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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Hyperemesis Support

991 replies

LucindaE · 26/04/2014 20:20

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.

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livingzuid · 27/05/2014 05:03

curls very sorry you are here and feeling so low, but congratulations on your pregnancy. Also so sorry to read you had a mmc - but the positive news is the increased nausea and vomiting is an extremely good sign that the hormone levels are rising and the body's doing what it needs to in order to sustain the pregnancy.

Excessive nausea in pregnancy is just as debilitating as the vomiting, if not worse. It is most definitely part of HG. There is medication available for you to take which can reduce the severity, and I would recommend going for a chat with your GP anyway to talk it through. Malnutrition can be just as serious as dehydration.

You sound pretty severe to me! The peak is exactly as you describe, and I think most of us found it at its worst around week 9. For some, it will tail off by the 12 week point, for some it will continue till about the mid-second trimester and/or return later in the third (that's me) and for a poor few it lasts the whole pregnancy.

I know many of us have struggled with the pregnancy and the sickness, wondering how on earth we can continue. I've spent the best part of pregnancy moving between the bed and the sofa. The best thing to do is sleep and rest - get signed off work as overdoing it can make it worse, and support from your OH in looking after your DD will mean you can rest up more. Others who have gone through this with kids will be online soon to share their advice, but for me it is just rest, rest, rest. And don't feel guilty. HG is an illness as a result of pregnancy and nothing to feel bad about.

As for what helps - sipping icy cold drinks through a straw was awesome for me, diet coke is still my go-to cure (tap from McDonald's though, nothing else), and I went through a phase of frozen Orange Capri-Sun. Food-wise, Nutella on toast was about it and it had to be white bread. That has been my main staple in pregnancy because I found that the foods I could tolerate rotated every couple of weeks or so. Sucking on sweets helps some, or flat full-fat coke.

Non-scented Thanks for you.

elizabeth Shock how did you survive the end of your pregnancy with that! Carrying twins is a feat in itself, let alone with HG then a stomach bug!

I LOVE chocolate milkshakes from McDonald's but alas the sugar in them makes me feel so unwell. I suppose it's a good thing really Grin

SassehMonsta · 27/05/2014 08:26

Morning all. I've been getting ready nasty acid reflux on stemetil, which I wasn't getting before. It's driving me potty but can't take anything for it because of the stemetil! Aaarrgghh! Just going to try sitting very upright after taking it for about 20 mins, see if that helps.... anyone else found this with it?

Curls, that's how mine started and stayed as 24/7 nausea for a couple of weeks, then onto vomiting, then onto not being able to eat/keep food down. Definitely talk to your Dr asap, wish I hadn't have left it so long (I waited until I was hospitalised for dehydration!). Explain how it's affecting day to day things.

And don't worry about the hating the pregnancy - I'm hearing the pregnancy, but learning to differentiate between hating the pregnancy hormones and hating the baby is a tricky one. We all feel like this from time to time all the bloody time

LucindaE · 27/05/2014 10:30

Curls Welcome, I don't think I can improve on others advice - that's not normal ms, and it almost certainly wasn't last time., do go to dr's for meds and invest in some kesostix from a chemist to check for dehydration as you can get dehydrated without vomiting and if it does start it can spiral very quickly.
Sasseh Very good advice. Sorry I can't advise about Stemitil - that's a horrible side effect. I'm sure you find good old Gaviscon too sickly - someone said soda water to combat acidity? I'm sorry to say that driven desperate by heartburn I used to take half a teaspoonful of bircarbonate of soda in water but you're not meant to, too salty...
elizabeth'smum Great to see you back and excellent advice as always.
Livingzuid You will adapt surprisingly quickly into being parents and wonder why you didn't do it before! And this nightmare will be behind you, and you'll have learnt from it that you can probably handle much more than you ever believed - oh and a baby!
Apologies to anyone overlooked rudely.
Hope everyone is coping after the bank holiday - don't know if it is one outside the UK, probably not?
xx

OP posts:
livingzuid · 27/05/2014 10:41

Thanks lucinda :) regular period type cramps happening here now but I hope that's not a false alarm again so just going to put feet up on sofa and relax. I confess to totally freaking out about the thought of the baby arriving now - after the labour and wondering what on earth I am going to do with a baby! Labour itself I am not fussed about but the afterwards wow. So dh took off yesterday and today to be with me :) feeling a bit better particularly as I am getting spoiled. He's just gone to get me a diet coke :)

sasseh boo to the acid. I find it so much worse at night for some reason. And yes sitting up helps me. Fortunately I am able to drink gallons of milk so I have a cup of milk around 4 am normally to help it settle. Not sure that is any good for you though :(

Vomited in the park this morning whilst out with the dog. That was a first. Managed to find a discreet bush and fortunately it was so early there wasn't anyone around Blush

SomeSunnySunday · 27/05/2014 10:55

Hi all, sorry,not posted much in the last couple of days because I have nothing to say! Life is confined to the sofa and awful daytime TV. I'm managing to eat and drink though, and am going to try to go for a short walk soon. Exciting times! Had a meds review yesterday and decides to stick with cyclizine for now, although we we review it again in a week. It does do something for me.

Sasseh I had Stemetil in buccal form and yes, did get some reflux. To be honest I gave up on the stemetil pretty quickly, it just wasn't for me, so I've no advice but it's a standard side effect.

Curls, bless you, it sounds pretty bad. I have a 3 year old and a 5 year old, so this is my second time of going through an HG pregnancy with a toddler. I wish I had some advice, but I have just thrown myself on the mercy of my parents both times, moved in with them and let them care for my other child. This time round the guilt is horrendous as we were living abroad (due to move back to the UK in June anyway), and I have left my 5 year old (with DH) to finish his school year there, while I returned to the UK with my 3 year old for help and medical attention. The only thing I would say is that however guilty you feel, it certainly didn't do my now 5 year old any long term damage to be largely ignored by mummy (bar sofa snuggles and joint TV watching) for months last time I was pregnant when he was around 2, and my 3 year old is quite unmoved this time. My oldest child was so delighted with the baby that that, in the end, outweighed the negative impact which hyperemesis had had on him. I think what I'm saying is that it will be ok, but do get as much help, and make life as unchallenging for yourself (so much CBeebies in this house!) as possible. You can make up for it all later.

I do the rotating food preferences thing too, and especially drinks. For a while I could only stomach coke, then went on to fizzy water, then Ribena, and now it's skimmed milk (and my previous preferences seem very off-putting). It's odd.

Hi to everyone else, hope you are coping. And yes, Noorwijk has a lovely beach - and a Christmas shop (or at least it did a few years ago).

Oklahoma · 27/05/2014 11:09

I'm the same as Sunny nothing much to say really. Bank holiday was a write off. Today is 6th bad day running, started with a 5am puke and now there is a pneumatic drill going outside my house.

So I will take a leaf from Living's book.

Bluearh. That is all.

Saraswati · 27/05/2014 11:21

Hi all, sorry to hear all of you are suffering, I had a pretty miserable bank holiday too. Saturday was my first sickness free day for a while, thought the cyclizine was doing the trick even though it was causing me awful acid indigestion/heartburn, then the last few days I've been bad again. I managed to go to the cinema with DH yesterday afternoon, was nice to do something normal but then I was violently sick when we got back, the air con in the cinema had made me feel very weird and the smell of the popcorn and food was unbearable.

Can anyone offer me any advice on when I should go back to the gp? I've been taking the cyclizine for 5 days now and DH is demanding I go back to the doctor by Thursday if I don't improve, do you think if it was going to work I would be improving after a week? Or should I give it a little longer?

I'm 9 weeks today so read your comment living with interest! Private scan on Saturday, I don't think the anxiety I'm feeling about that is helping.

Oklahoma · 27/05/2014 11:25

My GP always advised that if after 5 full days the drugs weren't working then to go back. Even if they decide to try for another week or so you haven't lost anything.

Meerka · 27/05/2014 11:43

Hiya everyone and sara the cyclizine should have helped by now (by a couple of days ago actually) if it was going to do enough. Have a look on the Preg Sickness Support website, its on Lucinda's OP, under the Help section there's some good info on the meds available.

Take your husband to the GP if you can. HIm advocating for you will help support you and may have more weight with the doc if someone else is confirming how bad you are

mrsnec · 27/05/2014 14:54

Hi all,

Sorry to hear there's still a lot of suffering.

good luck! Sorry about the puke in the park this morning! Glad there was nobody about. I don't know how I've got this far without puking in public!

Brilliant tips about the acid. I'm just starting to notice it. I've never had it before. I had gone off milk but I'm going to try it again and get skimmed this time.

Nothing much to report here just checking in really.

boo, you'll be off to Greece soon, just wanted to wish you a good trip and let us know how you get on.

SomeSunnySunday · 27/05/2014 17:53

Quite a special HG moment this afternoon. Felt marginally better, lovely sunny day here, went out into the garden with DS2 who was playing in the sandpit. Was overcome by sudden and violent wave of nausea, found myself puking all over the grass. Got up to try to make it to the house; DS2 must have jumped out of the sandpit to see what was up, but I hadn't noticed, and as I took a step towards the house he stepped in front of me and I threw up all over him. A real low point. He looked surprised, then said "Mummy, can you try not to do your sick on me again, please?". I'm honestly not sure that it gets much worse (except that it does.... At least I felt well enough to contemplate going outside).

He's all washed and in his PJs now, none the worse for it. I don't suppose there's much I can do about the grass (too far from a tap for the hose to reach) other than to pray for rain tonight.

Lottiedoubtie · 27/05/2014 19:34

Oh dear some! Quite a day for you, you'll laugh about it one day I'm sure Smile

Glad you had some sunshine before it went horribly wrong at least. Take it easy this evening.

LucindaE · 27/05/2014 19:36

Sara don't want to br bossy, but I so agree with Meerka and others - do get more meds, you poor thing.
SomeSunny Oh dear, poor you, but what a polite boy!
Livingzuid Keeping my fingers crossed it starts for you soon.
Mampam I still think you should complain about that unprofessional nurse, explaining the circumstances, to the practice manager. She's got no right to be rude.
waves to mrsnec Okla and Everyone. Sorry no dramatic improvements over the bank holiday.
xx

OP posts:
livingzuid · 27/05/2014 19:44

sunny :( are you resting now?

Article in the Daily Mail on hg today (my guilty pleasure is Femail Blush:

www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2640524/Mum-shocked-pregnancies-helped-LOSE-10-stone.html

Oklahoma · 27/05/2014 20:28

Sunny that must have been awful for you (and DS)! But I must confess it did make me smile.

Meerka · 27/05/2014 21:07

oh sunny your poor son! but he does sound like he handled it well! and um, made me smile too

Booboostoo · 28/05/2014 06:35

Welcome curls and I hope you can find some help on these threads, I've found some lifesaving information and a lot of support!

Oh somesunny what a day! It's usually the little ones who vomit on us so that's a bit of cosmic karma doing the rounds!

mrsnec we're off on Saturday, life is very hectic at the moment!!! What do you pack for 5 months?!

I've had a rough week here, turns out sinusitis with HG is no fun. After two nights spent with a completely blocked nose, trying to vomit (for some reason the HG is worse) and struggling to breath, I popped over to the doctor who took one look at me and put me on antibiotics. I am waiting for these to kick in now, hopefully in time for the flight on Saturday. Oh and I have a cold sore as well just for the fun of it!

elizabethsmum · 28/05/2014 07:42

curls welcome and sorry you are feeling so awful. We have definitely all been there and absolutely agree with what all the others are saying - go back to the dr.

some sorry you had such a bad day- bless your little boy and his lovely response! I am surprised I was never sick on dd1 (guess she was never quite in my path at the time- did have several low points of puking in gutters/ on grass in front of onlookers!)

everyone seems to be having a rough few days at the moment. Lots of love to you all and hoping for better days ahead xx

elizabethsmum · 28/05/2014 07:46

Yes had read the article living - also confess to being a daily mail reader Blush spectacular hg weight loss!! Unique angle to hg - typical daily mail- almost making hg sound positive!!

Oklahoma · 28/05/2014 09:23

Well it is a rather glamorous condition!!

Meerka · 28/05/2014 09:28

Philippine rubbish-tip glamorous

PunkStar · 28/05/2014 10:06

Sunny oh no!! I've not vommed on the little boy so far. He used to get very distraught when I vomited but now he just copies the noises.

Does anyone find that their HG vomit is generally über noisy and violent?

Sara definitely get your meds changed. Three days should be long enough to see if they are working.

Five days left....I've not packed a hospital bag yet. Need to venture out and purchase some glamorous essentials such as maternity pads. OH has been in the loft and brought bednest down so at least he will have somewhere to sleep but pretty much that is all the prep that has gone into this. Oooo I've practised with my stretchy sling too.
Nausea just as ridiculous as ever but balanced with not being on too high doses of meds, so should be pretty easy to withdraw from the steroids come next week :-)

Living I have my pre-op assessment on Fri, fingers crossed we have good news from your appointment too.

Read Daily Fail article, blimey that poor lady lost so much weight but did you read some of the rude comments people made about her and original weight? Judgemental idiots.

Keep strong ladies, this time will pass.

livingzuid · 28/05/2014 10:25

Hehehe yes typical DM journalism and quite frankly bizarre comments - but at least it raises awareness somehow even if I found it inaccurate in parts! HG is HG not extreme morning sickness!

boo and mrsnec l'm looking out at rain and feeling jealous that you guys are in the sunshine. Safe travels if I forget to say so before!

Sorry to everyone who had rubbish bank holidays and hope things are looking up a bit. It is one here tomorrow thank god DH will be around.

punk I cannot even begin to tell you how done I am - you must be the same. I felt so grouchy this morning because I was supposed to have seen my consultant today but they only had appointments on Friday. I just wanted to how at them 'don't you understand I NEED this baby OUT, two days may as well be a lifetime!' I had to waddle in today to get blood tests done and was so tempted to make a detour and demand to get induced.

Actually not having a great day. 3 hours sleep, contractions on and off and at 4am doing a yoga move to relieve pain, restore breathing and stop from vomiting was not how I planned to start my day. I feel absolutely dreadful, the nausea is relentless now. And I just feel disconnected. Which is apparently very common. But I just want this baby to arrive, omg!

livingzuid · 28/05/2014 10:30

I have, however, packed my hospital bag pretty much with a list on top of what bits need to go in. DH and I chose some outfits for the baby bag last night :) Sling arrives today! I have visions of her falling out of it. DH thought that we could practice by putting the dog in it but a 8 kilo Jack Russell is not really going to be that keen!

Vomiting, no I was always quite silent. When I had a stomach bug around week 15 I noticed the difference as it was projectile as opposed to just quietly vomiting up everything. Strange how it differs.

Oh and had to cancel dentist today. The idea of lying there trying not to vomit with someone poking around in my mouth which I know has a cavity but with only a few days to go, I figured I'd wait. You get fined here if you don't give enough notice to cancel doctors and dentists (!) but DH fortunately managed to swing it!

Maternity pads are like spaceships aren't they? I had no idea....

Meerka · 28/05/2014 11:28

I was dead loud vomitting, punk.

Actually I was sick again yesterday morning from tiredness (the nausea does come back mildly when Im overtired) and our poor older son was almost crying with upset, afraid that Mama was going to get really ill again. Had to explain that it wasnt like that and it was only becuase Pipsqueak wasn't sleeping due to a cold ... poor older son, the HG was hard on him too :(