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.

Hi, hope everyone's coping ok... I know it feels endless but the hours turn into days, weeks, months and before you know it HG is over! I found it helpful to keep track of seasons changing... my HG started in Feb and I remember looking out the hospital window at the blizzard thinking 'by summer I'll be feeling better, by autumn my baby will be here'. I hardly left the house the first 25weeks but I watched the seasons change through the windows and it helped a bit.

Lucinda I just read back through the old thread, thanks for your message, sorry you suffered after the birth too. I agree it's a balance between not alarming anyone yet ensuring people are aware HG can linger a bit in rare cases, and that it won't be forever. Luckily my symptoms after the birth were mild, but I wish I'd known they might take a while to clear up as I panicked at first! I guess that's why they call the 3months postpartum the 4th trimester, the body's still re-setting itself and getting rid of the pregnancy hormones. I also think mine was partly caused by sleep deprivation, as soon as baby started sleeping 5-6hours a night I felt a lot better!

glitterball that's brave to start TTC 4months after the birth!
I'd like more children but feel I need a couple of years to recover after this pregnancy.

Ladies who are struggling to keep much down, try tiny sips of ice-cold drinks, milkshakes and ice-lollies. The first 2trimesters I mainly lived on Rowntrees Fruit Pastille lollies, Rocket and Twister lollies, cardamom tea, mint and nettle tea and wholemeal bagels. Bland carbs like crumpets, croissants and muffins helped too, as did yogurt in small amounts. I couldn't manage fruit other than frozen watermelon. But mainly just eat a bit of whatever you fancy and eat as soon as you feel the urge. Get other people to prepare your meals, I couldn't handle food or open the fridge without retching on bad days!

Wishing you all strength!

Forgot to add, I also found steamed vegetables easy to keep down (the frozen sort in portion-size bags you pop in microwave). And carbonated drinks better than water- sips of natural lemonade, coke, lilt, fizzy juice. Also found I could drink espresso but not normal coffee. Couldn't stand the taste of tea in first trimester but started making ice tea later on and adding fresh mint.

I'm pretty good thanks once touch wood I think I'm coming out the other side, 18+1 now. It disappeared at 17 weeks with DD so I'm hoping this is it... Tentatively hoping

Top tip for the day, never eat potatoes EVER

Heaven My promethazine is blue, not sure if other medications are too. I've found it much better than previous meds because I'm not dizzy all day but it really knocks me out.
reebok Hope that you made it through work yesterday.

Hi everyone. Unfortunately had to be admitted to hospital on Thursday and still here. They've put me on cyclozine which worked wonders yesterday and I managed to keep food down for the first time in a week but today I've woken up feeling really nauseous again. Do the meds normally only take the edge off rather than stop the sickness entirely? I'm so frightened of being discharged and ending up in that state again. It's horrible. Feeling really down at the thought of it lasting till August. I seriously take my hat off to all of you looking after little ones or working. I'm dreading going back to work now!

oh my god immortal your husband is going through Crohns -and- chemo at the same time?

truly wish you both the best.

btw, if you go to the doctors apparently they count each individual heave as an upchuck, not by session if you see what I mean. so you can distract yourself entertainingly during a session with the WC by keeping careful count

Do think the meto needs checking out yes. Btw, apparently it doesn't combine well with cyclizine so it's one or the other. There's also prochlorperazine to try or domperidone or (if you can get it) ondansetron

Apologies all for silence. We've been battling mastitis and sleep regression here at Ealli HQ, which is taking its toll. If I get chance I'll read back and reply, will definitely read back and catch up.

Hello all, hope everyone is holding up OK. I'm still doing well on the cyclizine, only being sick twice and day and gagging a lot less. Yesterday I managed to eat a veggie subway! It was amazing and I managed to keep it down and actually felt full afterwards.
The only thing is I need to drink more (other than full fat coke). I'm avoiding fluid as it makes sickness more likely, but my urine is dark at the moment. Anyone come up with a solution to this?

Did two days at university, and heading back to work next week. University was fine, could easily take time out to sit down and eat if I needed it. I just don't see how that will work in my busy nhs department.

Also, I'm good friends with one of my managers at work, so she knows i'm pregnant and very kindly offered to take me out for lunch to celebrate while I've been off sick. However, I explained that I currently have real problems being around food, and so lunch isn't a great idea at the moment. It just makes me worry that work are judging me for having been off, and that they don't get it. Anyone else had this? Anything I can do, as i've already told them I've lost 3kilos in two weeks and have been unable to eat a full meal since before Christmas, and that it's a bit more of a problem than general morning sickness (though that is unpleasant too).
Thanks.

Immortal I too, am dismayed to hear poor OH is very ill too.
NeedsAsock Sympathies with foul potato experience. I had a love/hate affair with potatoes - sometimes bearable as chips and crisps and disgusting potato wedgies - but never nice on the way up. Then, later on, I found baked potatoes and boiled potatoes bearable, particularly as they didn't set off heartburn, as almost anything seemed to.
Heaven Sorry to hear that you were admitted. Did you say you were on cyclizine before this? They can give you a number of safe meds, and if you've been admitted, you'd think they would go for stronger oral meds, though cyclizine injections or through the veins are good.
eallison Oh dear, mastitis. That's horrible; I hope you have a speedy recovery.
OnceaMeerIs giving great advice as ever.
LilacRain I do feel guilty when you, and a few others, have missed my occasional posts about suffering after birth, and so aren't forewarned. As you say, it's so hard to strike a balance.The majority of people are fine either at once or the next day. You read the thread through? That is admirable.

SpecialStains So glad meds are helping. If your note says 'Hyperemesis' then that really should be self-explanatory as serious?

Yes my note says hyperemesis gravidarum (and Dr offered to sign me off for much longer), but I'm just worried that they are thinking its just a bit of morning sickness. Won't know until I go back I guess. It depends on whether they know what hyperemesis gravidarum is, which a lot of people don't.

EnglishGarden Sorry, I typed you a message and typed Haaven, but it was you I meant. Sorry to hear you've been ill enough to be admitted. I think the best thing is to say you still feel very nauseated; oral meds do often only take the edge of the nausea but taken other than oral, seem to be much more effective; I've had injections off cyclizine and it worked well and it's supposed to be really good given in the vein. However, some find it takes them a good lot of fluids for the nausea to fade, as the dehydration makes it worse. I'm not medically trained. That's as I understand it.
OnceaMeeer It's a pest about the NICE link, it would not work; I don't know why. This has happened before; I'll have to keep trying.
SpecialStains Sadly, ignorance about the difference between Hyperemesis and normal MS is widesperead and some people have had colleagues who were dismissive, but explaining about how ill you are does open people's minds a bit. Try not to rush back as too much exertion makes things flare up again.

Special have you tried thicker fluids like drinking yogurt, milkshake, thick juice? I couldn't manage much liquid at all but these stayed down better.

Lucinda I meant I'd read the last few pages of the previous thread (to catch up) not entire thread I understand why you're wary of mentioning symptoms after birth, when I was in worst stages of HG I would have been v.worried at thought of symptoms lingering after birth! But equally it's good to know it can happen but usually clears up quickly.

English meds only ever took the edge of for me, but symptoms eased a bit as pregnancy progressed.

special some women find fizzy drinks are easier to keep down (no idea why!). Also, if you feel able to, try different drinks, including ones you wouldn't normally like. I tried a can of Fanta out of sheer desperation (my husband was drinking it at my in laws), fully expecting it to make me really sick, but it ended up being all I could drink for great chunks of my pregnancy. Fizzy drinks have historically always made me sick and orange based drinks the same -but in my HGstate it ended up being the one that worked. Also people find extreme temps good; very very cold, or hot drinks as hot as you can bear them (please don't burn yourself!). Alternatively, try fruit like pears, peaches, melon. Tinned peaches were what my boy was grown on, and when I started being able to eat more, I kept a melon on the fridge at all times and would have slices of it. If tap water doesn't stick, try bottled water (tesco value bottled water out of the fridge became another winner for me -tiny glasses at a time to keep it freshly cold!). If water is a problem, try freezing bottled water - or another drink that works. Probably not tea...
It's easy to worry about what people at work think, and easy for us to say try not to... but really, do try not to. As lucinda says, try to see it as an opportunity to educate them.

Waves to all

Place marking...
Feel rough still

Reebok
Sounds like you've weak pelvic floor ... had that feeling with dd and now again. .. its horrid

If you feel like it's all falling out or need to bare down .. its your pelvic floor struggling. Feet up and rest doing pf exercises. ..
Do not ignore these signs...
Prolapse is where bowel bladder womb everything can start to slip out :/ grim I know... been consultant and Dr and both say do not push on... prolapse will worsen... resting gives weak of muscles chance to re coup. ..

I'm 23 weeks plus 2 and aiming for the big 24 weeks because I too hate the feeling and worried sick about preterm labour. ..
But this feeling did subside as I got bigger and baby moved up and out in tummy ...

Hugs to a HG warriors another day done x

Yes my note says hyperemesis gravidarum (and Dr offered to sign me off for much longer), but I'm just worried that they are thinking its just a bit of morning sickness.

take the doctor's offer when you need to. HG drains you a very great deal and rest, rest, rest is one of the two things that help (other being meds). What the people at work think may be difficult, but your priority is your baby and you.

[enter Mother Hen, clucking and flapping anxiously] I hope everyone is surviving. Heavenscent said what is so unfair about this. 'I just want to enjoy this pregnancy'. It is so unfair that so many people on this thread are too ill to do more than to survive from day to day.
I remember when I gave advice on another site, there were some woman who had had numerous children without, as far as I could see, any serious complications. They considered themselves veterans, and used to be outraged that I advised sufferers of severe pregnancy sickness to try fizzy drinks, etc, insisting that a healthy diet would put things right.
I wish. We all love having to live on coke and cheap ice cream and suchlike rubbish, of course...
Anyway, sufferers here on The Thread of Doom have this comfort at least; they are like a sort of elite force of prregnancy survivors, the Marines or something. You all deserve this badge.

Due Dates
TwoDrifters 4 January (sorry to rub it in, oh dear)
Kayme 28 January
RubyReins 6 February
mrsm14 14 February
Mirabel 19 February
mygreeneyedboy 22 February
BarmeeMarmee 10 March
Bugista 26 March
Shoop 28 March
Reebok 29 April
spandau 5 May
MotherofPearl 7 May
spandau 8 May
ICan't 11 May
Madrigal 30 May
lemonslemonslemons 12 June
amysmum 9 June
Iam 22 June

Thanks for your last post, Lucinda. I would love to be eating nothing but healthy food right now. I'm normally a very active person with a healthy diet, but I am just having to eat whatever I can to stop being hungry and vomiting at the moment. It's awful when you're reading info about morning sickness that goes on about the importance of healthy eating when you just can't. If I have a brief moment of wanting any kind of food, I need to act on it as it may be my only chance to eat that day.
Thanks for thr reassurance ealisson. At the moment one of the few liquids I can drink is full fat coke. Bit worried about the caffine content in that though. Best pregnancy food so far is apples. I can normally keep them down.
So sorry to hear of everyone else struggling. I bet if men got morning sickness/hg a hell of a lot more research and funding would have gone into curing it!

special I drink far too much caffeine but it's better than being dehydrated. There is a sugar free and caffeine free variant but I didn't like the taste. Ice pops or sparkling water work for me if I'm having a bad day.
English Best thing the meds have done is knock me out so I'm not feeling nauseas, but have to time it so I don't throw them up. Hope you're feeling a bit better.

Threw up everywhere before my scan and had to clean up the toilet. Also had lots of strange looks because I was so loud that the they could hear me in the waiting room No more hot drinks for me! Good news is the baby is fine and we're having another DD. They had to tip me upside down to do the scan (awkward baby) but it did make me feel less sick.

Congratulations on your little baby girl, squeezed! Exciting stuff!

Congratulations on your girly squeezed! I read that you are slightly more likely to have a girl if you have hg, and I was wondering if that carried over into this thread - I know I'm having one, and squeezed too, but I don't know what the general split is over time. Do you know Lucinda?

Special the book "Expecting Better" by Emily Oster is quite reassuring about caffeine - it is generally an interesting read so I recommend it if you are up to reading!

Sorry you're still feeling rough spandau and that you are worrying about labour. Hope you are having a better day today.

Hope you're feeling better now English.

How are you now SockAmnesty?

Glad you seem to be coming out the other side amys - lovely news!

immortal I was twitchy on Metoclopramide too - it was after that that they switched me to Ondansetron, which has made all of the difference for me. Awful constipation though.

Hoping for news of TwoDrifters new arrival any time now! I think the wait must be so much harder when you are also battling hg.

Weezie I am overweight and they have taken the hg very seriously - I can't believe they just left you to suffer last time. I hope you get better care this time around.

Hope you're feeling better now Heaven.

Ruby I hope your little one arrives a bit early and relieves you of the misery of HG!

I'm continuing to recover from my nasty setback this week, and all I seem to want to eat is burgers. No idea why - I can't eat the components separately, but somehow when they are all together it is much more palatable. At least I'm getting some protein I suppose.

Hello to everyone else - MOP, eallison, Meer, Lucinda, Reebok and anyone else I've forgotten. Hope you are all having as good as weekend as possible!

Thanks for the book recommendation, madrigal. I'll get into Amazon!

madrigal I had a boy, and was sick pretty much throughout pregnancy (tho not as bad towards the end - I did need ondansetron pretty much every day after being prescribed it at 7 weeks). And off the top of my head, there's a pretty even split. I'm not convinced there's much in the theory to be honest!

squeezed congrats on baby girl.

The days are slowly being ticked off ladies. Well done! We're currently battling through a growth spurt (feeding all the damned time!) And a sleep regression (refusal to sleep at night). Luckily the mastitis is well on the mend. I feel sorry for my husband cos he can't catch the 10 min naps during the day that I can, but he's the only one of us with half a chance of settling baby in the night (as soon as I go near baby he smells milk nd decides he wants feeding!).

ealli well as we all know, there is a lot of bollocks written about hg so I can quite believe that the more likely to have a girl thing is just another example!

Hope miniealli gives you a bit of a break soon!