Hyperemesis Support

[LucindaE]

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 and Everyone who has given such invaluable support and advice on this and on previous threads.

Remember when you are at your worst, 'This Too Shall Pass'. It really will.
So many women on this thread have thought they couldn't get through this, but they did.

Somedizzy Welcome, I always call this The Thread Nobody Wants to Need too! You poor thing, every five to ten minutes is one of the worst I have ever encountered on this thread, i hate to think what your ketones were like. . I can't improve on what everyone has said, and so agree that those hurting belly muscles will be strain, painful though and so agree with Jen and others about how they can't sack you for a pregnancy related condition. It's dismal being in hospital, but it is where you need to be until they can reduce that puking or you'll only end up backin a couple of days. I hope you get that Ondansetron, and when you get out you invest in some kesostix from a chemist to check your urine for dehydration just in case things do get bad again. Gentle pats. A lot of women improve a lot some time after sixteen weeks, don't despair.
MurderofGoths You poor thing, I can't imagine how painful that must be. Is thee any chance of physio helping in the slightest?
Jen Glad about physio. What is NASWOT? I was once a union rep in local government - now completely out of touch...
Chaffinch Meerka What Jen and Everyone great advice and links.
Jess Hope you aren't suffering too much.

Stars How are you?
I hope Sally is in labour.
Apologies to anyone overlooked.
xx

very normal dizzy

Actually, my knowledge is unfortunately some years out of date but the situation used to be that if you were pregnant, you were not covered by disability legislation. it was specifically excluded along with (of all things) allergic rhinitis. You had to be long term sick for more than 12 months and preg does not count. or did not. I don't know if the legislation has been improved, I sincerely hope so, it was dreadfully written.

So if the situation is still the same (I'll try to check) , im sorry dizzy but yes, the work situation would be worrying. It's another reason to emphasise to the doctors that you -really- need meds to get thigns under control.

Ok, you aren't covered under the Disability Act but you should definitely be covered under the Sex Discrim Act:

Maternity and pregnancy discrimination is unlawful in the UK and occurs when a woman is treated unfavourably because of her pregnancy, pregnancy related-illness, compulsory maternity leave or she is exercising or seeking to exercise her maternity rights, including taking ordinary or additional maternity leave. The protection covers a worker from the period of conception to the end of the statutory maternity leave.

that's very clear.

all the same, it would be a lot of hassle :/

Have you got a sympathetic boss, dizzy? if so, then with the level of your sickness it really would be worth talkig to them about how to manage the coming weeks/months

yeah dizzy, keep talking to/updating your employer with the situation, what the doctors recommend and the treatment you can undertake
a good drug can make you feel almost normal, ondansatron removed the need for me to have a puke bucket at work thank god!

Thanks all. I'm still in hospital and having a review if drugs and stuff with doc tomorrow.

I contacted my NUT rep and he was very helpful. Basically said if I needed signing off the whole pregnancy that it would be fine. I am covered. That was a load off my mind.

I've burnt my oesophagus with all the bile so that's my biggest issue at the moment. Very painful

dizzy poor you, but glad you are getting the support and help you need. Good news about your work as well. I knew in the dim recess of my mind that it was illegal to discriminate for illness as I had a pg woman on my team about 3 years ago, but couldn't remember where it came from.

Bad bad pregnancy brain at the moment. Interview was hilarious but a disaster - I couldn't remember any examples of work despite having 14 years experience there goes another one to chalk up to experience. It exhausted me as well so I was asleep by the afternoon.

Swimming is bizzarely helping with the nausea.

Oh dizzy that sounds so sore. I was vomiting so violently I made my nose bleed snorting bike out of it (sorry) and I really hope the doctors come up with a plan. Fwiw I also take ranitidine to help with heartburn / bile. It does help esp when I know I'm about to throw up very acidy bile.

Glad you've also spoken to union rep. I know there is no way I could manage to work (I can just about manage to get dressed if I'm having a good day). Good luck for tomorrow. It my be worth writing any thoughts down - no matter how many times I say that I don't want to rely on pills I have to swallow as when it's bad I can't keep them down, they keep on forgetting and I have to keep getting the script changed...

Lost my Ondansetron this morning, luckily the doctors have rushed my repeat through, but the earliest it is available is now, so DH has just gone to get it. Unfortunately my efforts to avoid vomiting stopped working within seconds of him walking out the door, pure bile.

And there was me wondering if maybe being able to lower the steroid dose also meant I could come off the Ondansetron Think I'm on it until the end now

ouch, hope you have it now.

How is it going with the reduced steroids?

Lucinda, NASUWT is a teaching union, I am the union rep for my school. It is quite a useful position to hold, it certainly gives a little bit of strength.

I had physio today and got a support belt to help lift the bump and relieve pressure, and advice on using a gym ball (and I bought one this afternoon).

Tomorrow is a trip into work, which I am strangely looking forward to. Other than persistent nausea, which continues to be bad, and feeling very emotional like I might burst into tears at any given moment for no discernable reason, nothing to report from here.

Hope everyone else is managing ok, and MOG, I completely understand about the ondansetron - I would be back on a drip at this stage without it.

jen I cried at deal or no deal today

Can I ask? At why point do you decide a medicine might not be working? I can't leave the house, I throw up three /four times a day and for whole six hour plus periods I can't keep liquid down at all. Am I being a pain to ask for something else? I'm not ketonic as I sit and fire myself to eat and drink even though food makes me shake at the sight of it and I cry before and after eating. If I don't eat then I'm sick anyway and I have that Hunger at the moment - the one which makes you feel ever so hungry all the time. Is it ok to ask for something else?

Iworry I went back several times on the virtual medical hike up to ondansatron.

ended up with the kitchen shelf full of boxes of different pills.. I took a few days and if was still vomming 6+ times per day then I went for more, but I asked for Ondansatron from the start as it worked with me on ds2 pg; but they insisted normal GPs couldn't prescribe it and Id be OK on xyz. I wasn't.

i worry that really sounds like you need more! you definitely need to be on something stronger! what are you on atm?

meerka I'm on prochlorperizne. Ondansetron stops me vomiting but makes the nausea unbearable and chlorpromazine gave me a bad reaction. Cyclizine is too weak. I have my 12 week app today so will make a bid to see if they can help with the hyperemesis.

sliceoflme - hope it goes well!

worry I would go back and ask for something else ASAP. They're there to help us :) hope you feel better soon. I pulled a muscle in my lower abdomen I was vomiting so much.

Dizzy That sounds awful. Was that from before you got in hospital, or are you still being sick now? Do they say the Oseophagus will heal by itself?
Iworry I so agree with others, those six hour unable to keep water down spells sound so bad that they can surely try and see if anything else can help. How unlucky about the Ondansetron making the nausea worse! Glad there are no ketones.
Livingzuid Ah, that's a shame about the interview, how humiliating. PUt it down to this scourge .
MurderofGoths How is the pain? Can you sleep? Sorry to hear of Ondansetron emergency, it is lucky DP is heading on his white charger to the chemists .
SliceofLime Any news?
What How are things?
Jess How are you managing?
Chaffinch That sounds so typical they way you knew only Ondansetron
would work, but you had to fight for it. It's ridiculous when it was your second fun bout of Hyperemesis.
Stars How are you doing?
Meerka Hope you aren't doing to badly?

xx

Alas the very unhelpful doctor has refused to give me anything other than Cyclizine. I have argued and asked to see another doctor but whether I will or not I don't know as I'm most likely getting discharged tonight.

Stopped vomiting for now but am not eating either. Had some biscuits this lunchtime and now lying down feeling very unwell and nauseous

Whole thing is getting me down.

The doctor is probably out of date and certainly not listening to you.

dizzy, ring this number: 024 7638 2020. Leave a message and your number and they will ring back.

It belongs to this organisatoin: [[http://www.pregnancysicknesssupport.org.uk/ pregnancy sickness support] and they are very good. They have a very experienced doctor who has specialized in HG and who has a list of HG- friendly doctors.

They even considered sending me meds overseas (the NL and the most backward bunch of Western medicos regarding pregnancy, childbirth and meds you could hope to avoid). Did not actually happen as I improved a bit, but they did consider it.

I really hope they can help because damn, you need more than cyclizine. It's not very strong :/

keep strong, we're there for you

lucinda ive gone from a few bad days to a few really good ones, at least until evenings. Even managed to start clearing some things out so we can move our son into the other room and the baby can have his old one. 4 weeks ago, no way would that have been possible!

Thanks for that. If I get no joy before I'm discharged I will ring them.

I wonder if anyone can tell me too- is it normal with the HG to feel very bloated and uncomfortable when you do manage any food? I've literally had 3 digestives since Sunday but my stomach is hard and painful with gas. Doesn't seem normal but doctor doesn't seem bothered.

Lucinda, I'm doing OK - thanks for asking :) .

I'm managing to get some food and liquid down so long as I rest a lot and eat slowly, little and often - not dehydrated which is a relief. Had a really good chat with the doctor again this morning - she was really sympathetic, asked whether I'd done any research into HG, drugs options etc and what I thought about the benefits/risks (so nice to be asked!). She agreed with me that I was on the edge between bad MS and fullblown HG, and said I was on the cusp of needing drugs, but so long as I didn't get worse I should be OK without. She signed me off for a fortnight and told me to rest and come back next week, or to contact them at once if I got any worse. I'm unable to do much but read and sleep, which is a bit dull, but for now I'm hanging on in there. The good thing is that, based on that conversation, I feel confident that if I go back to the doctor and say, I've got worse, or even, I've had enough of feeling like this, and ask them to give me first line anti-nausea meds they will prescribe them for me, rather than making me fight for them. By the sound of it I'm lucky there.

Sorry so many others are having a struggle to get doctors to listen with far worse symptoms than mine! Hope you get the relief your minds and bodies need!

Sally, fingers crossed that all goes well for you!

Just seen we have more new ladies. Hugs to you all, I know how your feeling all too well.

Just a quickie to let you know, I've had a call from the hospital advising to be there for 10am in the morning. Still doesn't feel quite real!
My friend who was booked to be induced a few days back at the same hospital got sent home till next week as there was not enough room when she arrived. Hoping that doesn't happen to me.
My bag is packed with energy drinks and yoghurt coated dried fruit, hoping I can stomach those for much needed energy boosts.
I will have my phone with me so will keep you all updated. I'm hoping it'll not be the long induction some experience.

Xxx

The scan was lovely - baby very wiggly and spent a significant amount of time kicking at the scan wand doodad.

Everything else was a total bust. The doctor refused any more drugs although she offered to admit me. She told me as I was 11.5 I was probably over the worst. When I said I had carried on vomiting with ds for the whole time she told me that first pregnancys are the worst. When I said I was more sick this time compared to ds she told me she couldn't predict the pregnancy. I cried a lot.

Hoping the best for sally tomorrow

sally all the very, very best for tomorrow! and yes, gosh I hope that it's not delayed :s But with luck, it will all be over soon!!

Iworry glad about the scan, and for gods sake the doctor sounds plain ignorant. If you have HG once, you're 80% likely to get it again. And with HG you -can- improve at week 12 but its not often people improve then, it's ,more likely going to take til week 21 and even then, if you're unlucky like poor sally you could have it til the end

why are doctors so damn sure they are right, when they actually havent even bothered to read the literature? Not even their own governmental guidelines?!

the Preg Sickness support doctor might be able to help you too to find out if there's an HG experienced doctor in your area:

024 7638 2020. Leave a message and your number and they will ring back.

Scan was lovely today! Baby was bouncing all over the place, amazing to see and such a relief. Had to wait ages for blood test results, am now on train home eating egg sandwiches and Krispy kreme doughnuts....

iworry so glad your scan was good too but sorry to hear you are still so sick. Why don't doctors listen to pregnant women?!

I feel like a bit of a hg impostor as I haven't been sick for a week now. Still constant nausea and retching though. Can I stay inthe thread?!

sally good luck for tomorrow!

oh gratssss Lime :) lovely to have something so pleasant after the bloody sickness

well, I'm rarely upchucking now so if you can, hopefully I can =)