations

Gastrointestinal symptoms

B6: And yes (.) then (.) I realized […] that if I stick a finger down my throat and try to gag […] then I always had peace with the hiccups for an hour or two. And now I do this regularly.

Sleep disorder

B7: The problem is always that you can’t fall asleep. Because of these stupid hiccups, I’ve more or less migrated to the couch and I lie down there because my wife is also working.

Fatigue

B1: What bothers me most is this exhaustion.

Shortness of breath

B17: Anyway, I couldn’t breathe, I really thought I was going to suffocate.

B) Emotional burden - Sub-subcategory:

Shame

B18: […] on the bus and it was always full of people. I always thought oh God or even on the train. I always thought they would all notice that I had the hiccups. That was a bit embarrassing for me […].

Anxiety

B2: That’s the most unpleasant thing about this. And it’s quite a burden for me. I’m directly afraid of falling over here in the kitchen or something, yes. It’s not like I’m scared to death, but it’s true that I’m terrified.

Aggression

B7: And then of course I get angry and aggressive inside because I’m annoyed with myself, because I always think, why do you have to have the hiccups so badly right now that you can’t communicate properly?

Dejection

B10: Because I had the hiccups, I couldn’t talk to people. I withdrew a bit. And then sadness set in. I sat down in a corner and just listened.

C) Change in self-image - Sub-subcategory

Change in self-image

B12: And so my body has always functioned optimally, to put it bluntly. And this break with the fact that the body becomes kind of weak. (.) How should I put it? (.) It was something very new and I had to learn to deal with it psychologically. And I don’t really want that and I’m currently looking for a solution with the [specialist] and then to bring that back into everyday life.

Changed public image

B1: You’ve also lost a bit of self-esteem because you can no longer take part in many things, because you’re no longer part of working life. Work meant a lot to me.