Hypermesis 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.

Blueberry Lovely news - welcome to Pinkberry - and what a whopper, after you were so ill. It proves how they can thrive.
Helllo . That's so dismal - when you think of how most women think it's awful when they have that for the first fourteen weeks, 'it's so not fair'.
Hugs on offer all round.

Congrats blueberry !!!

I started to feel movements this week, making it all worthwhile. I went on a voyage up to Leeds (from London) by car, by myself..... felt very brave as been scantily voming for last few days. Got horrendously lost as my brain is now a baby brain and incapable of following directions (I also forgot the map). Got there, slept, felt ok - went to my friends 10 wedding anniversary party - ate very small amount of bread and some crisps, did not overload and gorge on the buffet goodies. After a slight doze on the couch, went to drive home - didn't even get the ignition on before i filled an empty crisp packet - car smells ! I was brought back in the house, fed water, calmed - felt decent enough to drive home, proceeded to get completely lost (went on the M62 instead of the M1), got home at 01:30am - felt like poo.

Building on my amazing travel success (undaunted), DH and I are off on a holiday this week. Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, but i am going to be very prepared. Going to france by train - so i have a loo, drinks, table, chance to look out the window, letter from GP to tell eurostar that i am not a drug smuggler with my massive stash of drugs and needles. Feeling very brave. I have this and next week off, its holiday, not sick leave, so i am so excited. DH will resemble a small packhorse as he has banned me from carrying anything except my small rucksac - hoping some warmer weather and the seaside does me good.

Day after we get back is next scan, so hoping 'bloaty' behaves and i come back brimming with positive thoughts and no vomit tales xxxx

hope you have a really good holiday trixy - very brave of you, but oh how lovely to get away! hope the weather is good for you (it's stormy here) and that yo have a lovely and nausea-free time :)

Hi I'm just over 6 weeks with baby number 4. Since last weds I have gradually getting more and more sick. I was sick with the other 3. Dr tried me on Cyciziline but they gave me palpitations so on metroclopramide now. But haven't touched it in fact I think they made it worse. I stomach any food water makes me sick, I was signed off of work on Friday and and I feel such a lightweight. I am literally getting up walking downstairs to sofa then I need to sleep. Any help would really be appreciated

Hi narnia and welcome.

Can you go back to your doctor and ask for another med? the common ones (in order of strength) are:

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).

Prochlorperazine might help; promethazine is in the same family as cyclizine so probably not a good idea. Other than that ondansetron is the best but it's hard to get hold of as it's expensive.

Can you get hold of some Ketostix from the chemist? you pee on them and they measure how dehydrated / starved you ar; the darker the colour the worse you are. Dehydration is usually the thing to watch out for. If your ketones are 3+++ then you do need to get back to the doctor quickly.

Going off work and resting is the right thing to do. Rest does help - it doesn't exactly make you feel better but it stops you feeling worse. Severe nausea and vomitting in preg is just awful. people don't realise ...

wishing you strength

Welcome narnia. I remember 6 weeks well. At the time I also felt pathetic and mot on drugs that helped. I second meerkas suggestion of back to docs and asking for stronger meds, ondansetron has made such a difference to my quality of life. Wishing you strength and peace. Stick around, you'll find lots of support and encouragement here. In terms of food and drink to try (probably when you've managed to get stronger meds); I get the impression it's very individual but a few suggestions from others worked for me...

Tinned fruit works for me - tinned peaches have been a lifeline!
Flat Fanta watered down with fridge cold bottled water (tap water is a massive no no for me),I've found a glass or two if this helps keep my ketones down cod if the sugar.

Mouthwash is essential for me. I read a couple of things saying not to brush your teeth immediately after being sick (when you most want to!) but mouthwash is fine. I use a child's fruity one, mint is a disaster for me. I have a bottle of this in the car, next to both my toilets and in my bag if I go out.

Please don't beat yourself up. This is hard. Allow yourself to feel ill. You'll have good and bad days and with the right meds it will get easier.

trixy I can well recommend a bottle of frozen water to take with your for train;meant I had cold water for the whole train journey last week, an absolute life saver at times. Fingers crossed for a lovely relaxing holiday!

Narnia Welcome, you are very brave to go for it a fourth time. I can only echo ohers' suggestions that the only thing to do is to drag yourself back to doctors - it's awful - for a change of meds. Don't be embarrassed about being sick in front of him/her to make your point if they try and fob you off.
I'm sure a veteran like you has those kestostix to hand and is keeping an eye on those wretched ketones. I found flat full sugar coke, jelly, ice lollies, flat Lucozade and nibbles of crisps a tiny bit helpful too myself.
A number of people swear by soda water.
Waves to all. Back soon.

Thank you for your support . I've been back to Drs and she has given me Promethazine. I have only taken the one but been to sleep managed to eat 3 cream crackers. Drinking is the big struggle. My partner went to the local shop and bought Rio ( yuck) Ribena and I've had a sip of them all. I've never been this bad before had a early mc last July. So it's a very anxious time. I am an old mum too this time my eldest is 18 youngest 11 so I think I had forgotten the sickness. She has told me to rest and to be honest bed is the only place I want to be at the moment.

Ok, suggest you start off carefully with the promethazine becuase although it's good, its in the same family as cyclizine. so if you get more than the most minor palpitations, ring up the doc and question it.

Hopefully you'll be fine and many women find it really quite helpful

Please do ask your partner to get some ketostix. they are very useful in helping you know when the sickness is just utterly miserable and when you actually need to contact your doc

Thanks I was going to take one every 8 hrs do you think that's too many. I will check out the ketostix too.

no, i think it's a good idea, one every 8 hours. if you start getting palpitations stop til you've had medical advice.

Narnia Old nothing - you're mature. Glad you got some new meds.
I hope everyone is OK, and wonder if there have been any admissions.

narnia welcome to the thread and sorry that you are sufferering. everyone else has given excellent advice already so I can't really add to it. taking every hour as it comes at the moment is the best approach. plenty of rest, cancel any plans, just concentrate on sipping fluids, sucking ice cubes/ice L ollies, don't worry too much about eating, a bonus if you can manage to nibble on anything but hydration/meds more important as you will already know. several of us are hg veterans - you are not alone and we are here to offer moral support.

trixy hope you manage to have a good holiday - the rest will hopefully rejuvenate and fingers crossed for you feeling much better on your return. unfortunately I had to travel long-haul during both of my pregnancies but managed pregnancies (due to a family wedding and also holiday arranged months before ). somehow managed to get through both trips- would go so far as to say enjoy- amazing what a change of scene can do- make sure you rest up for a good day or two when you get there though.

waves to everyone

if it's any help narnia I got preg for the second and last time at 43, after giving up all hope of a second ...

Hoping everyone is surviving this morning

Difficult couple of days. Last night I had the most violent vomit I've had for a while. Whilst having a sneezing fit. That was entertaining. And I had to run out of church to be sick, with all the judgementy eyes on me. I should have just projectiled all over the church. If only I didn't like a little privacy when I hurl!

Feeling very fed up. on plus side, lovely gp has put the ondansetron on repeat prescription so I don't have to see/speak to a gp to get a new prescription anymore. Means my neighbour/hubby gone drop in the form and pick up the script and drugs. Which is a weight lifted. And have made an apt for Friday 17th to discuss strategy for going back to work on 20th.

And overnight I've developed a little bump that looks bump like not big dinner!

Hi everyone,

I posted a while ago about the sickness/nausea I was experiencing. I don't actually have HG though.

I am still on metoclopromide and I just wondered if someone knew how long is safe to be on them? I read online about 12 weeks. I'm starting to get twitches in my legs, and I'm just wondering if this is due to the amount of time I've been on the medication? I've only been on them 8 weeks though and only started another prescription for them last week. I'm not ready to come off them, so thinking next time I need to see a Dr rather than just order them on repeat?

eallison poor you! Hope you are feeling a bit better today? I often had totally unexpected bouts of violent v omiting when had otherwise had a reasonable day- dh was disgusted when a full Sunday dinner he had cooked (and I had managed to eat) and enjoyed came unexpectedly flying straight back out of my mouth 10 minutes later when even i wasn't expecting it!! good news about the ondansetron- relief to not have to jump through hoops to get it.

penguin as far as I am aware all prescribed meds are safe to take throughout - I was on various through both of my pregnancies - worse thing you can do is coming off them too early I me. twitchy legs was something I also had in pregnacy- just put it down to the pregnancy tbh! maybe someone else will have better advice than me though! Hope you're doing ok otherwise ? x

penguin you need to speak to a pharmacist or doc about that yes. It's quite important. Meto is absolutely safe for the baby but for the mother in a very few cases it can actually lead to permanent twitching, which is why they say take it for a limited time. It could be the preg, but do get this checked. Can you speak to someone tomorrow?

ealli the church thing sounds awful. haven't they got better things to look at?! But good news on the Ondansetron front, that's great.

congrats on the Bump =)

I love Holy Week. Normally I'm at church every day at least once from Sunday to Sunday... only managed last night so far. just made the decision not to go tonight cos I'm feeling so rotten again. This bloody HG is taking everything from me. And I can't even look forward to the chocolate on Sunday! I miss chocolate :(

ealli, this time next year it will be a great deal easier. You might be leaving the service because someone is howling, but not because things are messy. It will get better. it does.

I know I know. I think I'm just pissed that I'm at home and hubby is at church, having been at work all day. My worst time of day is evenings, and they're particularly shit. And I'm on my own.

Hello everyone . Well that was an eventful day an admission to a& e at 6 am with palpitations all checked out and sent home. To be followed by the worse palpitations/anxiety attack phoned 111 they sent an ambulance and I'm really glad they did. Checked everything ecg the lot my heart rate is running a little faster. Apparently I look as though I'm hypersensitive to any drugs. On the positive side Avomine is helping a lot even the yucky taste had gone. Although I didn't take one yesterday as i was so worried. Now feel gross. Did get some sleep last night though. Did anyone get anxiety badly I am a nervous nelly at the best of times. Also had a private early scan on weds and there is only one baby phew and we could see. Tiny heartbeat. So fingers crossed. Hope you are all ok. I'm finding this such a support thanks :)

Just popping back to support people still suffering. I'm now 18+4 and been doing really well. Haven't been on meds for several weeks as the headaches were unbearable and I've also gone back to work full time as of next week!

I've been finding that if I don't eat often enough, when I do eventually eat, I feel worse and normally bring it back up. Little and often is the trick my OH has been saying how nice it is that I'm actually eating again. Must have been horrible for him!

Bump feels like it's rapidly expanding and I've started feeling movements my Dad also sent over a box of baby stuff from America and its now starting to sink in that in a few months time, I'll have a tiny human being to put in those clothes!

Hope everyone starts feeling better soon. It's truly awful suffering when most people don't understand