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.

griaffes glad to hear they are really taking it seriously. I hope you can get some relief from the PUPPPS too. It sounds horrendous.

TallGiraffes So they should be horrified at the weight loss, I'm so glad they've given you more meds. The skin thing sounds awful, I hope they an deal with that too. I've been wondering about wavesand smiles and Kalidasa too.
Waves to lovely Meerka.

Hi everyone, been pretty bad last few days. Went to get signed off work yesterday, doc said she would do two weeks as I'd probably feel better around ten weeks. After a double take I suggested that probably wouldn't happen with this condition, as with dd it was 12 weeks and that wasn't hg! She also wasn't keen to give me more zofran, but did and said 'try not to take too many!!!' My god it's bad enough going through this and the doctor makes u feel like a fraud! I won't see her again! I think all gps should be well educated in this condition, I dread to think what might have happened if she was the first doc I saw.
I agree with you ladies, I wouldn't be pregnant again, so this one better work out! My jeans are uncomfortable already but don't want to get maternity stuff already, oh to be one of those lucky ladies who have never had a loss and breeze through their pregnancies, can't imagine! Sorry for the essay! How is everyone today? Xxx

Oh I'm glad you got some more ondansetron matilda. It -is- one of the ones they have the most info for so don't be afraid to take it.

It's a small problem but we've hit a couple of bumps on the road to getting me tubes tied. The lovely gyne, the only one I trust, has left the local hospital and is now 2 hours away :/ And on top of that the local hospital turns out to be exceptionally expensive so the insurance here won't cover it all ... after waiting 8 months to change the company to one that would Apparently none of them will. Which leaves us with a shortfall of 1000 euros. Whoopee.

Hi all, I'm still here, 38 weeks today. Getting a lot of period pains/mild contractions, especially in the afternoon evening, and have been shedding my mucus plug I think (sorry!) so I don't think it'll be ages but I had a good 10 days of this with DS before proper labour and it's only been 5 or 6 days so far. Nice consultant gave me a sweep (ouch!) on Monday to try to get things going, and I'll have another one next Monday if it hasn't happened. Feeling pretty calm which happened at the end with DS too. Good luck to everyone struggling in the worst bit.

After struggling through 8 hours at work yesterday, I've had to call in sick today! Got another doctors appointment for this afternoon so hopefully they can give me something else. But after my last appointment, I'm not hopeful.

It does seem like gps don't really understand the seriousness of hg and just pass it off as normal morning sickness. I don't think they realise how debilitating it is!

kali good to hear from you. Fingers crossed.

dilly can you take a printout of the NICE guidelines? Mother hen put the link above. they are the government's own best practise body and you can take hte Goals and the suggested meds with you maybe ... and even better, can you ask someone to go with you as an advocate?

Will definitely print out the info and take it along. Hoping the fact that I was admitted into hospital as I was so dehydrated might make them take this seriously.

Unfortunately my OH is at work today so haven't got anyone to take with me [s

dilly might be too late now if you've already seen the GP but sometimes a GP will ring the on-call obs/gynae registrar at the local hospital to ask their advice, especially if you've been admitted recently. Hospital doctors are generally much more relaxed about the medication than GPs so this can be a good solution as reassures the GP that they are doing the right thing in prescribing, and potentially saves you yet another A&E visit.

Now got metoclopramide to try so will see if this works. This doctor was actually really good. Probably cos she had also suffered when she was pregnant!

Now just to decide what to do with work. Whether or not to take time off sick or cut down my shifts :/

hi dilly, after a few med changes, ive now got metaclopromide. Hopefully this wont happen for you but I did have some side effects initially. Ive had much the same unhelpful GP experience so glad you saw someone who was more understanding and prepared to help you.
I found taking 3 a day was too much side effect wise so I take 1-2 now and try to get a balance between nausea/sickness and the dizziness...gp has just said to persevere as I didn't get on with cyclizine and she said there were no options left...is this correct ?
The work dilemma is a hard 1 but I have been signed off now until the end of the month, although after trying to explain to work this is more than just morning sickness, the GP unhelpfully wrote on my paper 'sickness in pregnancy'...which I felt like scribbling out and replacing with, 'feeling like death, severe weight loss and unable to move without throwing up'!!
good luck with the meds x

As far as I am aware there are 4 or 5 different drugs that can be used. How many have you tried? From what everyone has said to me, it seems like it is just trying to figure out what works well enough to keep you out of hospital, but nothing will make you feel completely fine!

Luckily my boss is being pretty understanding. Although she did tell me I couldn't leave work early yesterday cos she couldn't get anyone to cover the rest of my shift. I think it is hard for people who haven't suffered like this cos they don't really understand how utterly horrible it is. I don't think it helps that I'm not actually throwing up much. Just constant feeling like I'm about to and lots of heaving.

Sounds like the tablets will really help you if nausea is the main symptom. This is the 3rd I've tried, can't remember the name of the 1st one. Good luck x

twitt hello ... what side effects are you getting from the meto? it is safe for the baby and it can help quite a bit but a few mothers find side effects that can be serious.

There are several other drugs to try.

short summary:

cyclizine (old fashioned anti-histamine; can make you sleepy)
Metoclopramide (empties the stomach faster, less to upchuck)
Domperidone (similar)
Prochlorperazine (stemetil) (works on your sense of balance; also a travel remedy; can be good for some people).
Promethazine (called Phenergan)(stronger old fashioned anti-histamine, also sleepy-making)
Ondansetron (the strongest and best, but causes constipation).

All of these are considered safe for the baby.

So if you are suffering still, do go back. You can't always knock the nausea and vomitting out completely but you can certainly give it a good kicking.

And again - please say here what side effects from the meto you are getting.

dillydolly if you can, rest as much as possible. HG -does- get worse when you do more than your body can manage. Sometimes your body just can't do very much :(

Hi ladies,

Meerka has provided a very comprehensive list of anti-emetics above. Just thought I would add my two-penneth. I've taken cyclizine in all 3 of my pregnancies. The tablets are no miracle, but I've had it via injection, and that was very effective. I went to the GP ahead of this pregnancy and got them to agree to prescribe it via injection and to teach me to self-inject, so that is an option you could push for.

twittwoo` Hello, I do hope your new meds work. That note from the GP does sound very annoying; she must know the medical term after all!dilly
I'm so glad you saw a doctor has has had this too, it's interesting, over time a few people on the threads have said that.
Matilda I expect she said that because of the expense aspect, she'd hardly have prescribed them if you didn't need them. People on here tend to get relief anywhere between 14 to 20 weeks, though some lucky ones get it at twelve, but I never heard of anyone being lucky enough to get it at ten, a very optimistic doctor!
Meerka Sorry to hear of problems delaying your 'tying of tubes'.
kalidasa Never worry about gruesome details of any sort, and I hope the sweep does the trick. How wonderful when you've got your two!
Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked.
xx

Hi raines wow- I thought I was fortunate having DH as a nurse- they let me have IM cyclizine injections at home because DH could do them (in my bum!) did you inject yourself in your leg then?- always found that even more painful! Didn't realise you could be trained to self inject for intramuscular injections (whereas am aware that you can be for sub-cutaneous injections eg for clexane). Was lead to believe by hospital it was only because dh was already qualified to do so that I could have injections at home?? Am convinced it saved several further admissions in second pg and also helped me get on top of HG a lot earlier and more successfully.

Raines100 Welcome, cross posted yesterday. Like elizabethsmum I'm intrigued by the injections thing - and after all, they let diabetics inject themselves, have to.
I hope everyone's meds are working fairly well today.

Afternoon everyone, just popping in to ask if anyone's nausea/vomiting increased a little around 19/20 weeks?

I'm still taking my cyclizine, and had bee doing quite well with eating better etc but been feeling worse past few days. It could just be night shift related mind you.

Hello ladies, haven't updated in a while. I'm 16 weeks now and still really poorly, been off work for about 10 weeks. Have tried all the drugs the docs could offer and finally got admitted to hosp at the start of the week, iv fluids and anti sickness injections helped but now I'm back home I feel just as bad as before I went in. Sickness and crippling headaches. The only thing that seems to help is cyclizine injections. Do u think my doc could administer these?? I'm at my wits end I really am

The only anti sickness drug I've not tried is Domperidone. Going by the list posted above

Oooh sorry for posting so much but just seen Raines post which is very encouraging!

hello sorry you are still suffering so badly. it was the same for me- apart from iv fluids and iv ondansetron, injections of cyclizine were the only thing that worked for me during the worst of it (hence I was very lucky in second pg to get it prescribed as dh was able to administer it). coincidentally a neighbour of mine who also has hg was able to get it administered by her gp when required so that may be an option for you? it makes sense if it keeps you out of hospital imo and also in the end in my second pg it also allowed me to recover more quickly and then manage on oral cyclizine and ondansetron. x

Hello and Comeagain Sorry you're both suffering. Hello can't improve on elizabethsmum's answer. I wonder why women with this aren't allowed to inject themselves? Comeagain You poor thing, I do hope it's a hormonal surge. You're very brave if you're still working.

Hi all, just wanted to post and say hope everyone is coping okay, been lurking to see how you are all getting on. I'm doing well, baby 4 weeks old now.

Kali fingers crossed this is the start of things and you don't have to wait too long now.

Thought you might like to see a picture, hugs to all xx