New Hyperemesis Support thread founded by the lovely LucindaE

[grumblinalong]

As the old thread is nearly full here it is time a brand new thread is born. All we need now is a new vomit face emoticon MN towers!

We are a bunch of past, present and future HG sufferers (along with worried spouses, family and friends) who use this thread to support, listen and discuss the dreaded pregnancy illness that is HG (hyperemesis gravidarum).

There are no limits on how much moaning posters can do nor can anyone's symptoms or experiences be tmi.

The old thread has been a great support to many of us and we hope this new thread carries on the great work started by old thread founder and HG guru LucindaE. She still maintains, supports and clucks around the thread daily even though her own experience of HG is thankfully over.

So with no further incoherent rambling from me on with the new thread eh?

Hi all, feeling very miserable today. Last night I was so sick that blood was coming up. My throat felt like there were razor blades stuck in it and all night I was awake with excessive saliva - constantly having to spit it out. My oesophagus feels like it's raw and I'm scared the same will happen tonight. The cyclizine is helping in that I'm only sick just before I go to bed but I don't think I can handle another night like last night. Has anyone experienced the blood in vom thing?
Sorry to be such a merchant of doom x

...and how selfish of me not to ask how everyone else is doing. Hope you're all ok x

if its bright red its normally a tear in yr oesophagas caused by the violent retching. I got this on Tues, think i opened an old wound. Its just horrid but it will get better, hang in there. Recently i have had to stick my hand down the bog to check if it clots of blood or strawberries. Lovely isnt it!

Not long now grumlin! No idea how you moving house.

NitNat, must make you wish for puking instead!

I not been too bad. Just so so tired but cant sleep so had a few bad bouts but nothing compared to how it was. I get to a point at work i have to leave and get in bed to rest, if i dont i will deffo puke. Not taking anti sickness anymore since it wasnt even helping with sleep

loving Crunchie's at the mo!

Thanks theonlyhb2. I think you're right about it being a tear - bet my insides are a right mess. Hope you manage some good sleeps - it's all I seem to be doing at the mo.

Yoohoooooooo

Hellooooo

Have any of you ladies had a prescription for Ondansetron (Zofran) ?

Anyone tried it ?

It literally saved my job/career when I had HG in pregnancy.

After my first pregnancy when I thought I was a freak for vomiting so much with HG I discovered lots of women who had been signed off work for weeks as their doctors would not prescribe anything effective enough to enable them to work. My next door neighbour was amazed that I'd got something effective prescibed, although I'm sure it probably doesn't work for every women that tries it, and she confessed to having been in bed/laying down on the settee for months signed off as unable to work when she was pregnant the year before we moved next door to them.

I tried stemetil, cyclizine and loads of other stuff but Ondansetron was the only thing that worked. I understand it is expensive so there is reluctance to prescribe it and my GP was happier that I was given it under the supervision of the Obs/Gyne consultants at hospital but it is sooooo worth it to the economy, it kept me out of hospital and working.

diddygirl as per theonly I also had some blood when vomitting excessively in early days and GP and hospital put this down to throat damage. A few on thread have had issues with stomach lining that looks like coffee grounds and needs hospital investigation - as per MOH wonderful doc: Repeated vomiting can cause tears in the gullet, called Mallory-Weiss tears which cause you to bring up fresh, red blood. If you bring up vomit that looks like coffee grounds you should seek immediate medical attention as this is old blood and can indicate a bleed further down.
Rotthentiming not ignoring you! Sorry you're past sufferer and yes most of us know about ondastren and few have been treated with this, so glad it worked for you - wished I'd pushed for it. As per above one of the posters, MOH, has put together doc with our input further down and it also references this med but maybe we should highlight how effective it can be.

I think the other reason that Docs (especially GPs) try other anti emetics before ondansetron is because it has to be prescribed off label - meaning that they haven't found conclusive evidence to support its safety in pregnancy. From what I can see in the research it doesn't mean that its unsafe its just that when they've done clinical trials with ondansetron, pregnant women have been an excluded group. A couple of articles I read said that the drug does not appear to cause any major malformations. Probably more clinical trials of its use in pregnancy need to be conducted for it to be more readily available. Though I suspect researchers would say that the HG group is so small that its difficult to conduct studies and find conclusive evidence on its treatment.

I did hear a reassuring story yesterday - one of my ex colleauges suffered with HG in her 1st pregnancy and is now pregnant for a 2nd time and she told me that she has had no vomitting, just nausea that goes off with food! She's 12 weeks pregnant now and I think she is finally confident that she won't get HG in this pregnancy! Her main worry is how much weight she's going to gain as she has to eat constantly!! It's funny how unpredictible HG is!!

rottentiming Yep I was prescribed Ondansetron, through IV and tablets, but as I have bowel problems (resulting from the birth of DS1) it didn't work for me as it exacerbated them. Do know that for some women its really effective, I was desperate to try it and so disappointed that it didn't work.

diddygirl Second what everyone is saying about fresh, bright red blood. Its when it looks like coffee grounds/granules you need to worry. I get fresh blood every morning in my bile run, it looks significantly worse than it actually is. If you can get a torch and a mirror, look down your throat and you'll probably see some tiny lacerations (I made DH look at mine and he was not happy!) these break when you retch, hence the blood. I'm sure some blood comes from my nose too - tiny blood vessels breaking apparently.

theonly Crunchies?! Must be the lovely honeycomb centre I can't wait to be able to have a and a chocolate bar after labour. Think I'll pack a crunchie in my hospital bag.

la73 How's tricks? Not long now, are you hanging in there?

nitnat I do not know how you have coped with something dropping in your bed. I understand why you want a brand new house!

lucinda Have applied the yoghurt, ahem, as suggested. No luck, think another pessary is in order...

Date list below for reminding:

Grumblin: EDD 17/06/11 next scan 13/06/11 as have a tiddler!
Lottie: EDD 09/07/11 next scan 19/05/11 to check growth!
La: EDD 14/07/11
Nitnat: EDD 20/7/11
johnnyd1: EDD 31/07/11
Theonlyhb2: EDD 16/08/11, next scan 25/05/11, First timer (eeek)
ElliottsMummy: EDD 25/9/11, next scan 11/05/11
Coconuts: EDD 01/10/11
AgBag: EDD 18/10/11, next scan 09/06/11
Littlewizz: EDD 6/11/11, Next scan 23/6/11
CakeForBreakfast: EDD 07/11/11(subject to change), next scan 06/05/11
Marylou: EDD 9/11/11, next scan 22/06/11
MotherofPearl: EDD 19/11/11, next scan 16/5/11
Eggy: EDD is 30/11/11
Diddygirl: EDD 19/12/11, 12 week scan 31/5/11

Oh sorry lottie I thought I'd responded to your post but it didn't go in There was a mw in hospital who had 5 DC's (yes 5!) she had 3 HG pregnancies and 2 normal - weird eh? No correlation with sex or partner (her dc's had 2 different fathers). HG is really unpredicatable. How's your bump measuring? Mine was 31 weeks at 36 weeks, it hasn't really grown I don't think, but my skin is as tight as a drum above the belly button.

Hi Grumblin Eeek - you haven't got long to go!! My first baby (no HG) always measured small for dates - I was induced around my due date and she was 6.2lbs. She is now a very grown up 18 year old at Uni!! I have another growth scan on thursday for a final measurement but last scan at 34 weeks estimated he was on the 97th centile. I'm still amazed he's so big. I look ernomous as well. Though I lost around 21lbs initially - It all went back on plus around another 10 - 14lbs! Look forward to hearing how you get on! Good luck. xx

rotten i had ondansetron and I found it fantastic as well. It enabled me to go back to work after a couple of month or so, albeit part time as i often had to go home early and lie down, whereas otherwise I would have been attached to a drip pretty much permanently. My OB didn't even hesitate to prescribe it, though she did say try phenergan (useless) and stemetil (ok for couple of weeks but didn't stop the vomming) first. I was on ondansetron after two weeks of the other two and took it till birth. She instructed the GP to prescribe so I just kept getting repeat prescriptions. Textbook case of how HG should be managed, and could be if only so many GPs weren't so bloody ignorant.

I think to be fair to GPs they don't have specialist knowledge and so its sensible to get certain prescriptions from a consultant. That goes for most illnesses or conditions that aren't so common. I work in cardiology and the GPs are happy to prescribe according to guidelines from NICE but if a patient is a bit more complicated then they will always get our department to initiate a medication and then they happily continue it with instructions. The advice that GPs get regarding its use say avoid in pregnancy unless benefits outweigh the risks. So I don't think its always about ignorance. From my experience of HG I think women need to get early hospital advice and a plan from a hospital consultant that the GP can follow. Like so many women I suffered for a while before seeking help as I'd never experienced anything like it and my friends and family who had been pregnant hadn't experienced it either. The first time I saw a GP regarding it he admitted me straight away and the hospital started me on cyclizine.

Hello Everyone. RottenTiming Nice to meet you, I have heard Ond-whatsit is good, Fluffy had it, I believe, in the US its routinely prescribed for people with health insurance, I had the misfortune to have no meds prescribed as dr barbaric and didnt even test urine, that was a few years ago, may it never happen now! My Acupunturist gave me funny little pills. I have heard it is much more epensive than cyclezine, stemitil, etc.
MOH Glad ond (forget spelling) was given to you. Not sure if you read my message about LaTrucha's website, I will scroll through and try and go on it, I didn't manage to get on it before, she gives the address either near the beginning of this thread or near the end of the old one.
DiddyGirl Agree with others about red verseus brown blood - I had the red, still get it with migraine often, but brown like NitNat needs checking.
Grumblin Oh dear, I am sorry my yoghurt treatment ineffectual. It's horrendous, in hot weather, you must feel like putting an ice lolly up there?
[shock}. At least the end to your suffering is near, my goodness. I hope still not puking?
Lottie Interesting stories. LA moving along that board nicely.

Alias and LOTM about good Dr. Keep us informed, LOTM.
Off to scroll through now. How is Everyone? I hope nobody suffering horribly?
LucindaE
xx

MOH and Everyone Well, I tried searching the old and new theads, and can't find the details (trust me) where LaTrucha says she's set up a Hyperemeis Website, so I have pm'd LaTrucha and I hope she comes back with interesting news. It is so good of MOH going to all this trouble and working too and having a toddler, so I wouldn't want her to have to do more than she has to.
LucindaE
xx

Hi,
Lucinda asked me to post about the help for HG forum as one of you was thinking of starting a new hyperemesis support website (which I think is a great idea by the way).

So, here's the history. It wasn't me who started the forum, but another sufferer who used to be on the Blooming Awful website hyperemesis support website, which now is defunct (the woman who started it moved abroad, I think, and gave up).

The woman who has been trying to start a new forum can be contacted via the forum on the email: [email protected] . She has really struggled to start it up. I'm not sure what is involved, but it seems pretty onerous. The forum link she sent me is z3.invisionfree.com/Help4HG/index.php? It really doesn't seem to be used though.

I think a new website is a great idea and would volunteer my help. Please let me know if this other lady goes ahead, and feel free to put her in touch with me if I could help her. I'm pretty sure the woman who started help 4 HG and maybe some of the others who used to be on the Blooming Awful site would be interested too. We have a mailing group and though it's mostly spam now, there are obviously a few still around picking up genuine messages.

Thanks, and, Lucinda, please keep me posted if things start happening. I would like to lend a hand. The fear of HG, which I had in my first pregnancy but not in my second - just sickness all the bloody time, all the way through - , is holding me off having a third baby. We'd love to, but the possibility of HG with two toddlers is beyond awful. I adore my two and am so sad that the difficulty of crossing those few but seemingly endless months may mean no more beautiful ones for me.

Good luck to all of you currently suffering. I'm sure it's been said before, but really as soon as the blighters were out my sickness disappeared as if it had never been there.

latrucha and lucinda i've just used the link to get as far as the forum page and I'll contact the lady once I have time and have got a bit further. I was thinking of setting up a website with information and a facility for women to submit their experiences on specific topics eg what treatments and how well they worked, what foods worked what didn't etc, maybe have surveys so we can gather stats eg what percentage of women don't get treatment from their GP, what percentage find a particular antiemetic effective. My intention is to buy a domain name and link it to a google site because googlesites let you pick a template and customise so you don't have to actually do the website building. There is also functionality such as online forms and drop down menus and clever stuff available without you having to be a computer geek - I've been getting advice on this from a 15 year old neighbour, who is a computer geek so I'll have help as I go along. I hadn't intended to actually create a talk thread, I was just going to have a link to this one as this is a good one and I don't want to reinvent the wheel, but it could have a link to this z3 one. I want to sit down and spend some time on it next week while dd at nursery, she's been full on this week, if I go near a computer she comes over and starts pressing buttons....even if night garden's playing on repeat....i was going to be one of those mothers who was never going to plonk the baby in front of the TV but sometimes it's either that or your sanity.

Another one of those here!

I don't know if it's similar on google, but the Blooming Awful website operated a group email (sorry can't think of the word right now) through yahoogroups. It did work well. Or is Facebook an option? I am NOT a computer geek, so I'm not much help there.

One thing we had thought of doing, but didn't was to put together a download and / or leaflet for GPs and health visitors of women's experiences etc with website address etc on so they have something to give women as GPS don't often know what to do or say. One of us started collecting stories. I'll try and contact her and get them if you're interested, but I don't know if she's still around.

LaTrucha andMOH thanks! Just dashing on, train catching to do, all this sounds good, as I said below somewhere, 'from small beginnings'...We've got some lovely supporters. you, Fluffy Caramel LA and never forgetting NitNat and Grumblin was current sufferers, apart from others too numerous to mention, and it is wonderful that everyone is determined not to let other women suffer alone if possible.
LucindaE
xx

Hope everyone doing ok this weekend and heat not exacerbating symptoms too much

Date list below updated - added newbies at end so you can cut and paste and add EDD and scan dates x

Grumblin: EDD 17/06/11 next scan 13/06/11 as have a tiddler!
Lottie: EDD 09/07/11
La: EDD 14/07/11 growth scan 08/06/11 (looking small despite huge bump!)
Nitnat: EDD 20/7/11
johnnyd1 (Luce): EDD 31/07/11
Theonlyhb2: EDD 16/08/11 First timer (eeek)
ElliottsMummy: EDD 25/9/11
Coconuts: EDD 01/10/11
AgBag: EDD 18/10/11, next scan 09/06/11
Littlewizz: EDD 6/11/11, Next scan 23/6/11
CakeForBreakfast: EDD 07/11/11(subject to change)
Marylou: EDD 9/11/11, next scan 22/06/11
MotherofPearl: EDD 19/11/11
Eggy: EDD 30/11/11
Diddygirl: EDD 19/12/11
Bensgirl: EDD
Alias: EDD
Lady: EDD

Hi all! Feeling much much better. Craving calamari last night the thought is turning my stomach atm! The sickness has fucked right off, still exhausted and a bit weak but taking it easy and weaning myself off the cyclizine (sp-I spell it a different way every time). Hope you're not all feeling so crap in this scalding heat (27 oc here on the coast of West Wales).

Grumblin: EDD 17/06/11 next scan 13/06/11 as have a tiddler!
Lottie: EDD 09/07/11
La: EDD 14/07/11 growth scan 08/06/11 (looking small despite huge bump!)
Nitnat: EDD 20/7/11
johnnyd1 (Luce): EDD 31/07/11
Theonlyhb2: EDD 16/08/11 First timer (eeek)
ElliottsMummy: EDD 25/9/11
Coconuts: EDD 01/10/11
AgBag: EDD 18/10/11, next scan 09/06/11
Littlewizz: EDD 6/11/11, Next scan 23/6/11
CakeForBreakfast: EDD 07/11/11(subject to change)
Marylou: EDD 9/11/11, next scan 22/06/11
MotherofPearl: EDD 19/11/11
Eggy: EDD 30/11/11
Diddygirl: EDD 19/12/11
Bensgirl: EDD
Alias: EDD
LadyOTCM: 01/12/11 (huge bump despite weight loss-bastard nature!)

Hello all, not been keeping up too well have I

Had a little shudder at the bat and fly larvae stories I am a wimp with awful creatures. I was attacked by a bat once. Outside in the dark, something flew into my head. I was running round screaming , flailing my arms around, somehow managed to smack this poor thing. God knows where it ended up as I was too mortified to look. Hated the bloody things ever since.

All good over at Coconuts headquarters. Well and truly cured, although still get a little vom sometimes when brushing teeth. Am back drinking tea and am 23 weeks now. It seems like the first half was so shitty, and dragged really slowly. Now I'm better, this second half is flying by. Trying to enjoy kicks as much as possible, eventhough they are getting uncomfortable now.

Just seem to have coldsore after coldsore lately. I hate them.

Have been keeping myself busy, doing up our bedroom, renovating some chests of drawers and might take a trip to DFS today to scout out some new sofas :)

MOH et al, great work on this so far. As Lucinda said, from a small acorn....

A pamphlet would be great, as would a whole website. Perhaps you can still do the new MNHQ page in time with a link to the new website (if you're allowed to do that?) once it's up and running. It will be amazing to be a part(even if a tiny part) of something potetially life changing to so many women.

I am not technologically minded at all so cannot help with the logistics of it but will be here, cheering on from the sidelines.

And MOH, do not worry about putting DD in front of ITNG. I was the same with my DD and Peppa Pig. Sometimes it's all you can do.

Big waves to everyone else.

Cocoanuts A bat bumped into you? That is amazing, as they have sonar or some such, don't they? I've stood in a room in a ruined house at dusk with twenty flying about my head, never hitting me. As to how I came to be there, no, I am not a vampire, it's a long story...So glad you are much better. As you say, to start something helpful to sufferers everywhere up by joint effort would be great.
Lady These strange appetites...So glad you are a bit better, anyway.
MOH I think we all compromise about television watching 'electronic nannies'. I used to breathe a sigh of relief when CCTV came on...If you don't make time for your own interests you will get frustrated and cross and I think children prefer a mother who sets limits and has her own life. I think the website idea is so good.
LaTrucha Thanks again for supplying info.
Fluffy Where is yous this while? And Caramel too? Everyone all alive, I hope?

LucindaE
xx

Lucinda - well I think it was a bat. It felt like a mouse with rubbery wings. Perhaps I walked into the bat, not the bat into me. But at you being surrounded by so many of the bleeders. Ew!

Cocoanuts I think they'r sweet, believe it or not. I used to live in that house (before it was demolished, hat is!) and it wass known to be haunted. My brother betted me I wouldn't hear anything if we went there at twilight, but even he did...
On a more down to earth theme, my goodness, but it is quiet on here of late. Is everyone cured or possibly, weary of my terrible jokes?
LucindaE
xx

Hi all, hope everyone has had a good day, sorry haven't posted for a while - have found going back to work very time consuming!! :)

All good here, 24 weeks now and definitly over the worst - feeling pretty good but still the occasional vom or retching session brings me back down to earth!! Bump has gotten huge all of a sudden and I'm thinking this has helped me get back up to my pre-pregnancy weight at last :)

Good idea on the website - did trawl through a bit of HER but it was all so american - would be really good to have an English equivalent - anything we can help with please let us know.

Hope those still in the early stages are coping ok xx