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'm 16 weeks and starting to feel better. I've reduced my anti-sickness tablets from 3/day to 2/day. So will see how that goes!

Now I just need to battle with rage pregnancy hormones with regards to OH who whilst I've been sleeping after my nightshift, has no doubt been playing his stupid computer game and not cleaned kitchen.

Once I can peel myself out of bed, I will hope to be pleasantly surprised......

I've had v. severe HG twice and both times had some improvement from about 16-18 weeks. It's all relative though - for me that only meant managing an hour or two out of bed a day rather than being completely bed-bound/in hospital. Not actually being able to do anything useful like work, cook or look after DS! Still an improvement on the most hideous phase though.

good luck, fudge!

kali I truly do not know how you endured such levels of sickness. I mean that.

Hope everyone had a happy relatively hg free Christmas. I haven't been on for a while due to a family (dp's) bereavement and been busy with Christmas.
Lauracarr with my first it was 22-23 weeks, with this one I am 20 weeks and I have managed to wean myself off cyclizine. Admittedly I still feel nauseous particularly when tired but I needed to come off them to actually know when I felt better if that makes sense, I found the change quite abrupt, at 18 weeks I forgot a tablet and felt hideous, at 19 weeks I forgot 2 and didn't even realise so I just didn't take any more. I absolutely wasn't expecting that! I think most people feel better in the second trimester but the standard 12 week mark most definitely does not apply to hg sufferers. Just keep remembering there is light at the end of the tunnel!
So lovely to hear basgetti is enjoying her laid back baby! I would like one of those please!

Congrats Basgetti! Lovely name for a lovely baby. I'd forgotten the nausea you can get when BF - I remember crying and having a panic attack when my milk came in. I've got really mixed thoughts about BF again - I mainly expressed then DH bottle fed DD and think we may do that again but I shall play it by ear!

I survived a week at butlins before Xmas! Been taking at least 1x4mg ondanestron a day (2 whilst I was there as constantly on the go). Heartburn is still horrific so back on the ranitidine. My normal dr had left (the country!!) but thank god he put my ondanestron on repeat!!

17wks now! I can't believe how different this pregnancy has been compared to DD where I was basically bed bound for 10 weeks and didnt stop being sick (apart from once a day) til 26 weeks. It's got to be a boy :)

hi everyone so so sorry to have abandoned the thread for so long- no proper excuse but back on it now! such wonderful news basgetti - congratulations! !! such a boost to all on the thread when we have baby news.
hope everyone has just about survived Christmas- a particularly rubbish time to be suffering although at least hopefully a bit more in the way of help around from family.
to those new to the thread - welcome as always - we have all been there at one point or another. no such thing as tmi! lots of gentle pats and support on here from people who have been through it.
I am not pg but have been through two hg pregnancies and will try and help out while lucinda is away xx

laura my two pregnancies were very different in many ways including hg- 1st preg- singleton- what I would class as bad sickness up to 12 weeks- improvement then until 15 weeks- then went downhill until about 23 weeks. (hospitalised twice in that period) then on and off throughout the rest of the preg although generally not as severe- finally induced at 36 weeks with severe PE.
second preg twins- severe hg from weeks 7-12 ish(hospitalised 5 times)- more under control between weeks 12-15 (mainly due to meds stabilising and being injected with cyclizine daily at home by dh- nurse) started to feel much better at week 16 but stayef on meds until 28 weeks- hg didn't return though thankfully- so it varies hugely really- sorry don't mean to not sound encouraging. generally the standard points where people tend to feel better are 12/16/20 ish weeks xx

I'm doing a controlled trial of stopping anti-emetics today.

Controlled in that I'm not stepping over the threshold at all just incase

So far so good. But it's still a long time til bed time. Distracting myself by emptying some drawers and the sideboard and binning all the unused shite we've collected items that are charity shop-able

I expect today to be fine but tomorrow to be not so good.

Hope everyone doing okay today

Hi all, I hope everyone had a restful Christmas and was relatively hg free!

Has anyone else here struggled with gp's to get a prescription for Ondansetron? I had a DR's appointment today and took me ages to try and convince him that ondansetron was the only antiemetic that works for me...even though it is clear on my notes that I was prescribed them by consultants when admitted. By the time I left I felt guilty I was still taking ondansetron.

I am now 28+4 weeks and still suffering with nausea. I have managed to reduce meds to one 4mg of ondansetron a day and I'm managing to eat and drink OK (little and often). Though if I try and come off ondansetron I am very poorly (yesterday I didn't take tablet in morning, by evening I vomited so hard I gave myself a nose bleed!) Has anyone else found they had to continue with ondansetron throughout their pregnancy?

Oh, and one more question, I have my glucose tolerance test tomorrow, would taking my tablet before the test effect the test ( just worried the I won't be able to keep down the glucose drink if I don't take the tablet)?

Hello all! I'm popping in to report from the other end!

I was a serious lurker and occasional poster on this lovely, vital thread from February to September this year.

I had our perfect second daughter at the end of September and have no idea where the last three months have gone!

I just wanted to let you all know how much better you are going to feel - I was hospitalised 5 times and off work for three months . I felt better from about 22 weeks and able to live a more normal life, while still on meds.

I had DD by an elective section on a Friday morning and I can't tell you how great I felt by the Saturday morning! All nausea disappeared literally overnight!

So, please take heart, it will be ok in the end. I went through it twice, but must admit hyperemisis is the reason I'll have no more children.

Lots of love and healthy vibes to you all and I hope you can manage to keep the end goal in sight - so hard I know.

What lovely news mrshende. so glad to hear your daughter has arrived and you're feeling so much better. . all the best to you both.

durham yes, ondan is notoriously hard to get because it's very expensive comparatively. If you are the position to pay for a private prescription, it's worth mentioning that to the doctor. I think quite a few people have had to have it throughout the preg.

comeagain good luck with the controlled withdrawal.

Thanks Meerka, the Dr finally agreed to prescribe ondansetron (100 tablets) after thoroughly looking through my records. Such a relief, though did make me feel guilty for taking them. He couldn't understand why I was on something so strong, even though I explained everything.

It's strong but it's also one of the best researched and found to be very safe.

Doctors are often very nervous because of the prevailing opinion that you can't take meds in pregnancy. The thalidomide problem was 55-60 years ago now and it would never have passed modern testing standards apparently, but it's hard to get over.

Thank you for all your comments lady's. I've been finding this thread so helpful and wished I had found it wen I was pregnant last year. Unfortunately the hg got so bad I terminated the pregnancy and have regretted ever since
I had no support at all I got to such a low place.
We are going to ttc again soon and I'm literally panicking everyday about the sickness. I've been to the drs and she said she will prescribe me Ondansetron and metrocloprimide as soon as any sickness starts. I just hope it works I'm so nervous. I can't sleep at the moment I'm just constantly worried if I'm making a mistake trying again.

I have 2 children already ds first 8 years ago I had sickness till 12 weeks I got signed off work for 3 months and didn't get out of bed till sickness went but almost overnight it went. Second pregnancy dd 5 years ago and the dreaded sickness returned and was much worse. Was on metrclopmide which helped a lot had to take them all the way through pregnancy. Tried to come off them a few times but sickness came back. Third pregnancy last year sickness started at 6 weeks could not even stand up or move without being sick. Admitted to hospital at 7 weeks seriously dehydrated was given lots of different anti sickness meds Iv but none worked. Got sent home and started throwing up blood had torn my stomach was admitted back to hospital at that point decided I couldn't cope any longer and terminated at 9 weeks

I so want another baby but instead of being excited I'm terrified xx

in haste

laura I'm sorry it was so very hard last time. It sounds like you are doing the right thing in preparing and getting meds arranged. Good you have an understanding doctor!

Can you find out anything about the consultant you'll be under if it hits too badly? Is he HG-aware?

It might be worth starting on cyclizine + B6 as soon as you get the faint blue line. There's some evidence that early meds can help cushion the worst of it, apparently.

Really understand you being terrified. It took a while before I could consider trying again. There'll be moral help and support here. Will you be able to get childcare full time, and take time off work?

Thanks for your reply meerka.
I've no idea who my consultant would be yet. Last time they where all useless none of them where sympathetic or really understood hg.
I was on cyclizine but I kept getting achey legs a short while after taking it so they stopped it as it's a side effect and put me on Ondansetron.

Did u get it as bad when u decided to have another? Did u take any meds early on?
I don't work so that's not a problem but I won't have any childcare that will still all be down to me. None of our family's live close.
That was one of my biggest struggles last time as it was In The summer holidays and I had no help the kids kept crying saying wat a horrid mummy I am as we stayed in everyday and I couldn't get off the sofa. I will make sure it's in school time this time and if I'm not pregnant well b4 the summer hols I will leave it till after the hols xx

just lost a long post due to phone battery giving up so will try again....
mrsh I remember you well! wonderful news- congratulations. thanks for coming back to encourage everyone suffering- there is light at the end of the tunnel....

durham glad you managed to get the ondansetron in the end- I think gp's seem to be reluctant to prescribe ? due to the expense (also maybe due to inexperience dealing with hg??). I only ever got it from hospital pharmacy when prescribed by consultant.

comeagain how has it gone reducing meds???

ovaltine glad you managed to survive Christmas!

laura I know you said consultants were unsympathetic last time but given the circumstances I would urge you to speak to your gp with a view to maybe getting pre - conception counselling. it may be worth contacting pregnancy sickness support for advice. I couldn't bare to go through it all again for 4 years and did have a pre - conception appointment (although this was supposedly more to do with previous severe pe and growth restriction I was more worried about hg tbh!) as meerka has suggested maybe worth getting pre-emptive meds. I had better support from hospital second time round and it would not have got under control so well otherwise. I could no way have coped with months on end like before and so I really think all the support and advice you can get beforehand the better.

waves to muddy, meerka and
everyone

Just checking in! Been unable to find thread! Hope you have all haf a somewhat well Christmas? !
Have had 3 scans now- I'm 16 weeks. Baby seems well each time! Still some blood by baby. Hg nowhere near as bad as at the beginning!

hi newshoes good to hear from you, very pleased to hear the HG is improving! what a relief

tori the B6 apparently works well with the anti-histamines - at least the specialized doctor at the Preg Sickness Support helpline told me that and the reading I've done says the same. Mostly it's given with cyclizine but as promethezine is also an anti-histamine, maybe it works the same way :)

laura i had no meds at all except for some cyclizine for .. three .. days in the first preg. the 2nd, I got cyclizine early on and managed, ahem, to get some ondansetron on the quiet. Hated taking it without supervision, hated it, but was desperate. So it's difficult to compare the two pregs. But the two pregs were about the same for depth of unpleasantness. The 1st lasted in its worst til week 21 though, and the 2nd to only week 14 but I was hospitalized then for another reason and ended up rehydrated which kick-started it starting to go ... as much as it ever did.

Do hear of different preg differing in the severity but tbh with your history, it's hard to believe you won't get it :( can hope for a lighter touch of it ...

elizabethsmum I survived roughly 36 hours before nausea and that awful stomach heaving began again. Found I have struggled more with smells again today. Not quite throwing up but i could read the writing on the wall. Took cyclizine again and felt SO much better.

Thank you for asking

laura I have no real advice to give you.
I just want to give you some and a hug

It sounds like you've had a horrific time. And I think you are so incredibly brave and strong to have been through what you already. Good luck for the future

I've just seen that baby basgetti is here! !!! Amazing news!

Happy new year to everyone here's hoping for sympathetic doctors, cooperative hormones and a lovely, lovely result at the end of it all.

Happy New Year everyone!! May 2015 bring you all much love and happiness...and speedy relief from hg!