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 everyone! I've not posted for a while but pop on everyday to see how everyone is getting on sorry to say your suffering helps to keep me going knowing I'm not alone. The ondansetron has helped me so much I've been keeping little bits of both fluids and food down! Although the nausea is still as debilitating at least I'm without the awful symptoms of dehydration! However the constipation has kicked in ( sorry TMI) I just about managed to get some movicol down but had to do it 2 days on the run to get a result. I decided to try to reduce the ondansetron cos can't face the movicol on a regular basis n as a result sickness has been horrendous today. I finally gave in and took my first one at 2pm. I saw the midwife on Wednesday she was about 12!!!! Had no advice to give me re: hyperemisis just made a few sympathetic noises. I asked if she needed a urine sample and she said "oh no we don't test your urine today" despite knowing that I have had a recent admission for dehydration and ketone urea and am still struggling with nausea and vomiting! I then asked if I would be weighed today " oh no we don't do that today either you will be weighed at your booking in appointment at the hospital" which is by the way another 4 weeks on 18th November. I asked if I could jump on the scales anyway which she allowed and was horrified to find that I've lost 10lbs already! She still wasn't interested although did have the grace to say " gosh that is quite a lot" I now weight 8st 7lb I'm only 5ft 1 so my bmi is probably ok but 10lbs in 4 weeks through vomiting and anorexia is surely a bit worrisome to a health care professional! I just felt frustrated that I was treated as text book and correct me if I'm wrong but aren't we a minority as hg sufferers of 1.5% of all pregnancies. You'd think she would use a bit of initiative! I know there's no magic wand but there's just no support from the people you would expect. Don't know where I'd be without you guys and the internet. Sorry for the rant! Hope everyone else is ok x

coilbabyshock I had a really similar experience to your with the midwife (and my GP) at my booking in appointment. When I said I'd lost 5kg she said "oh before you got pregnant?" I said no since but she didn't say much or even document it. I phoned her earlier in the week and broke down over the phone and although sympathetic I felt she couldn't get me off quick the phone enough and ended the call despite me crying down the phone (bad day). It's so frustrating isn't it? These are the people we expect to get the most support and help from...but I've found joining this thread more supportive in the last 2 days than any medical professional I've spoken to is far! Could you try phoning your midwife team and expressing your concern about weight loss etc?

My dh wasn't able to get vitamin B but managed to get ketostix so will check when he gets home. I've not been able to keep anything down all day. Despite my earlier positive outlook I now feel defeated and like hell. I have a large lump feeling in my throat which makes me feel so nauseous I think it's prob just inflammation from vomiting.

I wanted to ask a little about ondansetron - I'm not meaning this to frighten anyone or cause anyone else concern do please don't worry but for my own sake I googled it and of course there's good & bad stuff online - is it safe in 1st trimester?

Can I just do a quick poll - for those who have had more than one pregnancy, when has your hyperemesis started? And has it been in each pregnancy you've had.

For those who are on their first pregnancy, when has your hyperemesis started?

I'm 4+3, still feeling great. But incredibly anxious about history repeating itself. For me I was 5+6, and 7+0. I thought I might have escaped with it last time, but no, it hit me square in the face or the toilet bowl at 7 weeks. GRR!

I'm taking 2 cyclizine a day at present, going to up to 3 shortly.

for me, 2 pregs. the first HG hit at late-week 7. ( i was flying early week 7, thank god it wasn't during that).

2nd HG hit early week 7 I think.

Freckle I was prescribed by hospital at 9 weeks and 2 of the midwives looking after me had also taken it from the first trimester also.

This is my first pg and my hg hit me at 3+4 weeks, very early! I did a pregnancy test 6 days before my period was due as I just knew I was pregnant, 2 days later the vomiting started and hard! I have been signed off work pretty much from that point.

I am still in hospital and DR's are not happy to discharge me until I am able to tolerate food/fluids with only oral meds. Ketones are slowly coming down (now +2) so that's a positive, but they may go up again if I am unable to drink/eat without iv meds etc. However, albeit then sickness and hospital admissions I try and keep as positive as I can by focusing on the good points of pregnancy, such as hearing baby's heartbeat, scans (looking forward to finding out baby's sex in 2 weeks) and shopping online (when possible for baby things). It has been an exhausting time but I have to keep going for our little bean and I absolutely refuse to let hg keep me down even on my darkest days.

It has been great to talk/whinge to you lovely ladies who have been so suppotive, thank you so much you are all absolutely wonderful

I'm sorry i feel like im just winging but im SO tired, me and DH have NO ONE to support us, he is tired, im tired No one is taking me seriously, everyone seems to think I just have morning sickness and I am some kind of silly sap who needs to man up.

I'm just here crying, I cannot do this. My daughter is suffering because I can barely care for her, what the hell am I supposed to do. We have no helpful family and no money to hire help.

Glitter you willing get through this. You get by by doing the absolute minimum. Housework gets left and meals can consist of microwave meals or tins of soup for the time being for your DH and DD. This is not a permanent arrangement so dont feel guilty. You do not have morning sickness, you are ill.

Are family unhelpful because they haven't seen you at your sickest? Maybe inviting someone round might help. I know once my parents had watched me vomit continuously one afternoon they really understood.

Durham you sound in good spirits. Are you managing to read or watch TV? I know at my worse that was tricky. Are you in a private room or ward?

glitter .... it is hell. But you are enduring. You are geting through, hour by hour.

It -is- difficult for your little girl and the pain of that is difficult for you. It does affect things.

But I can tell you from experience that while it's hard for your little girl but once you have recovered then she will recover. Honestly. HG creates a distance between you because you are suffering and because emotionally it creates a distance BUT once it's over, your health returns and you reconnect.

Children are resilient. it's up to a point, it's not an elastic band that can be stretched for years, but with a loving and caring mother 8 months of HG are actually reasonably ok to bounce back from. Also, she will have a little brother or sister and he or she will be there as playmate (quarrelmate) and to share family life for the rest of her or his life. She -will- cope and your love will be there when you are recovered -because this does not go on forever.

I promise this.

If you absolutely cannot go on, then that is the case and we will be here too. People have got to that point. People have occasionally had to make the choice. You do the best you can in the circumstances.

Please, rest as much as you can, your husband rest as much as he can in the circumstances and remember that other people are out there and do understand. Show your husband this thread if it will help him. also look at lovely specialized forums

Thankyou everyone for just listening, I feel ashamed because I feel I am not coping with this well at all. Thankyou so much for making me feel less lonely.

Also seem to be coming down with a water infection, not sure if I should go to hospital as last time I was checked I was not dehydrated. I have no medication as metoclopromide was making me feel much much worse. Just not coping at all.

no one copes well with HG. It's so against everythign we expect when we become pregnant. It's like walking along a path and then plunging into a black sticky swamp. All you can do is get through the minute. It's the worst experience of many people's lives.

It's worth getting the water infection checked out becuase a urine infection is different from dehydration and in pregnancy it can be dangerous.

Do, do, please ring Pregnancy Sickness Supoort and find an HG-friendly doctor who knows how to cope with it through them. You need meds, you really do. Meto does make some people feel worse. You really do need to try prochlorperazine or promethazine, maybe ondansetron

Don't be ashamed. none of us cope. We just endure.

Hi glitter. Meerka is right. This is a marathon and it is about endurance. You sound like you are all suffering so much, wish I could take the pain away.

Glitterbug, don't feel ashamed. HG steals everything special and beautiful about pregnancy and leaves you a miserable dehydrated lump sitting on the bathroom floor. It's nothing like what you're told pregnancy will be, it's nothing like you expected it to be. It is not your fault that this is hard to cope with - there is NO warning beforehand that pregnancy might be like this. No one talks about HG unless they are experiencing it and no one seems to understand what it is like.

I'm 11 weeks into my first pregnancy and the vomiting started at 4 weeks. Been admitted to hospital twice now for rehydration, there are days I wish I hadn't got preg, and even worse thoughts. It IS hard to cope with, it's emotionally devastating. Like Meerka says, we don't cope, we endure.

The ladies here are lovely and supportive (although I've mostly been too sick to post much). There's a few people with helpful suggestions for foods and drinks that seem to stay down better than others. I'm so sick to death of being told about ginger, I'm ready to shove a pack of the biscuits up the arse of the next person who says it. :)

Good to hear they've agreed to induce you Okla, hoping things get moving for you soon.

Durham I'm pleased they are keeping you in longer this time to make sure you are well enough before you are discharged, glad you are feeling positive.

Glitter sorry you are struggling. I've felt similar to you throughout this pregnancy. My house is a tip. My poor DS, who my entire world usually revolves around, has spent more hours plonked in front of a TV and ignored than I can count. I feel very detached from my baby, and the only feelings I currently have are resentment. I take no pleasure in buying things or talking about names, and I'm only looking forward to the birth to end my misery. Actually having the baby here with me doesn't seem real. I would have loved a big family (I'm one of 4) but I know that I will never ever put myself through another pregnancy. You need to see someone urgently, maybe A&E or emergency doctor? I can't take metoclopramide either (due to nasty side effects) but there are other meds you can take which may give you some respite. Hope you can get some help soon xx

Glitter you survived the night, that's one more day done!

Glitter I know the feeling, I feel like a failure because I can't cope with work, housework, cooking and baby when usually I can. Dp is understanding to a point. I know he resents the extra work piled on him but I can't blame him for that as I also resent how I am feeling. At least you have your husband. I am hopeful it will pass or at least improve in 2nd trimester and this bit is just an endurance test.
Thedetective in answer to your poll, this is my 3rd pregnancy, with 1st it started at 5 weeks, second 4 weeks, this one started at 3.
I found out one of my friends is also expecting yesterday, felt a tingle of jealousy that she can get excited about her pregnancy when all I can do is wallow in self pity but then I know everyone's pregnancy journey is different. Another of my friends suffers terribly with things like carpel tunnel in the 3rd trimester of every pregnancy, so much so she cannot pick things up, then it all disappears after the baby is born. X

I haven't managed to catch up yet - sorry. After a couple of good days, I'm really struggling today. There's a lot of TV instead of actual parenting today. I want to go back to bed

Goodness, the thread has been busy.
Jen I didn't know you were another twins pregnancy.
Glitter It is very hard. Things will almost certainly get much better. as others say, do ring that number for advice.
As Meerka and others say, children are very resilient, and for a reason, to survive! They don't analyse, and that helps them to get through tough periods better. It'll all be forgotten.
Great advice from Elletorrito Emysmarie elizabethsmum (another twin pregnancy vetean) Meerka ToAvoidConverstion Oklahoma and others.
Oklahoma I do hope that things get going soon for you.
Emysmarie I swear by Acupuncture too, it had an amazing effect on me, but I was lucky, and it seems to vary so, though I think it helps everyone a bit. It's a shame its so ridiculously expensive and so hard to get on NHS and not that I've heard of, thought of as a treatment option.
CoilbabyshockSo nice to hear from you that you are feeling a little better.
DurhamRed Still at 2+ ketones after a lot of IV isn't good, but I'm glad they are taking it seriously at last.
GettheRedOut how are things generally?
MuddyLettuce I am so glad you were actually able to keep something down yesterday. How are things today? FreckleBee?
I'm shocked about the careless attitude of midwives towards weight loss and checking urine. It seems almost negligent. Don't they understand the dangers? There really should be a lot more training about this.
Who was it suffering from locked bowels? Are the jelly suppositories no good? I've heard lactalose is the best, though.
Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked.
xx

I've caught up now. For anyone feeling guilty about 'bad thoughts', if I'm honest, there are times when I long for a TOP because I don't want to carry on anymore and want to be able to get on with life. I can't talk to anyone in RL about this, not even DH. I don't feel at all excited about having a baby the thought of shopping for it/names doesn't appeal. I felt quite resentful earlier in the week when I couldn't do my jeans up anymore. I'm hoping that I feel differently on Thursday when I have my next scan.

As for the locked bowels with ondansetron, definitely get glycerol suppositories and try regular lactulose if you can stomach it. Also if you can eat OK on the ondansetron, then fruit will help a bit.

I just want someone to come and sit with me and hold mu hand. I just want this to be over.

Glitter where in the country are you? Did you say Cumbria or was that someone else?

glitter how are you this morning?

basgetti how have the last few days been? a bit better I hope.

Im in essex.

My mum just came over to drop something off, im flumped over the sofa trying not to be sick, she didn't even ask me if I was okay or anything.

I just really shouted at my daughter, I can't get up of the sofa I feel so rough, I cant even get up to make lunch, im sitting here in absolout teas and now she is crying too, I don't know what im supposed to do :'(

Hi Meerka I've just followed my usual pattern of feeling better for a few days after getting fluids etc and then going downhill again. I'm very nauseous and retchy every time I move, nothing too bad yet but I know its only a matter of time before the vomiting worsens again. I've started back on 4mg of ondanestron to see if that helps alongside the other meds.

Glitter have you been checking your ketones? You need some medical attention and alternative drugs x

NoRoom totally with you on the resentment. Resenting the baby, DP for not having to experience this, anyone and everyone who are having easy pregnancies, everyone that isn't pregnant and witter at me about having ginger biscuits. Right now the thought of shopping for baby stuff just adds to the nausea. Everything baby-related seems to add to it actually.

Was admitted again last week for a day to rehydrate but they didn't give me any more ondansetron and when I went to the GP to get some she said she could only give me a small amount. She prescribed 10 pills. That's not even 4 full days :( she said I have to go to hospital for more. Have spent the last 2 days sitting on the bathroom floor. when the vomiting gets this frequent I haven't been bothering to come out, just sitting there by the loo. DP says to use a bucket in the living room but having the vomit sitting by me makes me heave more. He is doing everything, all the housework, all the cooking (mainly for himself, I can only keep toast down, he's made lots and lots of toast). My mum has been round to help when he has to work. She had HG in some of her pregnancies so she gets it. Just surviving day to day tbh. Have been trying to keep up with the thread. I hope everybody has a better day today x