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

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.

Glad to hear that, Mirabel.

Hi everyone, after a terrible night of sickness and debilitating nausea I am not going to go back to work today but instead back to the doctor. I'm currently on Phenergan but this seems to have lost effectiveness. What should I ask for in your opinions? Nausea is worse to me than vomiting at the moment- feels 1 step away from throwing up at all times.

I'm 17+5 today.

Thanks all.

Hi bear, sorry you're feeling worse but glad you're not dragging yourself into work. The stuff I found that has worked best for me is ondansetron, but it's difficult to get hold of in some parts of the country (which is, of course, wrong). Meerka has more of a handle on the different meds, phenergen isn't one that I've tried actually. I really hope your gp is supportive today.

Hi All. Bear sorry to hear you're struggling. I second that Ondansetron is good if you can get it. I've got to put in a repeat prescription request again today as they will only prescribe a weeks worth at a time and as it takes 48 hrs to turn requests around its a bit of a nightmare. Going to ask if they can prescribe more in one go but not hopeful.

Barmee I don't think that's unusual. For the first 10 weeks of being on ondansetron I had to see our soak to a gp fire each new prescription. Eventually it was putb on a repeat, which was certainly much easier!

In which case maybe I should just be grateful it's on repeat at all! Think I'm just feeling sorry for myself generally

bear look at the guidelines here
cks.nice.org.uk/nauseavomiting-in-pregnancy

It gives treatment goals (to carry on a normal life as much as is possible!) and the meds you can use.

these are, more or less:
cyclizine (old fashioned anti-histamine; can make you sleepy)
Metoclopramide (empties the stomach faster, less to upchuck)
Domperidone (similar)
Prochlorperazine (stemetil/Avomine/Buccastem) (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 many people find the best, but causes constipation).

I would suggest keeping on phenergen and asking if you can go on metoclopramide or domperidone or prochlorperazine as -well-. Maybe prochlorperazine first. Then if you don't get much improvement, ask if you could take domperidone instead.

ondansetron is the best and also strongest, but it's very expensive so it's hard to persuade the GP to give it. But you could mention it. Also it is the strongest, so maybe try the other stuff first.

Write down a list of the problems atm; how often you're vomitting (count each little upchuck in a session, too); how your life is being curtailed, and emphasise the impact on work and your general health. Say how difficult it is to eat and drink. Don't smooth things over! Take that list wiht you and refer to it.

If you can take someone to advocate for you who's seen you at your worst, that's even better.

Good luck, do hope she or he can give you something stronger.

As meerka rightly says, make sure you don't underplay anything. I know it's human nature to say "yeah, I'm doing alright" when we really, really aren't. But be honest, brutally so, about the lack of food/drink going in, how often you vom, now long you're spending hugging the loo cos you've got no energy to move etc.

Also, you have every right to feel sorry for yourself - this is crap!

eallison I so agree with you in what you advise BearGrower - it's too not to emphasize enough how much you are suffering and they always tend to make allowances for other patients who to be honest, exaggerate, so they imagine women with Hyperemesis are being dramatic about the difficulty in retaining fluids. After such a night, very likely the ketones will have gone up, and show that you are not. BearGrower poor you, you were right not to struggle in to work and to go to GP; I hope you get some more effective meds.
Meerka's knowledge of meds is invaluable.
I hope everyone is coping today.

Lucinda is very nice about my knowledge but I do want to say clearly that I'm not a pharmacist! and I can't get access to the BNF here :( they've put layers of protection on the online version so only UK people can access it, to check the interactions. I can't burrow through, they've done the layers quite well according to a tech friend :/

Hi all, thank you all for your advice. Saw a different doctor than usual - nice but brisk. He put me on Stemetil and said we'd review in a week - tested my urines and said some ketones were present but not a worrying amount.

My husband just went to get my prescription and I was craving a pasta salad so he picked me one up - just opened it and it had mould growing on it!!! Cue violent vomit.

P.S very self obsessed at the moment - hope everyone else is ok!!

Think I'm having another hormone-surge after a relatively good weekend. Awake most of last night with nausea then started vomiting at 5am. Feeling so tired but can't lie down because it makes heartburn worse!

Bear welcome to the thread, sorry you're suffering. Hope the Stemetil helps. Are you seeing doctors at antenatal clinic as well? They have more knowledge of obstetrics than GPs and access to a wider range of meds. My GP was only able to prescribe phenaragn, stemetil and cyclizine (practice policy) anything else needed to be authorised by obstetrician. Ask your midwife to refer you... mine phoned antenatal clinic during a check-up and made me an appointment for the following week, doctors there reviewed me fortnightly then monthly when things began to improve. I'm now 34weeks and run out of options with meds, but find metoclopramide helps a bit.
Must have been a nasty shock to find mould on pasta-salad At least you didn't eat any.

glad to hear you got some stemetil bear. Hope it helps

ealli and lilac how are you today?

Lilac Oh dear, that sounds nasty.
BearGrower Good; he sounds conscientious. Do keep an eye on those ketones with kesostix (available from any chemists) is the vomiting is bad.
Oh dear about mouldy salad. I hope you at least get a refund, that's disgusting. Those feeling too delicate, read no further, but I liked making myself mint tea with fresh mint grown in the garden (and eighteenth century remedy for nausea, in fact). Once I made some and then realised I had somehow missed a small snail which was now floating in it...
Meerka It's intriguing they should go to such lengths to protect that information.

lucinda that made me smile for the first time in days!

Anyone that's tried Stemetil - I've taken 2 of my 3 a day dose - anyone know whether it has a culminative effect? Still feeling so so so so sick and wondering if it needs to time to build up in my system.

I'm afraid I don't know bear. Can you ring your local chemist and ask to speak to the pharmacist?

Elizabeth'smum do you have access to the BNF?

Hi meerka. Not doing too badly today. Had a busy busy weekend (trip to lakes with in laws to see dad; 2 x 3 hour journeys which were hell, 2 very late nights following dinbers/chats etc) which was lovely but exhausting. Went out for lunch with mother in law and sister in law and niece today. Which was lovely. Except the tuna sandwich turned out to be a bad idea - as soon as I got home I made it to loo in time to projectile vomit thru my nose. Bringing tuna back is unpleasant at the best of times. .. bringing your nose into play... well, in sure you can imagine! 2 hour sleep and feeling much (and can no longer smell tuna!). Hips/back holding up well today, so silver linings!

oh ye gods, that's a new nadir of Yukness! glad to hear that the sleep helped though and yay for the SPD keeping at bay

Still feeling very nauseous, just had to cancel dinner with old friend which is disappointing. Had been looking forward to it but couldn't face thought of sitting in restaurant wondering if i'll need to dash to loo! Hope I manage to make it to dentist tomorrow without throwing up!

Lucinda the snail-in-tea story is funny, really cheered me up I use fresh mint in my tea too but I'll be checking it very carefully from now on! Reminded me of many years ago when my dad cooked ribbon noodles (anyone squeamish stop reading now)... he tipped pasta straight from an old packet into the pan, packet had been open at back of cupboard. We were all eating round the table and I kept finding what I thought were bits of hay mixed in with the noodles, didn't like to make a fuss so discreetly put them to side of plate... then my mum turned over a forkful and found half a harvest-spider on her plate! On closer examination the strands of hay turned out to be legs The only consolation was the spider had been thoroughly boiled!

Bear about Stemetil, I'm not sure if it builds up in system. I tried it in first trimester when it didn't seem to make any difference, but when I took it for a couple of weeks recently it helped nausea from the first tablet. Had to stop taking it though as can't be taken with certain other meds.

Eallison glad your SPD is improving! Mine has been a bit better too, I think the Physio exercises are finally paying off, can feel my muscles are much stronger and tighter so maybe they're taking pressure off ligaments.

Well I can safely say Stemetil does not work for me - plus the added bonus of diarrhoea whilst vomiting!

Do you think it's worth going back to GP tomorrow with urine sample? I can tell I'm very dehydrated by urine and ummm, GROSS warning, the solidity of my vomit.

lilac - I've cancelled so many dinners, each time you make plans do you hope this one you might be able to make?!

eallison tuna, eurgh! Poor you.

Just dashing on to say a quick hello to all, and welcome to BearGrower. It sounds like you're having a terrible time, and certainly sounds like it would be worth going back and asking for different meds. Stemetil clearly not working for you. Have you tried cyclizine? That can work well for some women (I had reasonable success with it, although by no means removed all nausea).
Glad to hear that the SPD is a little better, Lilac & Eallison.
No BFP for me this month, but perhaps just as well what with being away from home with the DC etc.
Hope everyone else surviving.

Hi all, sending positive vibes to everyone having tough days. bear I seem to remember it took a couple of days for the stemetil to really do anything for me but since then has worked pretty well. I'm still sick most days once or twice, mostly when brushing teeth now! But I find nausea bearable until the evening when it's still pretty awful so I just go to bed as early as possible!

Lilac Lol, what a story
eallison That is horrible. Really feel for you with such a gross experience.
MotherofPearl Sorry no BFP - will happen soon enough, I'm sure.
BearGrower Is there a late night chemist where your OH might be able to get kesostix to test your urine at home? If not, definitely go back as things sound bad. Do you have headache builders tea urrine /blurry vision/dry skin/ or a confused sort of feeling?
Waves to Meerka who is more knowledgeable than she admits, and everyone.

Mrsm14 Cross posted, as ever. A lot of people with MS would consider that terrible, but I'm glad it's a (comparative) improvement...
BearGrower As below about dehydration.