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.

Laura, I think that you raise an important issue about the terrible emotional and psychological impact of HG. Obviously the physical symptoms are bad enough, but like you, what I found so hard last time was how depressing it is feeling/being sick all day, every day. I'd never felt so ground down before. DP said he thought it altered my whole personality! But like you I feel I'd really regret not trying for a third, I just hope that I can keep more upbeat this time. Apologies to those currently suffering who may feel this is all a bit irrelevant when you're in the midst of what Lucinda rightly calls The Scourge.

laura don't be so hard on yourself. You've tackled and got thru a HG pregnancy twice. That's amazing. HG is a real soul destroying condition. My husband has mentioned that at my worst he was more worried about my mental state than my physical state. yes, its a physical illness but has such strong mental repercussions. You made the decision you made for the best reasons you could.

My GPs have been happy to represcribe ondansetron once I was given the initial prescription by a consultant at the EPU. Any dosage increase decisions also needed making by the EPU, but decrease and continuation has been done by GPs. However, I think I've been very lucky in terms of the NHS trust I'm in and with my GPs.

MoP, so agree with you. The emotional and psychological impact of HG is absolutely huge. I wonder if it's part of the condition itself actually.

laura as others have said please don't be hard on yourself, not only is hg incredibly physically hard, the psychological trauma should not be underestimated. no one can understand if they haven't been through it themselves. Have you spoken to your gp about pre-emptive meds and also the possibility of them being able to prescribe ondansetron if necessary?

eallison hope you are managing ok at work? I never went anywhere without oatcakes and various other supplies!

mellee hope you continue to turn a corner. try not to overdo it at this stage still.

caspian hope you are continuing to do better at home without the stresses of work.

waves to lucinda, meerka, motherofpearl, hello , dilly and everyone.

It was really lovely to be back. Everyone was lovely, lots of congratulations and "are you sure you're ready to be back". I'm exhausted and have had a bit of a vomity evening. Hoping it's just a little blip while I adapt to work again!

Sorry, I've been a little awol. My poor puppy had knee surgery yesterday, so for the next 4 weeks we are both on bedrest.
My midwife has managed to get an OB to see me, that's all set up for Thursday. My GP has referred me to a dietician (due to more than 10% loss of body weight). I'm still vomiting daily and getting severe nausea for the majority of the day but some days I am ok. Definitely better than I was a month ago anyways.
Laura - I feel for you. Due to this condition, I don't plan on having more than one child, biologically anyways. This is the sickest I've ever been and I've become a lot more open to the possibility of adoption. Physically my body could handle it, but mentally probably not. My aunty had HG for her two pregnancies and with the second got severe depression from it, even though she was prepared to have it. Whatever you decide, all the ladies here will support you.
I've attached a pic of my fur baby to brighten everyone's day.

Mellee Aah, poor puppy!
eallison Congratulations on first day at work; what hours are you on?
Mother Hen never thinks people are ready to be back, lol. I hope they ease you in as gradually as possible.
Everyone, surely counselling should be routinely offered to help with the trauma of 'The Scourge'? (Winks at MotherofPearl about name).
Laura Others' advice about pre emptive meds is certainly the best thing. Be kind to yourself.
Waves to Caspian, Meerka elizabethsmum MotherofPearland all.

Ealli, well done on your first day back, so glad it went well! How many weeks are you now?

Mellee, hope your puppy recovers from his op soon. He's so cute!

Does anyone know which period maternity pay is calculated from? I ask because I've been off sick over 2 months (went back for few days in between) so my salary has now dropped to half-pay, in another 2 months I will be on SSP only! Very worried about this. I work for NHS but have less than 2 years continuous service so get a maximum of 2 months full sick pay and 2 months half sick pay in any rolling 12-month period. I should get 2 months full pay for Mat leave but could end up with just SMA if it's calculated during period i'm off sick (not eligible for SMP as changed trusts recently).

Despite financial pressure I don't feel ready to return to work yet. I feel much better but still vomiting 2-3x day on average and having severe nausea on and off. Eating regularly and keeping still when nauseous helps a lot but I can't do this at work. At work I'm on feet all day, moving from ward to ward assessing patients and transporting them to different parts of hospital eg physio gym.
It's hard work physically, and psychologically draining. When I tried returning to work recently I didn't have energy to engage properly with patients. I also felt like I was letting new team down and being a burden. Most of team are nice but i miss my old job and the friends I had there. It's hard starting new job when feeling so sick, everything feels like uphill struggle and although most people were nice, I can understand how they must feel about new person being pregnant and sick.
I really wish I could take entire pregnancy off then start the job when back from mat leave. DH earns twice as much as me so we could scrape by on his salary, but not ideal as we need lots of things for baby.
I was expecting 20weeks to be the turning point with HG but although I feel better than a month ago, I still don't feel able to work yet. I'm scared of going back too soon and having a relapse, or going back and making a clinical error due to feeling unwell and dazed. At same time I know I need a return date to aim for.
Any recommendations re when is good time to aim for return to work?

I'm 18+1. Working half 8-2, but I have quite a lot of freedom in my work, so giving myself quite a few ten/fifteen minute breaks and eating whenever I fancy/need to. Initially planned shorter hours this week and then full time next, but my body is definitely reacting against working. Last night I felt really quite sick all evening and then had a particular painful (in terms of accompanying stomach cramps) vomiting sesh before bed. I'd eaten well yesterday, so can only put it down to reaction to working. The nature of working in a school is that it's pretty full on. I think I'm going to need to do same shorter hours next week too. Which is frustrating, but I think in the long run is better.
caspian the only reason I'm back at work is because I know I can shut the chapel door and get a little peace a few times a day if I need it, and it's not a physical job. By the sounds of it, yours is very physically demanding. I know financially it's difficult trying to balance the decision, but if you can manage financially I wold suggest waiting til you've had a good 3 or 4 weeks of vomiting maximum once or twice a day (preferably not at all on some of the days!) and when you're eating well - I'd underestimated how much extra food I'd need! Then a gradual return. I base this on instinct more than anything, more experienced mums might be able to offer more insight

Hi ladies.... I am now 5 months but for almost 4 months I suffered badly with Severe nausea and vomiting ...it started for me very early and I could hardly move or talk because I felt so poorly... Everyday was a struggle and it's not easy at all... I won't go Into it anymore because we all know here what it's like... But it was like a hell... That I felt trapped inside my own body and mind and nobody understood ... My husband has been brilliant ... Bless him but nobody knows how it really feels unless you have suffered too ...You feel it will never end and everyone tells you it will soon but you don't believe it.... I know... but it really does and then you come to learn you are stronger than you think..and feel proud . So hang on in there .... I found PSS website (pregnancy sickness support ) was a godsend in supporting eachother so do take a look if you haven't already....
HG is miserable for sure ... And lonely a lot of the time.. But it doesn't last ... And that's for sure... There's a very important and special goal in my mind... Keep strong lovelies ... xx

tooth how are you doing now? from what you say it's real;ly improving? I hope so. Yes the PSS site is brilliant.

caspian I'd completely agree with everything ealli says. i wonder if you can maybe hope to return at 28 weeks ... and maybe a phased return like her? it's incredibly awkward with just having started yes :( But try not to presusre yourself if you possibly can (like not thinking of purple elephants isnt it). Pressure will definitely not help and may slow you down.

melle you and puppy .... he's lovely ! :)

MoP how are you?

Im wondering how narnia and other people are too.

I've got a doctors note till I'm 17w (currently 13+3), based on the fact that I will need at least 4w to build up my strength before returning to work. That was the doctors opinion. I work at a chemical factory and although I've been given a desk job due to the pregnancy, it still involves walking around the plant and up stairs etc. Even though I'm down to vomiting once a day, I still think the inability to lie still during the nausea waves prevents me from being able to return. I will only return when the nausea is mostly gone and the vomiting has stopped. I am fortunate enough to be financially secure, so we only have to worry about mine, baby's and Chewbaccas health. :)

Meerka ... I am doing so much better thankyou.. I thought the nasty sickness would never end but it touch wood has... Don't get me wrong, I I feel sick at times and occasionally get sick but hardly ever now, I have to be very honest - I don't feel amazing or full of energy as some sources say you 'should' feel in the second trimester...I'm not 'blooming' or at least not yet ... My skin has gotten worse and not nicer or glowy .. No, I am tired mostly then there's heartburn and all sorts of other fun things of course but wow... I don't care about any of it because a) it's all going to be so worth it and b) the terrible sickness has gone!!! Once you experience being THAT sick, you are grateful to feel just tired! How are you coping meerka?? Xx

I work as a dental staff nurse in a hospital.. Full time .. Through my sickness I continued to work best I could through it although absolutely shattered .. For one month though, I couldn't work, the one thing I thought though is that at least the body is getting some rest at that crucial time of development in baby because I wasn't working for four weeks... Back to it now though!

melle good that your doctor is so supportive. It really makes a difference. Hopefully it'll be possible to extend if necessary.

tooth once you get over the worst of the sickness to a consistently lower level of nausea it feels like a holiday doesn't it! :) We're doing well thank you for asking. The pipsqueak is nearly 1 year old now. Time's flown by. It does take time to recover from HG afterwards, it really does, but being able to start swimming + the gym around the 8 month mark really helped. And getting sterilized has really given me peace of mind now that I've recovered from the op. Such a relief.

Hoping everyone is doing well :)

Ealli, it's good you can manage your own time at work and eat regularly. Hope things get easier as week goes on. How was today?

ToothFairy, really glad your sickness improved. Did it stop suddenly or get better very gradually? Did the pattern change over time?

Mine is worse in evenings at moment. I often go most of day without feeling too bad, then around 4-5pm nausea gets much worse and I start vomiting on and off until bedtime. I used to be sick every morning too but this has eased the last week. If I wake with a bad headache I'm sick a few times, but on non-headache days I feel great first thing. This morning I sat outside under trees with a cup of coffee, breathing in scent of cherry blossom and feeling very positive.

Meerka, swimming and gym sound lovely, I really miss exercise. How far on were you when your HG improved enough to get out and about? I always thought I'd be doing pregnancy yoga, Pilates, water aerobics etc but still feel too sick to move around much (or risk going in pool). I think I'm over worst of HG but I feel like I've now plateaued... symptoms nolonger severe enough to confine me to bed/bathroom, but haven't improved enough to get back to normal life or reclaim hobbies. I spend most of day indoors, trying to keep head still (motion makes nausea worse) balanced with housework. When I do go out for few hours I enjoy it but feel worse later. Do you think I should start pushing myself more to try and build up tolerance to outside world? I love being out and about but start to get panicky whenever nausea hits (I have a fear of vomiting in public!)

caspian it didn't stop completely suddenly for me if I'm honest but more of a gradual thing... But it was noticeable because I felt able to function ... I was on a course at the time and I remember I felt ill and tired but not as much sickness so it died down, and then eventually the nausea did go too... I kept myself busy... Now I feel sick at times but not too much to actually throw up or anything and my appetite is back with a vengeance!! Happy days :)

caspian your evening pattern sounds like me a few weeks ago. I went from nauseous/sick all the time, to pretty much only afternoon onwards. Then I was getting to 5/6 pm before starting to be sick, then I was feeling sick from 5/6 pm onwards, but only being sick just before bed. Then I had a week and a half of no vomiting and little nausea. I'm now back to vomiting being part of me bedtime routine and feeling queasy from about half 6. But I can manage this as I'm able to eat much more normally now and feel like I'm leading a more Normal life.

I did pregnancy yoga last week. First exercise since 5 weeks pregnant (used to do at least two classes a week)! To be honest I found it very slow, a bit dull and not very yoga-y. But it did tire me out! Planning on a couple more weeks of it then returning to my Yogalates class (yoga and plates - best bits of both, rubbish bits of neither!). Spoken to my Yogalates instructor and she says with a couple of changes, it's safe up until birtH. I think when I get back to my Yogalates class regularly, psychologically that will be a huge thing for me.

caspian I always struggled to get out and about. I DID manage at week 32 - 34 to renovate our older son's bedroom (with help) which I am still so so so so proud of (it actually didnt involve much walking at all and I could rest a LOT). I also managed to go pick him up from school about 4 times a week and go swimming about 5 times in total towards the end, which was also an achievement. I got low levels of treatment though (but better than the first time).

Do not push yoruself.

HG is a condition that gets worse with overstressing yourself. Not better. You cannot build up tolerance because the hormones don't respond to that. When you have had your baby and have had about 6 - 10 weeks to begin to recover then you can start working on tolerance. But HG is not about muscles or even will power. it's hormones and they won't respond to pushing yourself in any other way than making you feel bad.

Evenigns were always my worst time too. improvement was very gradual and moved from having to go back to bed at 11am to slowly being able to stay up til 2pm then later. It was a slow process. Up and down days.

Hi everyone, I'm exhausted today, poor DS isn't well so had a very restless night last night plus he was off nursery today. In agony with my spd I can barely walk, just want the next 9 weeks to fly by so I can turn over in bed without my pelvis cracking.

Still not being sick though, almost a week now

hello Woo hoo to the vom free week! It just seems so unfair that after all the vomiting that you should have spd as well. I have it too. I wonder if there is a link?

I'm feeling frustrated today. I feel like I've gone backwards. It must be a reaction to going back to work. But I'm just angry With my self. Irrational, I know, and unhelpful. But I thought I was past the worst. Hubby presented me with homemade burgers for dinner. Managed a mouthful then had a piece of pitta bread. Looking at th food stressed me out and made me cry.

A good night's sleep, gentle day at work tomorrow and I'll be fine. I'm in a much better place than a few weeks ago.

This sickness in the evenings thing seems very common. I had this same pattern, and never escaped from my 5pm vom. I wonder if it's linked to being more tired by that point in the day?
Meerka, thanks for asking, I'm OK. Seeing GP on Friday to get IUD removed and ask about meds. I'm not going to force the pre-emptive meds issue, but I need to know that she takes my past history seriously and that if I start getting bad that I will get the meds I need. I want some assurance that a care plan will be in place. To be honest, I feel real excited about the prospect of having another baby, but of course I may not get pregnant, plus if I do, HG may very quickly put a stop to excitement! Time will tell.
Encouraging to hear about those who have improved so much. Hope those suffering - Caspian, Melle - start to see some real improvements. Ealli, don't feel bad if you need to take more time off work. Tiredness really makes it a lot worse.
Big waves to Lucinda, Elizabethsmum and everyone.

It's so hard to remain positive. I had my OB appointment today that my midwife and I fought so hard to get. Once again the verdict is "keep doing what you're doing and go to hospital when dehydrated". I'm not getting dehydrated because I take sips of water and lie still until they absorb. I lie still all day every day. I get up for food, bathroom and vomiting. I'm such an active person who loves food and I feel like this condition has taken my whole life from me. Mentally, im not coping anymore.

Mellee, we all know what you're talking about. It's a shame health care professionals don't seem to realise that yes, we're not dehydrated but thats because we go to such extremes to try ti get fluids In us. You are doing so well, keep ticking off each day, each one brings you closer to that day of not feeling so ill.

Hi ladies

I'm not sure how many of you remember me.....I wanted to come say hi and send you all some non-vomiting vibes and gentle back pats. My LO is now 16 weeks old and although I still remember the worst days the memory of them does fade a little (not completely!) and he is worth every horrible day. I had a horrid moment at 6 weeks post partum when I had a 24hr vomiting bug - brought back all sorts of horrible memories!!

I haven't read the whole thread I'm afraid but I wanted to say hi to caspian - I too am a physiotherapist (large teaching trust, on feet all day, plus weekends and on calls) and was off sick from weeks 8-14 at my worst but did continue to vomit most days till the end of my pregnancy (but came off anti-emetics around week 20/22 as they weren't helping). I went back on phased return when I did go back (one week half days and one week three quarter days) which helped. The first 3-4 weeks I was off sick I was basically bed bound ( I thought i was gonna get a pressure area!) except rushing to the toilet and gradually over the remaining weeks I built up my exercise tolerance gradually by popping out for short periods.....at first it was exhausting, I'd have a good day where I'd go out followed by 1/2 days where I'd not be able to do a thing......in hindsight I think I pushed myself to get out and about a little early but I was going stir crazy being in the house. I eventually returned to work when I had managed to go out for abit of a day and not have any horrendous affects the following day. However, I failed to take into account the commute, and I struggled abit when I was finally back to full days as the commute added an extra 3hrs to my working day. In further hindsight I probably could have done with another week or two at home but I needed to get back to work for my sanity. My team and boss were lovely, I took all the easy chest checks and mobilities, and I took breaks whenever I wanted. I gave away all of my on calls and weekends until I was back to work properly, and even then I never did on calls, and split all my weekends so I only had one day instead of two. think I was probably back to work in my usual capacity (physically and mentally) around 28/30 weeks. I did throw up at work countless times (and had a horrible tube vomiting experience which I won't go into lol) but they were very understanding. At 35 weeks I was still vomiting every other day once or twice and eventually caved to further sick leave at 34 weeks as along with the pelvic pain I just couldn't manage it any more.

Sorry that is a bit of an essay! caspian feel free to PM me to chat about work etc if you feel that would be of benefit to you :)

Big hugs to you all. It's very true widen they say this too shall pass even if it doesn't feel like it