After having continuous hiccups for ~24 hours, I walked to a nearby doctor’s clinic. " Uncle kaafi der se hitchkiyaan aa rahi hai, iska…" (I am having hiccups for a long while, can something…) [interrupted] He replies in a loud voice, " Beta, hitchkiyoon ka koi ilaaj nahi hota, kai baar mujhe aati hai" (Son, there is no cure for hiccups, sometimes, I have them for days) The tone was part patronizing and part condescending. Total Bill: 0 ₹ Embarrassment quotient: 10/10

American doctor

After having continuous hiccups for ~24 hours, I drove to Palo Alto Medical Foundation. Checked in for urgent care by showing my insurance coverage and waited for ~30 minutes for my name to be called out. A nurse took me to a weighing machine to measure and record my weight and height. Then she measured my blood pressure. I was wondering if blood tests would be done next, but thankfully she took me to a room and told me to wait for the doctor to arrive. It took another ~15 minutes for him to arrive and my hiccups died in the meanwhile. “So, I am having hiccups for ~24 hours now”. “You do not have them right now”, he replies in a pleasant voice. “Yeah, it stopped moments before you entered the room, but you know, I can feel it, they will start sometime soon.” “You know hiccups just happen, there is no cure for them, you just wait for sometime, and they will stop.” I left, and as expected, hiccups started before I turned on the engine of my car.

A week later, I received the bill. Total Bill: 200$ (I paid 20$, my employer paid 180$) Embarrassment quotient: 0/10