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.

Hi all, wow lots has been happening on this thread since I was last here.

Kali poor you, I hope things start to improve soon and they can sort out your IV.

Meerka My GP told me not to take the full amount of Cyclizine per day (3 tablets) if I could help it as it would be better for the baby I was also told by another GP who prescribed Metaclopromide that I couldn't take it alongside the Cyclizine but I notice on this thread there are those who have been told it's fine.
I have been taking 2 Cyclizine a day and can't help thinking I would have benefitted from taking the full amount.

I have had a few vomit free days I have however felt horrendously nauseous and can't help but wondering if I had actually vommitted it would have at least brought some sort of relief?

I hope everyone is ok (ish), sorry for missing people out but so much to catch up on as this thread has moved so quickly. X

fraggle your doc sounds great. I hope your work are supportive. In case they aren't, just to say that pregnancy sickness is not allowed to count towards your long term sickness record, by law. If you like I can find the actual legal stuff. Good luck!

mam ffs, some doctors need shooting, please take the full dose of Cyclizine + Metoclopramide if necessary. That's what the consultant prescribed me at one point. Your GP is talking out of his arse, consider ( when you feel up to it) making a complaint. They need to realise (those that don't already) that you cannot leave pregnant women feeling like absolute shite and guilt them about hurting their babies, when there is no clinical evidence for causing any harm. It's barbaric, and makes me .

mampam another one here who took cyclizine and metaclopramide together without any issue. I would agree with Lottie about taking them both if you feel you need it, esp taking the full doses of each one as needed. According to my gp each med works in a different way, the cyclizine acts on the vomit centre in the brain whereas the meta loperamide works directly on the stomach. I did get much more relief from both together than just cyclizine. :) gentle hugs

Hi all, sorry I keep dropping off.

Kali, poor you. Im thinking of you. Im now nearly 17 weeks but i spent a long time in hospital around the 7-9 week mark too. You will get through it. I hope you are managing to keep yourself busy in there...take care of yourself.

Fraggle your doctor sounds nice :-) Hope the few two weeks are promising for you.

I've been off work for nearly 3 months now but i'm starting to make small steps forward again. Praying for no relapses again. I've stopped being sick in the day (most days), only at night and seem to be keeping my breakfast down at least. I really struggled taking my antiobiotics and I've now got to take more because I didn't manage to do the full course properly and still have the symptoms. This GroupBStrep is confusing!!! I'm now down to 1 - 2 Ondansetron a day but my doctor wants me to stop completely when the pack finishes eek. I have 4 more tabs left.

Lottie and Fraggle I have basically been taking 2 Cyclizine to get me through the daytime and rely on the fact that I will be asleep at night therefore not feeling or being sick. All the bloody nights I have laid awake feeling sick and willing myself not to be, waiting for morning when I can take my first pill of the day [anger]
From now on I'm going to take the full dose and use the metaclopromide as a top up if I need it.

Mam I also took a combo although mine was Metoclopramide and Avomine (similar to Cyclizine) with no issues. Please take the drugs and don't worry about it. You need to be able to function to some extent and lying in bed feeling sick is miserable.

Button really glad you're starting to feel better.

oh mampam .... Im sorry but those doctors don;t know what the bloody hell they are talking about.

Cyclizine is one of the old style anti-histamines, one of the weaker ones. In the same family are the anti-histamines that the FDA have approved as a Category A safe drug for preg women - the only one that is so approved. Ditto, another of that family is approved in Canada (drug is called diclectin, its a mix of anti-h and vit B6).

The NICE guidelines recommend using whatever of the recommended drugs you need to, in the combination you need to, if necessary.

Do ring the Preg Sickness Support helpline if you have concerns becuase the elderly doctor there is very, very experienced in HG and has written some good papers on it in conjunction with a couple univeristy professors who specialise in it. He can give you the exact situation med-wise. But doctors genearlly have very little training in HG at all, only see 1 or 2 women with it a year apparently, and are simply not up to date (understandably in a way, they have so much to keep track of but even so - they're plain wrong sometimes!)

baby glad to hear it's a bit better, really hope that doing without the ondansetron is okay

mampam sorry to make you angry lol but I can see why you are. If it helps my gp said you can take cyclizine and metaclopramide together (as in one if each at the same time) or you can stagger them(so take adores alternately). I personally alternate mine as I find each dose only gives me about 2.5hrs worth of relief before I start to feel nauseous again. It does mean however that I have to take meds 6x a day but it's worth it for the coverage. Perhaps you could try with a meta loperamide before bed to get you through the night is that is when you're struggling the most? I take my last dose at midnight and most days that is enough to get me through till the morning

*a dose

Sorry for terrible typing!

but so sorry you are in and that the hydration hasn't improved.

Quick update - I'm back in for checks. Apparently I had Strep B not Strep A so Daisy and I had matching infections! It presented as Strep A but the culture came back with the B after I had been discharged. Mine has potentially come back so they asked me to come in for tests. All physical tests are checking out fine, just waiting for blood then I hope I can go home again. Strangely enough on Thursday we had to come back in to check Daisy's infection hadn't returned which it had not fortunately.

How many people feel like if they never see the inside of a hospital again it will be too soon?

Sad to read of all the sick stories. All I can encourage is to stay off work, rest at home and sip on lots of icy cold drinks. Don't feel bad for doing nothing. Growing a baby is hard, hard work!

baby I know it must be awful but persevere with the antibiotics. You really do not want your baby to have Strep B but it is great they are onto it and can sort it for you now. Good luck :)

Just skim read thread again! Sorry that you are having such a bad time kali thinking of you and hoping that drs are soon able to find an effective combination of meds for you to help get it all under control as quickly as possible.
Hope that you and Daisy are soon home again living
To all those reducing meds- I did not even attempt to come off them until 28 weeks second time round, a good couple of months after i had started to feel a lot better. (1st preg carried on with buccastem all the way through).

Stress/tiredness definite triggers for relapses imo. Bloody HG is always lurking ime [grimace!!]

oh good lord, living, when's it going to end?! glad they are obviously being careful in getting you back, but what an arse.

How is Daisy doing though? :)

Kali Is there any news about steroids?
MqmPam Silly advice from doctor- I so agree with Lottie Fraggle
Meerka and others.
BabyButton That is horrible about the difificulty in ingesting the antiboitics. I hoe they work soon.
Lingzuid Oh dear, poor you, how wearisome and draining. Love to Daisy.
and to Meerka's LO, waves - a real miracle baby, the way he flourished despite the infected uterus, and elizabthsmum and Everyone. Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked.
xx

hi Lucinda :) ... yeah we are so so lucky he made it through and is so healthy. He's putting weight on and is a right bonny little mite. It'd be nice if he slept a bit longer between feeds at night, but it'll only be for a few months (hopefully).

Hope everyone is not too bad and kalidasa that you are rehydrating ... fingers crossed for you

Meerka I was so delighed over that! Hope you are feeling a bit better generally - it's always so nice when people come on to advise/encourage others, showing that there is an end to the tunnel - although to be honest, if people have suffered badly, a fair bit of ptsd or pnd is very possible.
Kali I hope not feeling quite so bad? Still in hospital?
EveryroneHow are things today?
xx

Thanks guys :) home again. They had messed up my pescription and not given me a long enough course of antibiotics so I am back on them. It had returned slightly but not enough to warrant a stay in hospital again thank god. khali how are you now?

I'm exhausted and still struggling with food (wondering if it is psychological now and not HG?). Poor DH was up all night with Daisy who is a bit colicky at the moment and then had to go to work. She was sleeping through but the health visitor said it is common at growth spurts for them to get bad tummies. Great! She's doing absolutely great apart from that, growing and thriving. Better than her parents still

It's the funny thing isn't it. Babies from HG mums seem to be fine, it is just us that bears the brunt. I don't think I've read of any where the babies have been undersize or unhealthy on arrival but I could be wrong? (I don't count the Strep B, not HG related!).

My parents arrive today. Bracing myself for another barrage about food and diet during my pregnancy but hoping the presence of my stepdad will curtail that somewhat.

Hi all.

Living sorry you've been back in hospital. I needed 8 weeks of antibiotics for my c-section infection with DS1 (with 3 changes of type of antibiotics). It's a nuisance, you just want to be free of medical intervention in whatever form, or at least I did.

Fraggle how are things?

Kali I feel desperately sorry for you. I hope they can get you some medication that helps a bit. My HG has never been anything like as bad as yours, not even in the same ball park and I still know the effect it had on me. Sending lots of good wishes your way.

All ok here. I have DH and DS1 back. We are all staying at my parents until Saturday, then we're going to move back into our own house (and I'll mainly be in my own, childcare wise). I'm feeling a bit better, and am managing to battle through the nausea a bit to do some nice things with the children - park trip yesterday, duck feeding today. And lots of World Football Star Top Trumps, which I have to say does nothing for my nausea (but DS1 loves it, and I still feel so horribly guilty about everything that I go along with it).

Am still feeling oddly unconnected to this pregnancy. I know I felt the same last time, but it makes me sad when I think how excited I was first time round. This time I just feel sick, very tired and fed up. And every so often I think "poor baby", as on no level am I excited about his (/her) arrival. Maybe if we find out what we are having at the 20 week scan that will help? I found out with DS2 and I think it did make it all seem more real. I'll be 14 weeks on Saturday, and still don't really want to tell anyone as the last thing I can face is lots of "congratulations" type messages.

sunny tha'ts lovely to hear that your husband and oldest son are back! it must be such a relief and pleasaure to have them back. It'll be even nicer to back in your own familiar home too I imagine :)

living glad to hear you're home and that Daisy is doing well. amazing how fast they grow!! such a trite thing to say but I'm amazed that Pipsqueak has outgrown his first clothes already ... he's only 6 weeks old!

On the HG score, there's not a lot of info on the effects of the baby i think. What is clear is that the baby is the very last one to suffer, becuase they're such efficient little parasites as someone said. It's us happy mums who get to suffer.

Thank you lucinda. tbh I'm still struggling with the mental aspects of it all plus the whole broken-family-background thing. But I do have help now and I'm doing my best and also not expecting too much of myself too fast, this time. Did have a consultatoin booked to discuss sterilization but sadly our insurance won't cover it so we will have to wait until January when we are allowed to change it, to a better company that will cover it. Funny really that they won't, the cost of sterilization is way cheaper than the cost of having a baby! At least I can have a general anasthaetic rather than them just going in through me bits. Had enough of pain down there for a good long time =) It'll be a relief when it'd done. Two HG pregs is enough, plus I'm too old for this shit.

THANK GOD FOR STEROIDS is all I can say. Still in hosp but finally able to eat and drink. Prob was extended starvation hence v v high ketones despite permanent drip. Sorry still can't read thread.

so glad to hear it kali

sunny that sounds like a marathon trying to get better. How awful for you. And antibiotics take so much out of you as well, even though they are wonderful at healing. Still hard work for the body.

Lovely to have your DH and babies home with you. I felt 100% disconnected from the baby whilst I was pregnant and then funnily enough I was thinking the other day I missed my bump and feeling her move and I should have appreciated it more (absolutely missed nothing else about pregnancy mind), even though there is a gorgeous baby in front of me instead! Knowing the sex did help me a bit as it was fun to plan names, look at clothes etc but still I was very distanced from all of it. I think the HG has a very big part to play - physically you feel so rubbish it is hard for you to focus on much else. I think what you're feeling is quite normal.

meerka I think it's near the end or I hope so at least! I must get discharged from gynae care after six weeks as I can't envisage explaining to new work having to go backwards and forwards for checkups lots of sofa rest is on order. They get big so fast don't they? Daisy was a big baby and I can only put it down to the amount of milk I drank in pregnancy because there was bog all else of use going into me nutrition wise.

Urgh at the insurance. It's so frustrating here sometimes with the system. We are with Silver Cross and sterelisation is included in our package I believe. That said, they refused my kramzorg saying I was getting it in hospital (because sitting in ICU was such fun) and had also refused to pay for fertility tests despite being referred for checkups due to my thyroid, and some of my medication I had to pay for despite my psychiatrist insisting it was necessary. We pay extra for some sort of all inclusive insurance which isn't all inclusive when you actually need it. I felt there was some kind of justice revenge when both of us absorbed so much expense for our hospital stays and she was in even longer than we expected so we took full advantage of all the nurses' expertise. So we are now making sure we use everything up before we go - dental, dieticians for DH, all sorts of appointments I can squeeze in to get my money's worth Just as the NHS I suppose. The care is great but accessing it can be a PITA as it is all about cost. Rant over!

I so understand what you mean mentally. I've got massive anxiety issues right now and it's a direct result of the pregnancy. I hope one day it will be possible to accept what happened and move on but it's so difficult. I spent 9 months on high alert that my lack of diet would somehow damage my baby and it's not something easily left behind. No matter that she is now thriving, I don't want to be a Velcro mum. Cuddles are one thing but obsessing over safety is something else! Glad you are getting the help you need though :) (Anyone who is struggling with anything mentally, please do make sure you access professional support at the risk of sounding like your mum!)

Kali that is excellent news. Very relieved to hear you are doing a little but better.

Meerka & Living glad the little ones are good and hope you continue to feel better.

Sunny feeding the ducks sounds like fun. I am also really struggling to get excited. We have our 20 week scan on Thursday though so am really hoping finding out what it is will help with that.

DH is away with work this week so am staying with my parents. Nice to have a change of scenery but my mum keeps trying to entertain me when I'm quite happy just chilling out with the dog. I should just be thankful to have them round the corner I guess.

Kali I really hope things continue to steadily improve for you.

Fraggle, Meerka and Lottie thank you for all the advice

Living Glad you are home again and hopefully there won't be a return to hospital.

SomeSunny I haven't really done a big announcement of this pregnancy. It's just really the IL's, work and a couple of friends that know and I'm 18 weeks. I bumped into someone I knew last at the antenatal clinic and she even asked me if I was pleased about the pregnancy. I am pleased but it is hard to feel excited when you feel so ill all the time.