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 for sufferers, with information about medications, coping strategies, hospital admissions, useful links, advice for family members, and much more.

I would like to thank MOH MOP Ovaltine bluebirdsunshine (I think she's changed her nickname) Fluffy, Horsey Kalidasa, Nannyl 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.

do you know Lucinda, I don't feel like a veteran at all. I was clueless last time and looking back I didn't get the right support. I was ringing the dr's all the time (including when I started vomiting blood! apparently that was ok, my throat was just 'torn' from vomiting) but they never once tested my ketones! looking back I am sure I should have been sent to hospital that time too. I was just lucky that this time the out of ours doc tested my urine rather than simply prescribing meds. last time they kept prescribing buccastem and it did nothing, absolutely nothing, and made my mouth taste vile. I didn't realise I could ask for something else! I have cyclizine this time. haven't been sick since being discharged but taking it very easy today.

Where can you get the sticks from? that sounds like a good plan.

haylebop good luck for your scan

Welcome tired - I got very cheap ketostix from amazon, but I think many pharmacists sell them too.

pollaidh, as soon as you feel up to it, I echo advice to make a formal complaint. I managed to make one, and it has certainly helped.

I can't go to hospital today - the ward is super busy so I am risking a day off fluids and meds. Bed for the day, other than popping out to get the DCs from school at 3.

24 weeks today, and whilst there is a mild improvement, as in I am being a bit less sick, I am still sick a lot, and permanently shattered. A friend is having an ELCS tomorrow and I am really jealous that she won't be pregnant anymore if that makes sense?

Hope your scan goes well hayle and I hope that you feel a bit better for a relatively normal morning honeymoon

Tired I echo waves , most chemists should have them or will order them in. What you went through sounds horrendous!
waves and Poll, Honeymoon and Everyone trouble with pc, but hope to be back later today. Look after yourselves as much as possible.
Lucinda
xx

Scan went perfect. So pleased although no NT measurement as baby was upside down. This baby has been a pain since day 1!

Hope everyone is feeling brighter today x

Thank you waves and lucinda have ordered some off amazon. I find the journey to hospital v tough as its 40 minutes of windy bumpy roads so that should help me gauge better when to go!

waves I hope you coped ok without hospital today

hayle glad the scan went well

honeymoon hope the rest of your day went well too

Thank you everyone. I am not feeling up to a complaint, I'll think about it - it was the HCAs who were unpleasant though and I can't even remember at what point in my stay, and they didn't give meds or do monitoring so I doubt their initials are in the records. It's such a shame as the treatment in the maternity wing was superb.

honey I think it's normal to feel sort of separate from family life. I do too. I look forward to seeing my child but within about 5 minutes am too exhausted to cope. At times the smell of husband and child has been so unpleasant I've not been able to go near them.

Sorry for double post. Does anyone have experience of getting HG treated in France?

Assuming I'm not attached to an IV line we're planning on going soon. It will be an 'easy' trip with cabin, hardly any drive at all either side and once we're there my m-i-l will look after everything so dh should get a break too (will stay at in-laws). The doctor ok'd it. I'm concerned about how to get treatment if it gets uncontrollably bad while we're there. We know doctors etc there, and there's a maternity hospital nearby but knowing how variable treatment is in the UK, am wondering if the first step would be GP, maternity hospital, or emergency. Anyone any idea?

Can't help specifically but in my experience French doctors are thorough, amazing and you will wish you lived there permanently if you do receive medical care. Then again, it's not free!

Hi guys,

I'm not officially diagnosed HE but have been written off work for a week as not kept anything of any substance down since last Friday if I stay perfectly still in bed I feel just about human but the slightest movement starts the nausea off again.

I'm 7 weeks & the lovely folk on my prenatal group have nudged me over here. I've been giving meds - prochlorperazine maleate - but I'm terrified whether it's honestly safe to take, having had one mc already and currently experiencing very bad cramps in the pelvic area?

TIA x

Ps) hi TiredFeet :)

boymeetsworld sorry your feeling so rubbish. I too was apprehensive about taking the meds after an mmc at 9wk last June. This pg I have been prescribed the same but I had to tell myself that the docs wouldn't prescribe them if they were not safe. Also would I rather put myself at risk being completely dehydrated or take something that will bring about some normality. I had my scan yesterday and a perfectly healthy 13wk old was there. I'm on the highest dose of the anti emetics so I know thy cant have been responsible for what happened last year.

I understand your concerns 100% but you must look
After yourself too.

Welcome anyway... You'll find lots of info and support here.

Thanks Haylebop - are yours the same meds I've been prescribed?

I think a silly part of me wants to hold out for my scan, just to see things are ok before I start taking it...but you're right that I could be putting everything at more risk in the process so scary!

Hi boymeetsworld no I'm on cyclizine and metochlopromide although I only take the cyclizine unless its a bad day.

I had a scan at 6 weeks as here it is common practice to check for multiple pregnancies if you get admitted for HG. I also booked a private scan for ten weeks for my own reassurance. Would booking a private scan be an option for you to put your mind at ease?

That's a good idea - yes I think I'll look into it, we don't get a scan until 12 weeks otherwise here & that's a long wait...

Yes same here and with the holidays (Easter) mine was even a week later then that. I paid £99 and although its a lot I think with previous mc it's worth it. Good luck

Oh and look after yourself. If you cannot tolerate any fluids (even with meds) get yourself to your GP. You need to keep hydrated.

boymeetsworld - sorry you're feeling so bad. I too starting being very sick from about 6 weeks. Eventually, by 8 weeks, my midwife suggested I go in to the Early Pregnancy Unit at the hospital to be assessed for dehydration and while I was there, they did a scan. It might be worth speaking to your midwife to see if you can arrange one, especially if it will put your mind at rest. My hospital also only normally scans at 12 weeks, but as I discovered, they can scan earlier if needs be.

I'm also not a fan of taking meds, but really, it's the only way I can function. I'm now 11 weeks, had 2 admissions to hospital (after being unable to keep any solids or liquids down), but since being discharged with 3 different antiemetics, I'm feeling so much better. Wish you better.

My computer is still being a pain (I hate it! I hate it!) but dashing on to say welcome to Boymeetsworld. I so agree with others, those meds wouldn't be recommended if they weren't completely safe, don't worry. I had an mmc too, hugs, it's very nerve wracking with a subsequent pregnancy. I didn't know you could pay to get a private scan or I'd have gone for one for sure.Have you got kesosticks to test for dehydration, available from any chemsists? (My usual line).

Hayley Great about scan, belated congratuations. I hope everybody is out of hospital at the moment, except for wavesandsmiles who has to go in every day. wavesandsmiles I was thinking, if you can survive this as badly as you have it, plus marital breakdown at the same time, then you can be so proud of yourself as a survivor. I'm not in a very good mood with men today, and the thought occurs...pity it isn't the man who gets Hyperemesis when the woman is pregnant, lol. Can you imagine it?!
Hope Everyone is coping. Back asap.
Lucinda
xx

Hi all, hope everyone is slightly better. Just a quick question RE:ranatidine. I went to the gp to get a repeat prescription today which he happily gave. When I went to the chemist, the pharmacist was reluctant to give it to me. He said as I was almost 6 and a half months pregnant, I needed to start cutting down on it and should resort to drinking gaviscon and cold milk. I laughed in his face and said it just made me sicker and that I had tried to cut down on ranatidine only to get twice as sick. Getting a bit worried now that when I finish these meds, I won't be given anymore.

Thanks bodo and lucinda - I'm definitely going to try and get a private scan booked for next week. If all looks roughly as it should, I'll take the meds. I wish I could get rid of paranoia from previous mc, absolutely convincing myself symptoms are going. Except the sickness.

Though have just managed 1/2 cup of soup in the 1 he window per day when I can! Let's hope it stays put.

Boymeetsworld, I know exactly how you're feeling. Having had a mmc last year while experiencing HG, I was convinced this time round that the same thing was happening. Luckily, my little girl is fine and kicking away as I type this. I'm a healthy 25+4 weeks. Just try to take one day at a time and remember lack of symptons don't mean anything. Concentrate on trying to keep down what you can and beating this awful HG and I'm sure your LO will be ok. Sending you a gentle cyber hug x

boy just wanted to say very quickly that any studies that have been done show that women with hyperemesis who take medication have better fetal outcomes than women who don't take them. It's thought that, on balance, it's worse for the baby if the mother is dehydrated and starved. I was on antiemetics from 6 weeks.

I've also been on anti emetics for six weeks and don't see me being able to stop them anytime soon. It's true I'd rather I didn't have to take them but my health and well being is just as important. (Took me a while to come to terms with that as I too focused of the negative effect it may have on baby)

Thanks everyone. Seeing dr again in the morning but I've started bleeding. A lot. Already had one mc so I know the likely outcome

boy if you become severely dehydrated it puts your health and your baby's at risk. In this pregnancy I have partially (and temporarily) lost my eyesight through dehydration as well as putting my heart under strain (I was semi-conscious and in hypovolaemic shock).

I can add my story that my first pregnancy I took anti-emetics from about 10 weeks to 42 weeks, and there has been no apparent ill-effect on my child. This pregnancy I have been on anti-emetics from week 6 I think - now 17. Of course individual cases don't necessarily mean anything (like the 100 year old claiming it was fags and whisky that got her to a grand old age). I am a scientist, with a background in biology and risk assessment, amongst other disciplines, and am very cautious about what constitutes evidence, and risk, so...

Most of these anti-emetics have been used over 30+ years and as birth defects etc get reported, together there are enough cases to provide a body of evidence which indicates that they will not cause adverse effects in the child.

However Zofran and some steroids (which tend to be given when the first line drugs fail) have sometimes been linked with some birth defects when taken at certain stages of pregnancy, although the jury is still out on that, and doctors will still take decisions based on the risk of dehydration and starvation vs. small risk of birth defects such as cleft palate.

It is unethical to test drugs on pregnant women, so the drugs you'll be offered will be 'off licence', that is to say, not approved formally for treatment of HG. Most will therefore have a 'not for pregnancy' warning on the pack. However the case evidence I mentioned earlier has allowed them to identify some drugs (e.g. thalidomide) which must never be used in pregnancy, and classify others as high, medium or low risk for the baby. The drugs we're being offered are considered to be at the lower end of risk, and where the benefit outweighs the risk.

I completely understand your worries, especially given your mc. I too have had mcs and am concerned about what drugs I take, but I can clearly see that benefit outweighs the risk in my case. I hope this all makes sense and helps you to understand the slightly odd pharmaceutical industry and off-licence prescribing.