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.

MOH's wonderful website is full of useful information on this illness:
sites.google.com/site/pregnancysicknesssos/
Another invaluable website is:
www.pregnancysicknesssupport.org.uk/
If you need help in obtaining medication, this phone number is
brilliant:
024 7638 2020

Lastly, the NICE guidelines on treatment are useful:
cks.nice.org.uk/nauseavomiting-in-pregnancy#!prescribinginfosub

I would like to thank 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.

I am so surprised medical professionals have so little understanding of this condition. I admit I didn't even know it existed until recently but my excuse is that I am not a doctor! For me the feeling of nausea and the food aversions are nothing like what my body does normally. For example, I am not a very fussy eater but if there is something I really don't like I can make myself eat it in an effort to be polite to the cook. With HG there is no choice - the moment a no-go food touches my lips it gets expelled like it's poison. My entire body rejects it and there is no way I could chew it or swallow it through an effort of will. I've had bad food poisoning twice and this is a very similar reaction, the body will get rid of the food no matter what I think about it - no choice.

My Drs surgery was closed yesterday for a training afternoon, so ended up at a walk in centre (it was minor injuries at a&e who were able to refer me elsewhere) and saw a lovely Dr. Checked keytone levels, told me to eat ice lollys, and prescribed gaviscon to line the stomach and dyralite to increase glucose levels. Have to take a sample to my gp this morning for another keytone test, but was talking about admitting me yesterday if I wanted our today if they are still high. Booo. Don't really want to be admitted, but at least someone is taking me seriously.

Mentally, it's so draining as well. :(

Hi Lucinda! I am only working 2,days this week and then I'm off to center parcs tomorrow and also picking up our new car! My scan went well on Tuesday, I can't remember if I posted about it! BabyB is one healthy bean with long legs just like daddy!

Yay Living for potential baby evictions!
I feel better knowing that these are all pretty normal sensations to be having. It's just so different to last time.
I'm fine first thing but as soon as I've been up an hour or so it's very uncomfortable and difficult to walk. On top of the never ending nausea....and start of a migraine today due to inability to eat last night or this morning. I should know better but I was at work until after 8pm and I just couldn't face any food :-(

Sass so pleased someone took you seriously, it makes all the difference.

Mat leave pay won't start until the end of month unfortunately (not that it's much, only mat allowance which is equivalent to SMP) still I remind myself of the times when I paid for everything and OH was poor :-)

I know exactly what you mean, all you can think of is the whole bloody thing ENDING isnt it?

with me, the Bump went from high to lower and notably lower about 5-6 days before the birth started. Guess everyone is different though.

and yes, it gets harder and harder and harder to walk!

living, a good preg book I read where conclusions were taken from the author looking at lots of studies said basically that walking ( ) and, er, plentiful nipple stimulation were the only real methods of inducing birth naturally that had any evidence behind them.

sasseh sounds like you had something of a find with that doctor! and yes, the mental aspects of HG are like ... horrible. it really, really wears you down. Do go into hospital if you need to. One of the problems of HG is that if you can't keep water / liquids down, then your electrolyte balances get screwed, which makes you feel even sicker. Getting an iv drip can really help balance things out again and reduce the nausea to a degree.

mrsB lovley to hear the scan results :) must have been a moment of sunshine in the grey misery of HG

I'm still posting here and reading about everyone's experience and learning so much.

I still don't think I'm as severely sick as some of you, only vomiting twice a day but have all day nausea.

I have a doctors appointment today but today is the first morning where I'm actually getting a slight break from nausea and have managed to eat a croissant. Should I still go?

I'm terrified that the GP will send me on my way with a telling off to get over it and what do I expect since I'm pregnant. . I have a dreadful anxiety surrounding the doctors and always manage to get emotional when I'm there. It's so embarrassing.

I'm still finding it utterly exhausting looking after my 15 month old and I don't know what I'd do without dh.

If you get anti sickness meds, is it possible to take it on the days when you feel really bad or do you have to take it everyday?

Also, I've never had to ask for time off work from the doctor before- is it likely that they will give me a sick certificate? I actually feel embarrassed having to ask for one, I've no idea why but I just couldn't face teaching at the minute.

Dotty, I didn't regularly vomit more than twice a day even in my bad times. (Only time I did vomit 5/6 times resulted in a hospital admission).

It was mostly the nausea that kept me off work. Knowing that if I pushed myself I would vomit more was a horrendous choice to make.

If the nausea is dehabilitating and the thought of teaching is making you cry... Go to the doctor, they should sign you off.

I was off 9 weeks of 'term time' and felt awful for about 14 weeks all in before I got some relief at 20 weeks. Trust me you can't teach when in the throes of this, you just can't.

You don't have to be suffering the worst to be signed off.

Dotty I agree with Lottie there aren't a finite number of certificates going round. Some of it is preventative. I've been off for 10 weeks now and could probably do a day at work but if I did then I would end up in bed for the rest of the week.

Everyone on here started out feeling really guilty about taking time off work and then gradually accepted that there is no choice. You are sick and you need to take care if yourself.

dotty write down your symptoms and what you want to say clearly before you go, it'll help you keep your mind straight. Take the paper into the doctor with you if you have to!

You should not suffer to the point of misery and honestly the starting meds they give you are effective for some people but they are actually pretty darn mild.

The sickness meds vary about if you shoudl take them every day or only when you feel bad. the starter ones build up, so if you respond to them at all you'll gradually feel a bit better. I do mean it - this are really safe, cyclizine + B6 - can give you a bit mroe detailed info if you wish.

What everyone says - the more you rest, the better with this medical condition. Good rest and the right meds early, plus moral support, are the most helpful things you can have in managing serious preg sickness.

lottie that's exactly it! just knowing that I probably could force myself to go in for a day but then I would be back to square one. I had to do an hours work last night and I felt so nauseous at the end of the hour that I lay on the sofa all throughout the rest of the evening.

I just don't know how I'm going to face end of term reports as the laptop makes me feel dreadful if I have to look at it for long periods of time.

There is no way I could stand in front of a class at this moment. As others have said, the rest of being at home makes me feel slightly more human but any type of exertion makes it horrific again, I feel caught in a bit of a trap.

okla thanks for the reassurance that everyone feels the same guilt about taking time off! that means a lot.

meerka thanks! your posts are so helpful and reassuring.

Also dotty don't worry about the meds, dh was worried about me taking ondansatron as it is unlicensed in pregnancy (like everything else!) But our scan showed a super healthy baby, growing 5days over our due date so please don't feel guilty! I had 2 months off work and felt awful as we were understaffed anyway but you just have to accept you won't be any use to anyone til you are feeling better, which could take a long time!

I have definitely reached that magical part of hg were everything is OK once I've had my morning bile run and I keep taking my meds!

dotty please don't feel guilty about taking time off work. When you see the doctor do stress that you feel sick all the time, and that you are throwing up a couple of times every day; that you are struggling to care for your child; if I were you I would mention that you feel anxious and guilty because you have never (never!) been signed off sick before. This makes it clear that you are not one to "fuss". Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Over here I still feeling odd (dizzy and struggling to eat much) but actually a bit better, am up today which I haven't been much recently. Still too early to know whether that means that I'm not pregnant. As you can probably imagine, I am torn between feeling disappointed if I am not pregnant and relieved at the reprieve for at least another few weeks!

Still, the good news is that I reckon I'll make it through my big day at work tomorrow which is the main thing I was worried about.

Hope everyone is surviving and huge good luck to petit meeting her baby today.

Kali it must be really difficult being so ambivalent about what you're hoping for! I really feel for you.

Everyone About due dates oh dear, I've been inefficient, not unusual!
I should have made a word file out of them, and copied and pasted,I suppose. Instead I can't find it as this thread moves so quickly these days! Is there any chance people can give me their due dates and I'll make them into a word file so it can be updated without scrolling back and stupidly not being able to find it? Sorry about this. We've got new people now, anyway, and I suppose Punkstar is now at last at the top of the list?
Kali These days before testing seem to drag! Good luck with big day.
Dotty and Kels I so agree with great advice of others. Do get kesotix from chemists to test for deydration and don't believe for a minute you are being wimps in taking sick leave and meds.
It's the day of release for Petitlapin!
Waves to lovely Meerka.
Hope Everyone is doing reasonably OK.
xx

Got ketosticks at chemists as the Drs is awful (today they only have one dr in and no nurses, as people are off sick?!). Left a urine sample and Dr will test it later and call me back. If I had known it wasn't going to be done on the spot, I would have stuck it in the fridge for them! Then again, I know it wasn't a great morning when my sample was more orange than yellow! :/

used Ketosticks when I got home, and measuring between the 4 & the 8, so between mid and high. Depending on what Dr says we shall she where we go from here. At least if I get admitted then people around me can see that actually, I'm not making it up, I really am ill! DH seemed to have got the message yesterday and was lovely all afternoon, including coming to collect meds with me and sorting stuff out in the house.

Good luck to all those near their due dates - Im only 9+3 today, so heres hoping it gets better!

Week 9 is the worst sasseh! It will get better than this.

Sasseh 9 & 10 were worst for me too so hopefully this is as bad as it gets for you !

Lucinda I'm 28 October and ridiculously excited to no longer be bottom of the list. Time is going by...

Lottiedoubtie 12th September

sasseh those numbers don't sound good please go to hospital if the GP even half suggests it. Trust me an IV will bring relief and you're right it's important that those around you fully understand what's wrong with you and not a lot focuses the mind like hospital!

I'm currently reclining on the sofa with no intention of moving for the rest of the day. After copious retching I had a huge panic attack this morning about reduced movement, bought about by 2 hours sleep and this crap cold that came out of nowhere. All I could feel was a lump on either side and no movement or not what I was used to. Forced myself out to get a slushie sobbing quietly, but and happily that jolted her into action. She's coming across now as being a bit outraged at being woken up by ice cold drinks

For sick taste and if you get a cold and have an aversion to taking even more medication like me, I recommend Werther's Originals which are really helping. Lots of nice hot honey and lemon drinks are good too and it's a fruit which means vitamin c!

Will reply properly later. Good luck sasseh and dotty I find the nausea worse than the sickness. And good luck petit!

Punk is ahead of me now. I'm 6 June.

29th September for me!

And dotty I found when I stopped the medication it came back with a vengeance. Don't be lulled into hoping it's gone away! If you feel better then it means it's doing its job but in the majority of cases most of us take it straight through the pregnancy. You can experiment though to see how you get on but I'd do it when you can have a few days off.

Great news on the scan mrsb :)