Hyperemesis Support

[LucindaE]

We need a new thread.

I hope everyone suffering from the Horrors of Hyperemesis will find this thread useful as a source of support and information.

There's no TMI on here - can't be by definition - and nobody should feel ashamed of moaning as much as they feel the need to.

I used to include extracts from MOH's wonderful website
sites.google.com/site/pregnancysicknesssos/
but I think that makes this link less visible so am merely putting the link. The information on this site is invaluable.

I would like to thank MOH MOP Ovaltine Caramellokoalalover (I think she's changed her nickname) Fluffy, Horsey Kali and Everyone who has given such invaluable support and advice on previous threads.

Remember when you are at your worst, 'This Too Shall Pass'. It really will.

firsttime yes, do give the drip a go. Most of us found that we did feel better for it. Also if you've got a UTI it'll be hard to get rid of (and more painful) if you've not got much fluid in your system - a bag of IV fluid might help to flush things through for you. Don't whatever you do try and do the guide camp! You don't want that UTI going up to your kidneys.

No news here, still stuck in tedious pre-labour. Contractions on and off every afternoon and evening but no proper progress. Baby is so engaged now that my pelvis is absolute agony, I can barely even stand up, let alone walk, so totally trapped in the flat. Getting a bit fed up but hope him being so low means that it can't be much longer!

Thank you! Tho DH has an exam Monday and has told me he could do without me going to hospital this weekend. Looks like il keep sipping water and get some ice lollies to see if that helps.

Any contractions are good! It means your body is getting ready for birthing day!

Kali Fingers crossed for you, how awful, it can't be long now...Hugs if required to you and First Poor you, an UTI as well as Hyperemesis, that is rather annoying of OH, if you did have ketones of 3+ of course, you would have no choice in the matter. Do keep monitoring them if you can't drink much. Goes off, clucking...
Hope Everyone is coping. I do feel for people in the build up to Christmas, I remember Grumblin on here having to make emergency use of a plastic bag because of a display of Christmas puddings.

Lucinda
xx

Kali Things still the same? First How are you managing with awful UTI?
Pinapple I hope bearing up with the miserable returned sickness? Have you had to step up meds again?

Lucinda
xx

Yup still here, constant grumbly period pain giving way to intermittent contractions in the late afternoon/evening every day but then stopping over night. Maybe after this v. long build up actual labour will be quickish ?

Hope everyone else is surviving.

Kali This is cruel! Poor you. Keeping fingers crossed for a wonderful labour for you, with no need of pain relief and completely straightforward.
Lucinda
xx

Hi, can I join you ladies despite getting it all back to front?

My first trimester was ok, normal morning sickness, but at 31 weeks I started to vomit. At first I thought it was a bug, but it didn't cease. I've been in hospital twice recently. The first time I was so dehydrated I went it and they thought I had a combination of preterm labour and flu. It showed up in the routine urine check I have 4+ ketones, which took 3 days and 9 IVs to get down to 2+. The second time I still felt ill, went to GP and again 4+ ketones. Both times pulse was 130+ too.

I seem to be in a cycle. I have a decent section of the day where I'm ok, feeling like a fraud being in hospital, I think it's gone then it's off again. Last time I was discharged with still 3+ ketones as I 'look so well' and 'it's normal to vomit in pregnancy'.

Kali - goodluck! Sounds like my first lost plug a good week before anything happened and had grumbling contractions that eventually turned into something concrete!

Threw up inbetween every contraction towards the end keep throwing up think they were surprised but got an injection in my thigh & it stopped.

Second time threw up once & then baby came but I think it's pretty common anyway!

Google Debra Betts for some accupressure points you might like to give a go to encourage labour - not for everyone- I did it with both mine while watching tv just as I was 40 wks don't know if helped but you know at the point you'll try anything! Worth a read all the best x

Oh ghole that sounds horrendous.

Kalli I second Debra betts and acupressure. I had it in labour and used it prior to labour for my dd. I ended up with a synto drip and managed without an epidural using hypnoborthong and acupressure for most of it. Only had diamorphine because I panicked!

Livonia- thanks for asking about me. I feel horrendous. Didn't make the guide camp have been sick a few times so went to ooh drs who gave me anti sickness stuff but its not made any difference. I also had keytone last night but didn't on Friday so know I must eat! Managing to drink Ribena now though.

Ghoule Welcome, you poor thing, it is so much bieng sick later on, when one has a large belly in the way, so you can't even hunch over a loo properly..
Poor you, I am disgusted they discharged you with a level of ketones with which you would be admitted as an emergency with some nonsense about looking well. Surely they prescribed some meds? Have you got kesosticks (available from any chemists) to monitor dehydration? Are flat coke, jelly, ice cubes, the juice from tinned fruit any use? (all unhealthy stuff, and the only things that stand a change of staying down tend to be very unhealthy).
First Poor you, if those meds are no good, don't hesitate to get an emergency appointment, you are not making a fuss about something unimportant, you are trying to keep yourself from getting dangerously dehydrated, and there's lots more combinations they can try, as I am sure you know. Sorry about guide camp, ones life is totally taken over by this miserable illness. Hope DH is still being sympathetic?
Kali Thinking of you.
WDobbs That sounds good advice about Acupunture. That first labour sounds so nasty, I'm glad the injection stopped you puking with every contraction.
Hope I haven't ignored anyone and Eveyrone is surviving.
Lucinda
xx

I hope things are moving on with Kali. Hope Everyrone is coping, watching those wretched ketones.
Lucinda
xx

wdobbs

silly story you made me think of. Last week when I was in hospital the woman in the next bed to me was induced and VERY noisy. I was thinking all pleasant thoughts, wishing her well despite my lack of sleep and remembering how hard I found it... UNTIL she vomited (once!) and started crying over it 'oh it's not fair, why now when I haven't been sick at all'. THEN all goodwill left me and I glowered through the curtains though the small hours.

Last time I puked through labour the consultant denied me water for 3 hours because 'you'll only throw it up in theatre and you won't like that', I was on a drip but it was torture. The lovely midwife smuggled me ice-cubes and after it all i gave birth naturally while they were preping for a c-section (as I said I could and would!)

Lucinda
I was given cyclizine and metoclopramide to try. The cyclizine works but knocks me out completely, not drowsy but can't keep my eyes open. Given up on it as can't function. Metoclopramide stops most the vomiting but not the nausea.

I got Ketosticks, mine seem to range from 2-4 across the day. I'm keeping fluid down mainly so I think it's just the food.

firsttime
I had a UTI last week which had gone to my kidneys, hope yours cleared up like mine did. The sickness hugely reduced after, I had a stronger dose of antibiotics this time and it went quicker. The IV (all 10!) flushed it too, which I couldn't do otherwise.

Ghoulocks That was so mean of them, not giving you sips of water - thank goodness for the kind midwife and those ice cubes. I'm not surprised you found it hard to be charitable to the woman who thought being sick once in labour after never once in pregnancy was being hard done by.Great that you did it without a c section! They always start people on cyclezine if possible, it seems - finances I suppose. I've had metroclompramide for my none pregnant migraines, I didn't find it that great but others find it really helpful. The ketones do seem to be going very high in some parts of the day - I think Kali had the same thing about it being lack of food.
First Oh dear, do you still feel horrendous?
Hope Kali is OK, and Everyone's managing to keep out of hospital, anyway...
Lucinda
xx

Just checking in to see if kali has had her baby yet, hopefully she's arrived in the pink castle already.

Hope you are all coping as well as can be expected.

Hi everyone. I've come to grumble and ask if anyone has any tips on coping with a glucose tolerance test. I had a bit of a scare with reduced fetal movements the other day and ended up at hospital to be checked out. Everything was fine thankfully and baby is back to its wriggly self. Maternity care where I live is split between 2 hospitals and I had to go out of hours to hospital B when all my antenatal care has been at hospital A. Hospital B were horrified I was 34 weeks and hadn't had a GTT when my mum had type II diabetes. So now I'm booked in for this wretched test next Tues. I had this test in a previous pregnancy about 5 years ago and know its nothing to worry about - except - last time I wasn't suffering with nausea and vomiting. For the most part it is under control with cyclizine in the evening, but as the due date creeps closer I am puking more and very often associated with an empty stomach. The thought of going without food and a cup of sweet tea first thing in the morning (from 9pm the night before) fills me with dread. Empty stomach vomming is so unpleasant and I just don't know what to do. I've explained my problem to the hospital who were very unsympathetic. They've said I can have cyclizine before I come in, but this doesn't always work for me and knocks me out. Apart from stocking up on vomit bags for the journey and puking over unsympathetic midwife , does anyone else have any suggestions on how to manage this? I've never had any glucose in my urine and the test was clear 5 years ago (just to add to my frustation).

Kali - thinking of you and hoping you have arrived at the pink castle

pineapple... would you feel happy to just decline the test they have offered

(you are not obliged to take it, if you dont want to)

Pineapple I had the GTT last week and it was a farce! Nothing from 8pm so in at 8am. Midwife couldn't get any blood out of me so sent me to phlebotomy but forgot to tell them to expect me so waited till 9am for the test even to start! 2 hours later I was nearly fainting with hunger!! One nurse who kept walking by kept asking if I was OK but what could she do? And the phlebotomist told me off at 9am for not having drunk water for the last hour to open up my veins. Errr - no one offered me a drink, no one told me I was supposed to be drinking lots and sitting in the middle of a corridor waiting for your number to be called doesn't exactly make you want to search the hospital maze for somewhere to get one in case you miss your turn!

As nanny says you can refuse it. I won't be having another one that's for sure! My Dad, his sister and his brother all have Type II diabetes so I was high risk but the test came back all clear! So to be honest if you're going to feel so rotten doing it for actually no benefit then think about if it's worth it?

On a side note, I'd managed to wean myself down to 2 cyclizine tablets a day but started feeling really rotten so back to 3 a day. Got the repeat prescription from a much nicer doctor who did say if the sickness isn't gone by 28 weeks (that's me this week) then it's not going to .

Hello, I'm popping my head around the door.

I got my bfp yesterday and by my calculations I am 4 weeks pregnant and am already feeling sick :(

I have a 13 month old son and suffered hyperemeis during my pregnancy with him and ended up three stone lighter :(

Last time I really struggled to get my sickness under control and was sick all the way through, including labour :( sorry, that sounds depressing :( I think I was just unlucky. Someone said upthread about people who get sick early on tending to be sick towards the end of pregnancy and that was certainly the case with my son. Last time I tested at 4+1 because I was being sick, this time it was 3+6. I am excited about being pregnant but scared about how I will cope this time with a toddler to look after too. We have no family nearby either :(

Hope everyone is having a good day, or as good as it can be with hg x

Hippy Welcome, sorry you are suffering already! I think as MOH would say, pre-emptive meds are the thing. It does seem from the experience of people here that the sooner you catch it, the better they work, and you might (sorry to sound pessemistic) wel avoid ending up dehydrated and having to go in for IV that way. Take a friend or someone as back up if you feel too debilitated to argue your corner and there's a wealth of advice on meds, demanding treatment etc on

sicknesssos/ MOH's wonderful website. Have you got kesosticks in readiness, just in case? I don't want to be too gloom and doom sounding, though, as some people have suffered from Hyperemesis in one pregnancy, feel sick early the next,but don't go on to develop the full blown thing. MaryLou242 who was on here about eighteen months ago was one.
Nannyl Mother hen has been worrying about you. How are you feeling?
Plastic I've got the Pink Castle drawbridge down in readiness for when Kali comes across it with baby. Lovely to hear from you and hope you and baby are fine. I remember you were one of the ones who suffered throughout. A real marathon.
Pinapple I wish I could advise about glucose testing, never had it, my grandmother was type two diabetic in later life but I suppose they didn't consider that enough of a risk. It does sound from Calamity's awful experience that they don't exactly treat women with Hyperemesis who have to have it sensitively. I don't see how it's possible to keep enough of the glucose drink down?
Calamity Poor you, what a fiasco. How are you generally, now?
Apologies to anyone I've rudely overlooked.
Lucinda
xx

Well, wouldn't you know it, I messed up that link, Hippy. I'm always doing that, it's a standing joke. Here it is again! sites.google.com/site/pregnancysicknesssos/
Lucinda
xx

Hello Hippy

I got my BFP when dd was 13.5 months, and also had HG for my whole last pregnancy too.

(im 11 weeks now and cant imagine it being any different)

I found a nursery to take DD so OH gets up with her and drops her at 7.30, then i manage to collect her (5min drive) after lunch and put her down for her 2 hour nap, then i only have 2 hours to manage

its been / IS a nightmare (I was admitted for IV this week, and typically DD was ill so couldnt go to nursery either so OH had to be off work)

i just figure as each week passes im 1 week closer to the end.

I too have no family nearby who can help, though my mum is 5 hours away and has been to stay a few times, so had to sort something so nursery it was...

Calamity thank you for warning me of your experience - I will take a bottle of water with me. I had a long chat to my community midwife about it today and she thinks it is very unlikely the test will be positive and thinks that sometimes the hospital go through the motions for the sake of it. Unfortunately I feel like I have to go through with it because I've been told if I refuse its against medical advice - they know how to pile on the emotional pressure. It's always been a high risk pregnancy because I've lost 5 babies to miscarriage and am being closely monitored for pre-eclampsia and other complications. I suppose they are just being ultra careful. The CMW did suggest I speak to GP about getting metoproclamide (not sure I spelt that right) or another stronger anti-emetic to try and help me through Tuesday morning. I've also just started taking ranitidine following Kali's advice and hope that might make a difference to some of the gaviscon and heartburn induced sickness. The trials and tribulations of pregnancy - if only I had been born a man!

Pol My goodness, I was upset enough about one definite miscarriage, five must have been heartbreaking. Hugs. Getting some stronger meds sounds a great idea - maybe they might prescirbe Ondansetron?
Nannyl You poor thing, being admitted for IV last week and so feel for all of you having to cope with a toddler too, even if it is only part of the day. Do moan as much as you want , it must be so difficult coping with LO's. Nannly Did they change the meds after your admission?

Lucinda
xx

i had odasnatron in hospital... i had it IV first, then oraly after that
(it was great, stopped sickness like a switch), then 6 litres of IV (keytones were still 3+ after 3 litres and i still didnt even need a wee, and produced a concentrated drip for them to test)

im now back on cyclizine again.... was at dr yesturday (with DD, but she knows im hg pg etc etc) and she suggested trying another drug that begins with M

(it might end with "metamorphornine" or something like that? i cant remember....

but although cyclizine doesnt stop me being sick, i know it makes a huge difference, and to be honest im actually scared about stopping cyclizine.... what if the next drug isnt as good / doesnt work as well?

metaclopramide is probably what they meant nannyl It worked much better for me.

I came on for a distraction, I feel like I'm weeing battery acid! I'm drinking loads and planning to go back to GP in morning, but if it doesn't settle I'm traipsing off to out of hours. The silly thing is I had a letter saying I had a urine infection from the hospital from my admission last week but the GP has already given me antibiotics just in case so we presumed it's cleared (though she did take another sample just in case). Fast forward 7 hours and now it's VERY clear it hasn't cleared. I'm +4 ketones which I bet just adds to the irritation (grumble, winge, moan etc.....)