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#!scenario

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.

Thank you all so much for your help & support. Id be lost without this group.
I feel a bit more reassured now..I'm still taking my folic acid & vitamins aswell as these. After being to gp yday I was nervous about taking anymore so only took 1 yesterday...well iv suffered today so shows I do need them. Feel awful & so tired.
Thanks again everyone xxx

Welcome Summer, and sorry to hear you're suffering so badly. Vomiting 10 times a day and not being able to keep down food/drink sounds like HG to me. Your GP has done the right thing - cyclizine is a good entry level drug to try. It does take a few days to build up in your system. You may also find it makes you very drowsy, but if you stick with it that usually fades after a week or so. The bad news is that very little really seems to remove the nausea, even if you get on top of the vomiting. If cyclizine doesn't work there are lots of other drugs to try. But even Ondanestron, the strongest and best, doesn't really touch the nausea IME.
Is this your first pregnancy? Do stick around on here for lots of support and understanding: we all know how horrific it is, especially those early weeks.
1more, glad you're feeling reassured about meds, Do keep taking them as you obviously need them.
Meant to say how sweet that photo of baby is Amys! And thanks for the shout out!
Had one of my especially revolting kitchen sink voms this afternoon. Even at 32+5 and 1 X Ondanestron a day I still vomit (only about 5 times a week, but still)! Struggling with mobility too as I am small and bump is absolutely staggeringly huge. Longing for the end now.

No this will be my fourth DC. With the other 3, I had all day nausea from week 6 to week 14 but was manageable and managed to eat and drink. Think that's what has made it extra hard, I thought I'd be just the same.

It's the nausea that's so debilitating for me. When I'm actually sick at least I feel like I'm doing something.

Really not sure how I'm going to get through the next few weeks. It's my eldest DD's birthday tomorrow and I'm having to cancel her birthday trip out on Sunday. She's 12 and gutted and I feel like the worst parent in the world.

So sorry for the quietness I've had pancreatitis! I'm going to read through, catch up, then post x

Right here goes, hope I don't miss anyone!

ickle how are things now? I hope Ds had a good day and you rested up!
Reebok what a sh*t time you've been having :( how are the contractions? These babies are making their presence known to us! I hope they've given you good painkillers?
sleepy so sorry about your friend :( how's the temp now? Have you spoke to gp about it?
squeezed I really hope you are resting!! And good luck with the employers, its added stress you really don't need.
mango I hope the stemmil is continuing to work for you?
MoP how are things? I feel so guilty you & special (and others) always leave such nice messages and I take ages to reply, I'm sorry. How many weeks now?
monkey acid voms are really nasty - have you tried ranitidine or ompeazole? They should help reduce acid so worth a try. Sorry if you've mentioned it before!
Amy's that's a lush pic! I hope things are better at home? Can't have been easy for you :( I find stress makes the already awful vomiting worse too!
special how is work going? 20 week scan must be approaching soon if I remember correctly?
summer welcome! I'd say its still worth a trip to the hospital they can give iv medication and drips which will get things under control for a bit, also it's worth adding another anti sickness into the mix (omdansatron generally works the best)
1more how was work in the end today?
mrsamerican sorry to hear your having a tough time, I wish I could offer more support, I'm useless at knowing what to say to people!
Spandau I had the whooping cough vaccine as got scared reading about it on NHS website, I didn't realise the link with stillbirth? How are you doing?
lucinda sorry about your mum and last minute trip there, hope everything's ok.
eallison how's mini ealli? You've done a good job stepping up as mother hen!
How's shoop, barmee and anyone else I've missed?

Home from hospital after the pancreatitis, spent days on pethidine so very much out of it, home now with tramadol, worried about the effects these painkillers will have on baby but the pain has been unbearable :(
Meant to be going away for a few days tomorrow with mum, dad, sister, her husband and my ds to center parcs,I really don't feel up to it but Ds has never been on holiday and financially I couldn't afford one for many years. My dad has said I can just rest for the weekend whilst they do activities. Its 4 hours in the car so I'll be packing lots of sick bags (I can't travel normally never mind with hg!) And bringing my maternity notes just in case! DP looking forward to quietness at home I think (he's staying home due to work).
Hopefully I can have wifi and keep in touch but if I'm quiet you'll know why!
Sending lots of love to you all, apologies again for the silence x

Morning all sorry not to have posted. I'm home again. Cervix is still closed. They haven't mentioned irritable uterus although I brought it up...34 weeks today. Have bought baby a week further. Been told to return if contractions return/keep up fluids (yes I'm trying!), keep ketones down (again I'm trying) and rest as my toddler allows me to. Mrsamerican thank you for your advice. Is it ok to start raspberry leaf tea now? Sorry to hear you are feeling so awful. Early stages of hg are awful. Hugs.

Ickle that would be great please!

Icant lovely to hear from you. Sorry you've been suffering so badly. Always thinking of you.

Sleepy sorry to hear of your friends sad news.

Squeezed hope you are resting!

Mop how are you? Spandau we are getting closer!

Mango, mrs monkey and 1more hope today is slightly better for you both.

Welcome newbies. Stick around for wonderful support.

Waves to ealli...hope Lucinda is ok.

Sorry to anymore missed. Finding it hard to keep up and remember all posts!

Ps amys beautiful scan! Congrats Hun x

icant please only go if the rest of your family will have ds and you can stay in bed/chalet the whole time. So sorry to hear you've been so unwell

reebok have messaged you dh is over the moon for red leaf tea supply to be diminishing! If anyone else would like a box do say!

I'm sorry can't remember anyone else updates. My dad has been amazing and so grateful he's here as I've been so sick yesterday and this morning. Ds was in a foul mood this morning refusing to do anything so I put him back to bed and he slept straight away. I'm now back in bed and trying to work out what to do about work. Obviously it's made sickness worse but I really enjoyed being back and it's only a few more days until easter... if this sickness could just stop then that would be perfect!

That's good news that you are home reebok

ican't I hope you are OK, pancreatisits on top of HG sounds truly truly awful.

hi summer if they are offering you fluids I'd go for it. It might help you get on top of the nausea and then allow the meds to work. I know what you mean about the nausea, it is relentless. I am now taking one day at a time, and planning nothing. Just got to get through the Easter plans that were made pre- BFP. Only my parents so we might just have to tell them!

I just want to have a general moan this morning. I spoke to the GP who said they won't see me or change the meds as I don't have any ketones any more, and I am only bring up sick 3/4 times a day. (I know it could be worse, and is for a lot of people so I'm sorry) I just feel hideous.

reebok some people drink raspberry leaf tea the whole time, and you don't have any problems with cervix opening, so I say start drinking it. It certainly won't harm you and might help the contractions calm down or at least make labor shorter when it comes. It does take time to build up in the body, so it won't have an effect right away. Good luck, sweetheart! I'm thinking of you.

Thanks Ickle. Have messaged you.
I know you're saying it's only a few days but that alone can be exhausting and cause a relapse. Please get signed off if you need to. How many weeks are you again?

mango you poor thing. Being sick 3/4 times a day is still awful. And the nausea alone is so debilitating. What Meds are you on? Could you see another doctor? My gp doesn't dare say no to me anymore as I have had hg more times than I would like and know my stuff (1 living child, 2 mcs, 4th hg pregnancy).

Thanks for the advice mrsamericAn. Will start on it straight away.

Been in tears all day as so much to do and as usual my useless oh won't do anything. He's convinced that there's plenty of time but I have a whole list to get through and I'm so afraid the baby will be here soon. So I'm having to do it all alone.

My doc won't give me omeprazole :(
I'm. Up all night with burning acid in my throat.
Reebok I'm sure you ll be fine. I had this all with previous preg and tgis one. The spd makes it worse. The lack of fluids make it worse the lack of iRon. . But she didn't wanna come out needed to be blasted out at 40 plus 4
I keep fretting this one ll be early but as it's following same pattern probably not!
Won't be having the whooping cough vaccine didn't with my others and as ds 14 had a seizure after his booster last week due to new manufacturer I recon (he was fine with all otgers) I'm not happy the vaccine actually helps protect the baby..
Al in all its a mine field ...
Can't eat much cos of this reflux feel so dam sick
Hate food my smell aversion is returning and I'm so miserable I can't wait for may if I could sleep til then that'd be fab !!!!!!

Hello all.

Hi summer. Sorry you had to find us, but it def sounds a bit like hg. How's the cyclizine working out?

Spandau sorry your doctor won't give you anything for the reflux. Can you try a different doctor?

icant you are due for some sort of award for putting up with the most shit in pregnancy ever! You are an absolute trooper. Sorry you're not feeling too good. Could your family take DS without you, so you don't have to travel and you can have a few days break? I can understand not wanting to miss seeing him on holiday though. Really kind of you to remember I'm coming up to my 20week scan! I've got it on the last day of March, and as its the day before my birthday we've decided to find out if its a boy/girl/llama as a birthday treat! Dh also can't take name picking seriously until we know.

Rebook sorry you're having an emotional time at the moment. Glad the contractions have stopped. Do you want me to come round and give your oh a kick up the arse to sort things out?!

ickle you're just a few weeks behind me, right? I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a bit of an improvement in the next couple of weeks for you. It's easier nearing 20weeks than it was before.

mango vomiting 3/4 times a day is still pretty miserable. And you live in fear of next vomiting. You have my sympathies. Keep pestering your gp.

MoP sorry about the kitchen voms. What is it about kitchens that sets hg off badly. I still struggle with opening the fridge without retching.

1more well done on your vitamins. Are you on a higher dose folic acid (prescribed by gp?) Up to about 14 weeks. It is advised that hg women should take a higher dose. That said, I am a bad person and often skip the vitamins as they make me feel sick.

Lucinda hope all is well.

Waves to everyone else.

I'm doing well, fairly vomit free, just retching. However, I have a wonderful combination of constipation and diarrhoea which has me in agony. :-/ pregnancy is such a lovely time.

welcome summer. Sorry that you're suffering. The emotional side of how debilitating HG is, can be so difficult. I completely understand how you are feeling bad for not being able to do things with dcs, but you're still a great mum, just remember that.
Icant Even more going on for you. You really are dealing with a lot. I really hope things improve for you.
mango I don't think there is an "only" about being sick 4 times a day. We told more people than we planned to early on because it was really obvious. It did mean we got more support that was desperately needed.
reebok Glad you're home. Resting with a toddler is tricky. Every day you're baby is getting stronger. I've also started worrying that the baby will get here sooner than planned and we're not ready. I did a big shop for essentials on the Internet because I can't get to the shops. DH hasn't got a clue what we need so I've got to do it.
Ickle Hope you are getting to rest. Do please take it easy. Could they adapt work to make it a bit more manageable for you?
spandau the reflux sounds awful. Vicious circle of getting more tired and making you feel unwell.
special constipation and diarrhoea is quite an achievement!
Waves to everyone else, I've lost track a bit with a mushy brain.

No vomiting yesterday and I got complacent. Feel awful today after risking mayonnaise in a sandwich, what was I thinking. Spd kept me awake and the pain is making me feel more sick.
I've been trying to sort work issues out but manager is being difficult to get hold of. I just don't have the energy to fight it at the moment with all the health issues.
Dd is trying to feed me cheese because she says it will make me feel better. I'm questioning her medical training.

Squeezed your DD sounds very cute! Cheese is usually a very special foodstuff, though not if you're likely for it to make a return journey.

Hi all, hugs to newbies and long-suffering mamas
Summer I'm only sick 3-4 times with a load of drugs and it's still awful. Being sick 1 time is bad. Maybe ask for a referral to early pregnancy unit if you have one?

Finally had my booking in appointment and hallelujah someone actually listened. The midwife was actually so nice to me that I cried and gave me some sympathy which frankly has been lacking from the rest of the healthcare professionals I have encountered. She made sure that the window was open and took me to a room where I could lie down where we did all the paperwork. She had HG with twins, so it was just nice to be heard for once.

Bad news is that the high BP that came on late in pregnancy last time has started very early with this one. I really wanted to have one of those nice water births in the gorgeous new midwife unit here, but it's central delivery suite and consultant-led all the way now. Glad I'm not one of those mums who is too particular about the birth plan! I need to be monitored twice a week from now on, but at least this time I'm prepared for the fact that I'm probably going to spend a bit of time in hospital. Don't know what I'm going to do with DD though!

mrsamerican Really good that the Midwife was understanding. You've got to love the crying at kind people. It goes to show how hit and miss it can be though. Sorry to read about your blood pressure but the monitoring will mean that you get the right support. I haven't even thought about birth plan this time. Prior to scare last weekend it just been fantasies about being able to walk and eat again.

mrsamerica glad you've got a nice midwife, but sorry you've had to go under consultant care.

squeezed Are you doing OK after your scare last week? I fantasise about eating and drinking post pregnancy an unhealthy amount. I still haven't gained any weight yet (do have a little bump though), so I may be the first person to gain baby weight post pregnancy through sheer greed and gluttony. Dh is on instructions I want a special is no longer pregnant BBQ and party at the end of August, with a wide range of foods and lots of booze (after 9 months of abstinance I'm sure I'll fall asleep after one g&t). Possibly also with banners and streamers. I can't wait for food to taste normal again!

Hello! This seems like a great thread. Checking in at 5w6d. In my last pregnancy, which was in the US I had HG from 6 weeks until it started easing about 19 weeks. Nausea did go away for me too around 26-28 weeks. This time it's not HG yet but nausea has been building since 5w and today I threw up for the first time. It was 3 years before I felt ready to contemplate another pregnancy, but I'm here now and expecting it to be hard. I have a more responsible job now and a 3.5yo. I am trying to get a lot of rest and have a prescription for cyclazine. I didn't take anything last time. Is there anything I can do to prevent it getting as bad? I tried all the old wives morning sickness remedies last time and nothing seemed to help really, apart from ice.

Spandau, sorry about your reflux. I had that in my last pregnancy too and it was so painful. I think the sphincter keeping contents of stomach in was just totally open! I started sleeping propped up at 45deg and sure enough after a few days the pain went. Not much fun sleeping upright but made such a huge difference to the heartburn!

Hi Rocket and welcome, though sorry you need to be here. You're another brave one doing this a second time! This is my first, and baby's must be cute because I can't imagine willingly doing this again.

Cyclizine is a really good drug and very safe. The really works well for some people, less so for others. I found it made me very sleepy. Sadly (and I guess you know this from last time) there is nothing you can do to prevent it. Try to eat and drink plenty of healthy food now, take your multivitamins, wear your seabands and eat ginger (if you're that way inclined, I personally have very strong views on the use of Ginger for nausea. The 10th circle of dantes hell is reserved for those that suggest Ginger to women with HG) and get plenty of rest. Hopefully with early meds you'll be able to control the worst of the symptoms, but don't be afraid to go back to your gp to try other anti-emetics. For me, ondansetron has helped the most.

I like ice too! There's lots of recommendations for tinned fruits on here as well. At my worst coco-pops and coca-cola was all I could manage, but thankfully I'm doing much better now. Occasionally I even eat a vegetable!

Just go easy on yourself, and don't push it. I know it's hard with a career, and although I only have a cat, I am full of admiration of those of you who already have DC to care for. I struggled to make myself eat, shower and change pajamas some days, let alone care for a small person!

Anyway, here's hoping for an easy time for you this pregnancy. people on this thread have been absolutely lovely, and they all really helped me with the loneliness of the worst weeks.

You do however need to tell me how wonderful food was after you gave birth last time! It's the only thing that keeps me going!

Evening everyone. Welcome rocket, it's good that you have a script for cyclizine. This is my second pregnancy and unfortunately is worse this time than last (I stupidly thought I might avoid it this time) and it is really hard with a toddler to look after. Thankfully DH has been amazing. I'm managing a few more mummy hugs recently which I think DS appreciates. I hope the cyclizine works well and that it keeps the HG under control from an early stage. I think my problem was I became too sick to keep medication down and so dehydrated I was feeling worse.

icant you truly deserve a medal (or a gorgeous, sleeps well, eats well baby and an easy labour). I hope you are starting to feel a bit better and resting lots at home.

reebok you also deserve the same as icant, you've been through a tough time too. Hope the contractions have eased.

squeezed hope the sandwich stayed down. I did something earlier with a bacon sandwich. Your DD sounds very sweet.

mrsamerican sorry to hear about the BP - could that be making you feel even worse? Are they giving you any medication to help?

Hi to everyone else, sounds like lots of vomit, heartburn and nausea for quite a few. I hope you've all managed a restful day today.

I had a docs appointment yesterday re: temp. No uti and chest clear so likely just a cold virus picked up from DS who is constantly snotty from nursery. Also discussed return to work plan. Amended hours, working from home initially in the hope that in 4 weeks I might be back at work properly. Although I know I couldn't cope being back at work now I also stress about work piling up. This way I can stay in pjs if necessary with a sick bowl by my side. Went into work yesterday afternoon to speak to HR/line manager and they seem OK with the plan which is good. Think it surprised people how rough I looked and how much weight I'd lost.

Managed a walk with DH & DS this afternoon but totally worn out and felt shocking for a while. Lots of deep breathing going on. It's great that DS wants to walk everywhere now but it took forever at his pace. Thankfully he ended up in his pushchair on the way back!

SpecialStains thank you for the lovely message! How far through are you? Is there a chance it could still clear up before the end of your pregnancy? I started enjoying food again from about 24 weeks, although I still had some food aversions, mostly to vegetables and fruit, including some of my favourite foods. But yes, if not before, food certainly is delicious again after the baby is out!

special even though this is my second I think I have forgotten that feeling of how good food tastes post birth, probably because I blanked out most of my pregnancy including the sickness - which is why I have braved a second. I cannot wait to enjoy food, want food and not feel sick!

Hey Rocket I'm 18+3. It's so much better than it was. I had two months signed off work sick and a hospital admission for dehydration, but I think I am coming out the other side. I'm not vomiting very much any more (once a week maybe), and I am functioning enough to go to work and Uni. Dh has had to take on my usual share of housework though, as I still retching a lot and have so many aversions to food, and by the time I've managed a day at work I'm exhausted. Realistically, I think it will get a little better still, but I expect the nausea to continue to the end.

Glad to hear from you and sleepy that food will taste normal again! I've never been a fussy eater and I like food, so the strong dislike of the thought, sight and smell of food came as a bit of a shock!

Also, well done on your walk out sleepy! I bet that helped lift your mood a little. How lovely your DS is wanting to walk on his own now. I love watching toddlers walk, they always seem so unstable yet determined!

On that note, I'll stop talking about food, as I know the mere thought can set hg suffers off!

Hope you all have a nice Sunday. :-)

special Still having some tightenings but not like before. General health is pretty poor but as long as baby stays put I'll just have to put up with it. I've manged to gain weight but it's only because I'm so immobile and I've also had a lot of co-co pops and coke too. The lack of muscle tone is quite disturbing now.
Welcome rocket. It's really good that you've got medication and are resting. My first pregnancy was a breeze compared to this one. Hats off to anyone having a second or more HG pregnancy.
sleepy Sounds like your employers are listening to what you need. I know what you mean about worrying about work piling up. I'm struggling with being signed off and wish I was still at work.