Brazilian ex-president Bolsonaro treated for chronic hiccups

Jair Bolsonaro, the former right-wing president of Brazil jailed for an attempted coup, suffers maladies both mundane and mysterious. One even prevented him from wearing pants. The latest to hit the news is his chronic hiccups, which complicated an otherwise successful hernia surgery last week. Doctors decided to fix it, with more surgery.

This latest procedure comes after the 70-year-old successfully underwent surgery for a double hernia earlier this week, after being granted permission to be transferred to hospital. … "It's been nine months of struggle and anguish with daily hiccups," Bolsonaro's wife, Michelle, said on Saturday. She explained in a social media post that her husband's procedure had "blocked" one of his phrenic nerves. The phrenic nerves contract and expand the diaphragm, which allows the lungs to inhale and exhale. Hiccups are caused by the involuntary spasming of the diaphragm, typically as a result of an irritated phrenic nerve.

Convicted earlier this year, Bolsonaro was placed under house arrest while he appealed his 27-year sentence, which would have him imprisoned until he is 97 years old—an imaginative prospect given his many ailments. But he reportedly tried to remove his ankle monitor and organize a rally outside his home, prompting judges to rule him a flight risk and send him to jail.

Previously:
• Brazilian authoritarian Bolsonaro fires his culture minister for giving a speech plagiarized from Joseph Goebbels
• Lula wins Brazil's presidential election, defeating far-right incumbent Bolsonaro
• After 11-years Brazilian reporter Manuela Borges gets to rub Bolsonaro's face in it
• Brazil's Bolsonaro jailed 27 years over attempted coup
• Brazil's Bolsonaro indicted for falsifying his Covid vaccine records: faces 12 years in prison