Plain English

Jargon buster

Doctors love a long word. We don't. Here are the words you're most likely to bump into on your R-CPD journey, explained simply. Where a word comes with a fact, we've linked to where it came from.

B

Botox: a medicine that relaxes muscles. For R-CPD, a small injection into the muscle at the top of your food pipe helps it relax, so air can get out as a burp (Bastian 2019 (opens in a new tab)).

Botox units: how much Botox is used. If a second injection is needed, it's often a bit bigger (Malhotra 2024 (opens in a new tab)).

C

CBT: short for cognitive behavioural therapy. It's a talking therapy that helps you change how you think about and react to a fear. It's thought to work best for emetophobia (OCD-UK (opens in a new tab)).

Commissioning: how the NHS decides what it will pay for. There's no national commissioning policy for R-CPD, so local NHS teams decide (Government response (opens in a new tab)).

Consultant: a senior hospital doctor who specialises in one area, like ENT.

Cricopharyngeus: the little ring of muscle at the top of your food pipe. It opens when you swallow. With R-CPD, it doesn't relax to let air back up (Oude Nijhuis 2022 (opens in a new tab)).

D

Day case: you have your treatment and go home the same day, with no overnight stay. You can go home the same day after the asleep version of R-CPD treatment (Sulis Hospital Bath (opens in a new tab)).

Dysphagia: the medical word for finding it hard to swallow (NHS: swallowing problems (opens in a new tab)).

E

EMG: short for electromyography. It's a test that picks up the tiny electrical signals your muscles make.

ENT: ear, nose and throat. ENT doctors are the specialists who usually treat R-CPD.

Excess: the part of an insurance claim you pay yourself. People with R-CPD said theirs was £100 to £250 (£250 (opens in a new tab), £150 (opens in a new tab), £100 (opens in a new tab)).

G

Gastroscopy: a test where a doctor looks inside your food pipe and stomach with a thin, bendy camera that goes down your throat.

General anaesthetic (GA): medicine that puts you to sleep for the procedure, so you don't feel or remember it (NHS (opens in a new tab)).

I

IBS: short for irritable bowel syndrome. A gut problem that can cause tummy pain, bloating and changes in your poo.

IFR (Individual Funding Request): when a doctor or nurse asks your local NHS to pay for something it doesn't usually pay for. You can't apply yourself (NHS North West London (opens in a new tab)).

In-office: having your treatment awake, in the clinic, rather than asleep in an operating theatre (Wajsberg 2021 (opens in a new tab)).

Inability to belch syndrome: the official name for not being able to burp in the Rome V checklist (Rome Foundation (opens in a new tab)).

L

Laryngologist: an ENT doctor who focuses on the throat and voice box.

Laryngospasm: a reflex where your vocal cords suddenly squeeze shut for a short time to protect your airway (Chekol 2020 (opens in a new tab)). With R-CPD Botox, it happened to 1 person out of the first 200 (Hoesli 2020 (opens in a new tab)).

M

Micro burps: tiny, quiet first burps. They often start within 1 to 5 days of treatment (Laryngopedia (opens in a new tab)).

N

NHS e-Referral: the online system GPs in England use to send your referral to a hospital and book your first appointment.

NICE: the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. It advises the NHS on which treatments to use. It has no guidance on R-CPD (NICE (opens in a new tab)).

O

Oesophagus: your food pipe, the tube that carries food from your mouth to your stomach.

Off label: using a medicine for something it isn't officially approved for. Botox isn't licensed for R-CPD, but doctors can use it off label when they think it's right (Government response (opens in a new tab)).

P

Pre-authorisation: getting a yes from your insurer before you book treatment.

Pre-existing condition: a health problem you had before your insurance started. It's the most common reason insurers say no to R-CPD claims (r/noburp thread (opens in a new tab)).

Private and self-pay: being treated outside the NHS. Self-pay means you pay yourself. Private can also mean your health insurance pays.

R

R-CPD: short for retrograde cricopharyngeus dysfunction, or not being able to burp. You might also see it called no burp syndrome or abelchia (Bastian 2019 (opens in a new tab); Rome Foundation (opens in a new tab)).

Referral: your GP asking a specialist to see you.

Reflux: when stomach acid comes back up, which can feel like heartburn. Some people notice it after R-CPD treatment (Jönsson 2024 (opens in a new tab)).

Right to Choose: in England, you can choose where you're referred for your first specialist appointment, if the NHS pays for it there (NHS: your choices (opens in a new tab)).

Rome V: the official international checklist doctors use for gut problems. It now includes "inability to belch syndrome" (Rome Foundation (opens in a new tab)).

S

Slow swallow: the name people use for the slow, odd swallowing many people get for a week or two after R-CPD Botox. Food can feel like it hangs low in your throat. It's in a safe place and isn't stuck, and a sip of drink helps it down (Laryngopedia (opens in a new tab); Bastian 2019 (opens in a new tab)). Doctors call it temporary dysphagia (Cosentino 2025 (opens in a new tab)). Our day by day recovery guide says what to expect.

Still stuck on a word? Get in touch and we'll add it.

Was this page helpful?

👍 Yes👎 Not really