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.

so pleased you have had a good day eallison. do you have any other meds to fall back on if weaning off ondansetron? ? I actually found cyclizine quite good once hg under better control- started taking it in conjunction with ondansetron which I think allowed the cumulative effects of it to get into my system and then managed so let on cyclizine from weeks 15-28 in twin of which is when I managed to come off all anti-emetics (a feat I never achieved first time round!)

I've been taking 4mg at 6 am, 8mg at 2 pm and 4mg at 10 pm. I'm trying to cut back to 4mg each time. Yesterday I managed it, today I've ended up 'topping up' the other 4mg at 6 pm. I'm gonna work on that basis until my next doctors apt on 17th, when I'm gonna ask about something to work back to. the problem is, none of the other drugs touched the sickness when I tried them before ondansetron. Hopefully this time with the sickness starting under control one of the other drugs will help. Trial and error, with the ondansetron as my back up.

Hope, thanks for your kind message of support

Ealli, really glad you had a good day! How often do you get days like this? Hope you feel less sick very soon.

I think I overstretched myself today, walked too far in park (45 mins as forgot where car was) so by time reached home I hadn't eaten for hours and now nothing will stay down. I had a horrendous time earlier in pregnancy, now getting a good day here and there since 2nd trimester started. Struggling to cope with new job after being off work sick for 2 months. Luckily my boss and team are supportive but I feel so guilty when I ring in sick or leave early (happens a lot). Job is busy and hectic, can't always eat regularly so some days I get home dehydrated and exhausted, then spend entire eve and half the night vomiting. I'm only 8 days into job but have already been off sick 3.5 days.

In the last few weeks I'm averaging one or two good days like today a week. This evening is an absolute disaster, spent a lot of it in the bathroom with bemused cats watching me. I definitely pushed myself too far, like you caspian!

I'm hopefully back to work for the new term (20th) and already dreading it. Luckily as I'm not a teacher I don't have such a strict timetable, so have a little more freedom with eating and toilet trips. But I'm really worried about tiredness. I know the impact tiredness has my sickness and nausea.

How far are you caspian? I'm sure you've probably told us, but I just can't hold info in my head at the moment!

hope thank you so much for your very thoughtful message of support! not at all ott. moral support is always welcomed here xx

caspian it sounds like you over did it a bit yesterday.unfortunately with hg even if you are managing generally it is a bit of a knife edge and relapsing is horribly common. are you still on any meds?? maybe a bit difficult with a new job but any chance of agreed shorter hrs for say 4 weeks- stress of trying to manage/make a good impression at work will no doubt be making symptoms worse. in my first by preg my boss was thankfully extremely sympathetic and in the end she just said 'come in when you can, i'd rather you were here than not at all- after that the pressure was lifted and I made it in most days by about 10am and managed until about 4pm (which were my core 'well' hours for the majority of the time!)

second of hg was terrible and had 10 weeks off sick but then did manage ok with part time work until 28 weeks, then took all my annual leave and started mat leave at 34 weeks (twins so assumed they'd be early). was only actually at work for about 10 weeks of that pg. (was lucky with leave as had permanent job in n.h.s. at the time). Will you get the usual annual leave/maternity leave with it being a new job?

eallison good idea to get back up meds- some that didn't work before May be worth trying again now by is seemingly under control- cyclizine for example has a cumulative effect in the body- (the reason it doesn't work well for Many in the throws of hg is that it
doesn't have a chance to get into the system!
meerka is much more clued up on meds than me so when she is back am sure she will advise. definitely a good idea to initially reduce gradually. good luck for work and hope you manage at church ok today.

hello :) I'm back and ..... pleaes don't kill me .... but I'm getting sterilized next week!

Never, ever, ever again.

(TMI) my husband will be so glad becuase I'm too scared for intimacy atm ... our first got conceived despite 2 forms of protection.

glad to see everyone is surviving (and hello hope) even if it's been hard. If you have to overstretch yoruself one day, you really do pay the next :(

caspian Im glad your work are supportive, really awkward if you start a new job and are so sick :(

ealli I'm not an expert on meds but have read up a bit and I think that the advice to take cyclizine and let it build up in your system then cut down gradually on ondan is very good. If that doesn't work you could ask the doc for promethazine (aka avomine) which is a stronger med from the same family as cyclizine.

hi meerka hope you had a good weekend? don't blame you- my dh had the snip as neither of us could have coped with another pg and it will be a weight off your mind not to have to worry about it anymore. is it day case or do you have to stay in? Hope you get to put your feet up for a day or two afterwards! !

Hello everyone. Welcome to gandulf. elizabethsumum and Mereka You've been doing a brilliant job as ever. Sorry that people have been suffering so over Easter, and ealllison dilly and Hello those headaches with Ondansetron and other meds sound awful - I wonder how frequent a side effect that is, it's awful dilly that they didn't offer some alternaitive that didn't give those side effects - migraine type headaches with this are the last thing you need, sickening as they are.
Hope what a lovey thoughtful message. Not many people come on to The Thread That Nobody Wants to Be On - so kind of you to think of it.
elizabethsum It's interesiting that despite being a nurse, your OH found it hard to help, and Meerka with two forms of birth control failed, you must be super fertile. hope Trixy is having a good itme.
Caspitan I hope it doesnt' sound annoying for me to say 'This Too Must Pass'. eallison About havingt to run out of church - people might just hae th9ught it might be due to feeling unwell.
Back soon.

How is everyone?

Elizabethsmum, I'm on cyclizine, prochlorperazine and metraclopamide, tried a few other meds too but nothing helps much. My GP won't prescribe Ordansetron and I'm a bit worried about side effects.
Re maternity leave, I'll get same amount of leave/pay as its continuous NHS service just with different Trust. My biggest worry is coping on wards, as staff toilets all have door-codes and you have to walk through unisex changing room to get to loo. Last week I was about to vomit so dashed past 3 half-naked men to get to loo! One shouted that Im supposed to knock but shut up when he heard me throwing up! Very embarrassing though. I'm also responsible for patients and their safety eg I can't leave them alone if we're halfway through an assessment and I suddenly need to vomit. As I'm new I've been mainly shadowing so far but I need to explain my limitations to other staff. I've tried explaining to supervisor but I don't think she really gets it. I've got appointment with occupational health next week so hopefully they can help.

Ealli, are you feeling any better? I'm 15weeks, HG was worse in first trimester though every time I get a good day I seem to relapse day after.

I think I've definitely been doing too much on good days. I get so excited when nausea eases off for a couple of hours that I try to get as much done as possible. We had house-guests over Easter, last night I felt better so stayed up late with them. At midnight I suddenly felt really ill, was sick in early hours and back to hourly vomiting today.

I wish I could take a few more weeks off sick from work, at least until vomiting is less frequent. I just feel so guilty as its new job and I'm trying to make good impression. In reality being absent wouldn't affect sick-pay provided less than 4 weeks, but I feel obliged to keep staggering in so they know I'm trying.

caspian the meds used in preg are safe. Ondansetron is actually one of the better studied due to the big Danish study reported in Feb 13 in the New England Journal of medicine. There were no adverse outcomes from ondan at all.

metoclopramide can very rarely have effects on the mother but is totally safe for the baby as far as is known. If you yourself get twitching though, stop taking it til you've had advice.

cyclizine belongs to the family of old fashoined anti-histamines that is also considered safe; one of its sister meds is actually FDA category A.

caspian I was worse in second trimester than first in my first hg preg but it did become generally more manageable after about 23 weeks. are you doing 12 hr shifts? as I probably already said- tiredness/stress will make it worse - would really try to not overdo it on good days at the moment (tempting though it is) as immediately depressing when the next day is rubbish! lucky to have good sick/maternity pay in nhs so that does somewhat take the pressure off money- wise but I would feel the same as you about trying to make a good impression in new position so know where you are coming from. I found stemetil quite good at staving sickness nausea off at times when hg had improved a bit- also quite useful to get through working day. (I was also permanent in nhs in preg - am a sonographer- am agency now but definitely no more for me!)

welcome back lucinda hope you've had a good Easter? yes I think dh generally reserved most of his bedside manner for his real 'patients'! sometimes nurses are the least sympathetic! ! however when I had lots of complications later on and then in the twins of he was a bit better!

Better thanks caspian. sounds like your feeling the same as me, I'm 16 weeks and started having good days post first trimester, but good days tend to be followed by bad ones! Why won't your doc prescribe ondansetron?

Hi everyone not been on for a few weeks. I'm 13 weeks now. Feeling slightly better after first trimester but have good and bad days and the more I do the harder the next day is but its nice now easter hols are here to do a few things with my son even if im knackered after. I'm still of work been very lucky one of the charge nurses had the same in her pregnancy and has been very understanding:)! So I'm off this week and was on holiday next week so il aim back to work in two weeks, il be 15 weeks so hopefully manage better

Hope everyone is having a good day today x

oh that is good news that you have an understanding colleague littlemiss! glad to hear that you're getting some good days now, there's a good chance that it will carry on improving :)

LittleMiss I am glad you've got ONE sympathetic colleague. Caspian Oh dear, that does sound awful - sympathies. Where do you work?
Waves to all. I hope Easter hasn't been too dismal for everyone. Waves to lovely Meerka and elizabethsumum
Apologiesif I've rudely overlooked anyone.

Meerka, thanks for advice about meds.

Ealli, I'm glad Ondanestron made difference for you. Does your GP prescribe it or did you have to get private prescription? My GP said I've tried all meds he can prescribe. I've made an appointment with private obstetrician to try and get Ondanestron though it's a week away (and consultation fee for a 30-min appointment is horrendous!)

Elizabethsmum, I do 8-hour shifts so not as bad as 12-hour, but they start at 7:30am so have to get up at 6am which is tough when been awake vomiting in night.
Today has been awful so far! I felt violently sick as soon as alarm went off (actually half out of bed so wrenched shoulder retching in awkward position). Then got stuck in bathroom for 20mins vomiting small amounts of bile (I hate it when this happens as nothing to bring up but stomach keeping contracting violently with no time to breathe in between, so feel like I'm choking. Gulped down some water, spent another 10mins vomiting that up while panicking about being late). Also had a splitting headache but couldn't keep paracetamol down. Rang work, said I'll be in late, but by noon was still vomiting everything I tried to force down so called in sick. Still got the headache, it's throbbing behind eyes and worse on moving. I don't know if headache is caused by vomiting or if it's making vomiting worse (like a migraine). Every time I get up I start vomiting but lying flat is worse too. Sitting on bed propped against wall with lots of cushions at mo, trying to keep head still.
Does anyone else find bad days are often accompanied by severe headaches?

Hi just wondering who's become agoraphobic? I tried cyclizine but had a very bad reaction, and refused all other meds because of the risks. Being sick 10-20 times a day for 6 weeks now. Was signed off work for three weeks. Have lost 8kgs. I don't want to leave the house, ever! Went for a walk with my other half and toddler yesterday but first time in weeks, I insisted we go across the fields in case I was sick. Didn't have this fear of being out first time round, even though I was sick in public a few times. I am lucky in that I can mostly work from home but have to go to the office (hour and a half commute each way) on 16th and am bricking it.

@caspiansea yes! Migraines a shocker. Three days in bed last week. Definitely worse in pregnancy, let alone when starving / dehydrated / straining to puke all the time.

Sevan, I hope you start feeling better soon! How many weeks are you?
I was agoraphobic for about 7 weeks in early pregnancy, when I was vomiting all day every day. I only went out for hospital appointments and was off work for 2months. Starting my new job was terrifying but I tried to get out and about a bit before I started (though most trips out ended up very short and I'd often rush back to car where I keep a bucket!) I still experience agoraphobic tendencies now and other than going to work I avoid leaving house most of time. When I do go out I have about 30mins of feeling ok then I start feeling sick and panicking over where I can throw up. DH keeps trying to entice me out saying things like 'the sun and fresh air will make you feel better' but I often find I feel worse outdoors. My sickness also gets worse when i travel in car or watch things moving (eg people rushing around). I feel much calmer and steadier at home.
It's really frustrating though as there are lots of things I need to do in outside world including going to dentist, opticians, getting hair cut, shopping for maternity bras... I feel like my life is on hold!

I've definite had periods of being terrified of leaving the house. I tend to flit between that and being completely gung ho about things. Today I've gone into Manchester to go to bravissimo - at a wedding on Saturday and by boobs are all over the place! And it's a gorgeous sunny day so I decided that make the most of it. Fairly sure will regret it tomorrow.., but as I say, I'm either completely terrified and eat toast and tinned peaches and don't leave the house, or completely gung ho and just eat and do what I fancy and think sod tHe consequences!!

Hi Ladies.

I posted on this thread a lot last summer (when reading the screen wasn't making me vomit) and it was my life line. Lucinda and all the other lovely ladies have me great advice and kept me sane. I ended up on Cyclizine and Ondansetrone all the way through my pregnancy and only came off ondan in the last few days as was advised to do that to be able to breast feed. I was vommited my way through labour, puking with every contraction until the pushing stage. I found that I couldn't have gas and air either as it made me even sicker so ended up with just the pool for pain relief. Midwife was worried I would get dehydrated but I guess my body was just used to it. I was sick once after because i had to have syncotin.

Unfortunately my little one had a challenging first few days but is absolutely fine now. Due to this I stupidly didn't even realise I didn't feel sick anymore until a few days later when I was telling DH about being starving and wanting a bigger breakfast.

But... It's stopped. It stopped as soon as the baby was out. I don't want to share too many identifying features but my baby was slightly over the average weight and HG has not continued with breast feeding.

5yearstime welcome back! I was sick all throughout my first labour including on the operating table (EMCS in the end) which considering I had had a full spinal wasn't easy, the poor staff had to hold my head up and to the side for me to vomit

I've had my 28 wk check and despite my best efforts I've still got ketones in my urine and my bp is low grrrr.
Hope everyone is enjoying the weather as much as pos, I sat in the garden for a bit earlier and guess what? It made me sick lol

Sevan Welcome, I'm actually surpirised more people don't become agrophobic with this horror, given the social humiliation of Public Puking Performances. I'm generally a bit claustrophobic, and yet I had a horror of going out, too when puking was a threat.
Caspiain That sounds awful - it can be so difficult to tell the difference between migraines and dehydration headaches, they don't feel very different. How are the ketones, Mother Hen is anxious? The migraines went off for me around week fourteen. I so agree they are horrendous.
FiveYearsTime Thank you so much for comiing back on to encourage people. What a lovely message. You certainly went through it. Great to hear from you.
Hello Oh, no, that is too bad about puking brought on my fresh air, and ketones, too. Time is s-l-o-w-l-y passing.
Waves to all.