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.

Morning ladies just checking in, I'm afraid whilst I've read everyone's posts I'm never going to remember them to be able to reply to everyone so not going to try!

mango it sounds like we are in a similar place sickness 3/4 times a day and gp decided as not dehydrated they will leave me to it!

squeezed Yes am nearly 17 weeks so got 20 week scan in a couple of weeks. Sadly don't think sickness is going to go just finding ways of coping at the moment!

I spent yesterday at a spa with friends which was lovely (until about an hour after lunch!) But anyway my favourite place might have been the slumber lounge! If only work had one of those!

For those thinking about going back to work I did find it enormously beneficial for feeling of well-being at being me again however even doing half days 3 days a week was tough. Having help with ds was essential after so very grateful to my dad!

Welcome rocket and any other newbies I've missed. Sorry you have to join us but you will get through the worst times with amazing support here!

Hope icant 's baby is staying put and everyone else is surviving!

today was worse. threw up 4 times before 9 am and I couldn't stomach anything. I decided to get the cyclazine I have a prescription for. Although it didnt get rid of the nausea I felt a bit better after taking one and an hour later I got hungry and ate a sandwich! I feel hopeful that taking meds this time I might be able to keep it under control. Last time I was cautious and by the time I sought medical intervention for dehydration and they wanted to put me on zofran (ondansterone here) i was only a 3 weeks away from what I thought was the magic 12 weeks. Of course at 12 weeks there was no improvement but I always thought an improvement might be around the corner so I never took anything. Now, though I am worried about risk to the baby (now only the size of a lentil!) I know the risk is very low (or perhaps non existent) and has to be balanced with the risk from dehydration and also my own lofe and health over the next 5 months. That said, my DH is quite against medicine and although I don't think he would try to stop me taiking them, he is not enthusiastic. I do feel bad about doing something thag he feels could have an effect on our baby.

Special, I think there's still hope that you could be nausea free before the end of your pregnany- it does often happen (in my experiennce and for the few others I have known in RL with this).

Hi again all, have had a few ok ish weeks but it's back with a vengeance. Another lovely hospital admission/drips/parbinex etc. Have got buccostem tabs in at the moment but finding they are making my mouth so dry which is not helping at all. Anyone else experience that?

ickle sorry the sickness hasn't gone yet, but glad you're back at work on reduced hours. Your spa day sounded lovely, and it's great your dad has been helping out. I second hoping icant had a lovely weekend and that her baby is still put!

Hey Rocket, sorry you had a bad morning but glad the cyclizine works. Well done on the sandwich. I appreciate the effort it takes to eat when you're feeling unwell.

I know it's scary taking meds in pregnancy, I'd be lying if I'm said I'm not keeping my fingers crossed extra tight that everything will be OK on my anomaly scan because there is that niggle at the back of my brain about the amount of different meds I've taken. I would have loved to be a lentil weaving, earth mother throughout this pregnancy, but sadly it didn't work out that way.

If cyclizine works for you then that's fab, as it is very safe and has been used for years for women in pregnancy.

How's everyone else doing?

Dh and I lost too many hours of our lives today disagreeing in IKEA. We were both so grateful to reach the exit and see sunlight again.

Hi all. I'm terribly sorry I've been am absent and neglectful deputy mother hen! Things have moved on fast! In haste..

Welcome to newbies. Congratulations and commiserations. Stick around for support, understanding and what advice we can offer. The lady on cyclizine who was offered ondansetron last time...Please don't worry too much about impact of meds on baby. Firstly, a severely dehydrated and starved mummy is definitely a bad thing for baby. Secondly, meds are much more regulated now due to the thalidomide disaster. Cyclizine in particular is considered very safe. I was on ondansetron from 8 weeks pregnant til I gave birth pretty much (differing dosages, but at its worse I was on 8mg 3 times a day) and my beautiful bouncing boy was completely healthy. A lot of women on this board over the time I've been involved (Feb last year) and before my arrival have had ondansetron and many other meds and haven't had adverse affects for baby. There is one med (metochlosomething) that very rarely has an side effects for mum that can be bad but baby is fine.

reebok good to hear you're home and baby has decided to cook a little longer. Sending positive, peaceful, unsick thoughts your way.

spandau it sounds like you're struggling at the moment. Keep on going, you're doing so well despite all of it.

icant you poor poor thing. Here's hoping nothing else goes wrong for you.

Almost every woman has some improvement in sickness and nausea during their pregnancy, with a lot feeling much, much better.

A I can eat again BBQ sounds amazing.

Those I've missed I apologise. I will get back into regular updates and keeping in touch over the next few days.

Peaceful night to all

Evening all! I'm sorry, I've been reading the posts but been too exhausted to reply so I darent attempt any personal messages this time as I'm bound to get everyone mixed up!
Welcome to newbies and sorry you're here, apols for lack of personal welcome. Please take the drugs, I totally get the fear about harm to baby but as others have advised, whilst it's natural to worry, the drugs are safe and dehydration is more dangerous for baby.
Waves to everyone else, sounds like lots of rough times out there, sending virtual hugs / nudges to unhelpful OHs / positive anti sickness vibes.
Am at 22wk now and feeling a little irked that with Ondansetron and ranitidine I'm still doing horrible acid voms. The only thing that works is seriously limiting the volume of food and drink I take on.
Yesterday I had a craving for sushi, my fave food, DH went out to local restaurant to pick some up (and cos I like to play safe, it was just veggie sushi). Had a few maki rolls and omg they tasted amazing. I know I know what was I thinking? Hung on to them for an hour before expensive vomiting. At least it's dealt with the craving for now...

I can't rem who said about putting weight on after baby, but oh my goodness that was me! I refer to 'baby weight' but really, I lost most of that a few weeks after DD was born, the podge that stuck around was 'post-baby cake weight'! At least thanks to HG that's been eliminated by this pregnancy (every cloud and all that), will try not to do the same after this baby arrives! However after 8 months of not being able to eat normally it is VERY tempting to eat everything (plus I was lulled into false sense of security that I just wouldn't put on weight). I do remember the first few meals post birth. I was (thankfully) fine as soon as she was out and was eating 3 course dinners whilst still in hospital. My NCT girls remember me telling them about various things I was going to eat after baby arrived.

It takes courage to be pregnant again after a terrible pregnancy, if it helps anyone I was fairly easily able to get over it once DD arrived (I know that won't be the case for everyone, and I'm not meaning to minimise the emotional trauma and its potential after effects). For me it was similar to people's stories of horrendous births, where they were able to forget and have another baby - I've been able to blank it out a bit. Having said that I'm already thinking this will be our last baby and already thinking about contraception (both times we have very luckily got pregnant immediately).

Ooh, and I met a girl at antenatal Pilates who had HG in her last preg but not at all this one - so it can happen!

I'm sure our lovely babies will make up for the horrible times. I fear I'm waffling now, so will bid you all a peaceful nights sleep. Much love x

Hello, everyone! Mother Hen comes clucking back. eallison has been doing a wonderful job. My mother being old and housebound (I'm no spring chicken and I'm from her second marriage) doesn't let people on her pc, so I couldn' t check on people as I have never got my phone connected to the Internet. Thanks for all enquiries. She is so-so, sadly not likely to get much better.
Welcome to Summer and Silk and all new people. Poppie Welcome back. I can't improve on the advice you have had. I am so sorry to hear that squeezed and Reebok are being monitored for risk of early labour. It's too bad after all you have been through. You deserve a break. Great advice from mrsamerican on this. Lol about Special's theat to Reebok's OH. 1moretime mango gave you great advice in that link, I'm sure you found it reassuring. No doctor would prescribe any meds that were not very safe for babies; being dehydrated is much more risky, which happens quickly with neglected Hyperemesis. amysmummy Lovely photo. It's great to see that after the1 in 5 worry. Glad OH has seen sense. Ican't Poor you with pancreatis. I hope your trip turns out relaxing. Very brave of you to go on it at all.
1More and others, I so agree with the connection between sickness and acidity. I'm another whose pregnancy sickness turned into acid vomiting. Sadly Gaviscon didn't do much for me, but it does help others a lot.
MotherofPearl Great advice as ever. Sorry to hear that the sink acid vomits continue,and Mrsmonkey Sorry too, to hear of Pilates class embarrassment. I always envied people who can be sick silently.
Waves to icklekid SleepymrsE and everyone. You are all doing a great job at keeping on day by day and helping each other. Back soon.

Glad to have you back lucinda 😊
I've developed the most awful lurgy over the course of the last week. Started with a sniffle, developed into this vile green mucus, now I have a streaming nose and an awful cough (which causes me to wee..... A lot) what cold remedies are safe? Anyone found anything good? We're off to a wedding and holiday the weekend and could do with shifting this

Waves to everyone through a snotty haze

Glad to have you back lucinda, sorry to hear about your mum, very sad to see parents getting older. I hope you enjoyed the week with her.
amys that sucks. I've had 3 colds so far this preg (think it's the reduced immune system), there's not much decent you can take, I found a nasal spray called Sterimar helped clear nose and generally helped (there's two and only one can be used in preg but pharmacist should be able to help), other than that, paracetamol (take max dose to help you through), homemade lemon and honey hot drinks and basic throat sweets (not strepsils, not allowed!), I like the glycerin ones. You could try spoonful of manuka honey if palatable. I also used a Vicks inhaler (the one that looks like lipbalm size) and breathed olbas oil on a tissue. Allegedly even bloomin olbas oil isn't for preggos but frankly I couldn't see the harm. Hope it shifts soon, colds are miserable when you can't dose up. I think (hope I've remembered right) you're being less sick now, hope so as coughing makes you vom more...
Hugs to everyone x

You're right Mrs monkey, nausea has all but vanished, sent dh an SOS for tissues etc.... Thanks for the advice, I didn't know about Strepsils!

amysmummy and mrsmonkey Thanks for welcome back! I don't think I can better that advice about colds; my Osteopath used to swear by some stuff called Enichea or some such thing, but I never found it that great and as you say, probably barred for pregnant women. There's a foul 'Three Week Cold' that's been going round. I hope you haven't got that.

I fear that's what I've got Lucinda... Either that or bubonic plague

rocket please take cyclazine - I don't think your dh can really have a say over something so debilitating as having hg. Honestly if I remember back to when I was being sick 10+ times again life was horrendous and I was signed off work for a long time. If dh had suggested I not take something that would potentially control it I would have felt very unsupported at a very difficult time.

Welcome poppy hope you are now hydrated and feeling slightly more human. It is so hard being in and out of hospital but we all understand that!

special I was hoping to drag dh to ikea on sun however ds was refusing to nap and being a pain so we didn't make it through the door. Probably best for our marriage /sanity!

eallison you have nothing to apologise for you have been fab! Now if you can just arrange that bbq I will be there! We were doing food shop and dh suggested we do a roast chicken for easter Sunday then laughed when he realised what he had said! I told him to go for it but I think he decided the effort wasn't worth it!

mrsmonkey I'm glad it's not just me who gives in to food cravings and then always pays for it with horrific sickness. I just can't help myself despite it never being worth it!

lucinda welcome back, I'm sure being with your mum has had its challenges but you will have been helpful and she will have loved spending time with you.

amysmummy plague isn't catching through mn right? 😉 hope you feel better soon. I've got a permanent runny nose as has ds but better than sinuses being blocked. Sorry if tmi but I've also got horrendous thrush. Never had it before so went to gp as in so much pain and she kept saying how sore it looks which wasn't helpful! Anyway hoping treatment starts working soon!

Waves at everyone I've forgotten! Should really try and get some more sleep as work is exhausting at the moment but struggling. Bring on 4 day weekend!

ickle ah, thrush. One of the joys of pregnancy. Fingers crossed the treatment takes affect soon!

Morning everybody, mind if I join?
I've been off work for 2 weeks, went back yesterday but spent the whole day throwing up in the loos. This morning I feel awful but I feel guilty about having more time off, I just don't know what to do. Makes it worse that my manager didn't have any sickness at all in both her pregnancies so I feel she thinks I'm putting it on.

Welcome jessica, sounds rough. Have you gone into work again? I would speak to GP and see if you can be signed off again if you were throwing up all day. I sympathise with the manager situation, I have experienced similar but have had more understanding from work once I had sick notes. How many weeks are you, and have you been given any medication?
ickle sorry to hear about the thrush, just what you need!! If it's really sore you can try putting natural yogurt on to soothe (bit icky but anything's worth a go if you're uncomfortable right?!)
Having felt more positive yesterday I went into a complete downer last night. For some reason nausea has taken a turn for worse (why? Why? WHY? Is there some kind of hormone surge at 22 weeks?!) and I can barely manage much food. I'm struggling to have water (know it sounds daft but it feels too 'thin' and starts rising back up) so attempting sips of Ribena, milk and yogurt drink. I've checked with consultant and he's said I can increase the ranitidine to twice a day to see if that helps with the acid. Final whinge - spent an hour trying to get through to GP to ask for telephone consult. Got through, no apts left, asked to go on telephone list for tmw. Not possible (although that's what they did two weeks ago). So basically just have to try again tmw and have no doctors note right now... They say they can backdate up to a week. Not sure what happens if I still don't get an apt in the next few days. I feel very exposed without the piece of paper authorising me to not go to work. Ok self pity over, thinking of you all. X

Jessica Welcome. So sorry you are suffering so badly, and without any sympathy from the managers. You certainly don't sound well enough to be working at all. It is very difficult to work with this. As you were off work for two weeks, what meds did the doctor prescribe because - sorry if I sound bossy - you need effective meds and whatever he gave you sounds ineffective? At this rate you will be dehydrated; can you get some kesostix form a chemists to check your urine? Unfortunately, you need to go back to the doctors too, to see about another sick note, as most people are bed ridden during the first awful stage of Hyperemesis (it does get better in the second tri, even for those who are unlucky enough to suffer throughout). It is very hard even for people who suffered from normal ms to understand how debilitating it is. The links I have posted on my first post do have some information on how to try and deal with unsympathetic employers. It is very hard to deal with them and to demand meds from doctors when feeling so bad.
mrsmonkey That is a disappointment. I expect it is a hormonal surge, they seem to come in waves, so don't be too disappointed. Have you been overdoing it a bit as most women push themselves too hard once they start to feel a bit better?
amysmummy Much sympathy. It is a foul cold!
I hope Reebok squeezedIcan't and everyone is, if not OK, anyway, not feeling as bad as they were? [leaves, clucking anxiously).

I meant to say, welcome to Rocket too. I so agree with others, do take the meds, it's the only thing to do not to become horrifically dehydrated, and cyclizne has been proven safe in pregnancy for decades. They wouldn't recommend anything that wasn't, the guidelines are now so strict.
icklekid Thanks for kind words. The slumber room sounds a better place than IKEA for your needs atm...I know what you mean about cravings and paying for them. One can have such a dismal bland diet with the acidity, even when one actually is eating again...Great advice from you as ever.
Poppie Sorry you have been in hospital and I hope things are a lot better from now on.
mrsmonkey Jessica and amysmummy and everyone, as below....

Hi Monkey, no I haven't gone to work today I went back to see my GP. He's signed me off again and said he'd rather do so than give me any medication so I guess I just have to plod along and hope it doesn't last too long. I'm 8 weeks today and my mum has helpfully told me her sickness was all day up until 16 weeks, thanks mum

I hope you're not feeling too bad and get to speak to a doctor soon!

Hi all, can I check back in again? Briefly checked in on the last thread when I got my BFP. Had sickness from 6-20 weeks with DD, nowhere near as bad as many others get it but was still sick several times a day on Stemetil for those four months.

I went and got a Stemetil prescription the other week and have been taking 1 a day and it was going ok but this weekend, just coming up on 8w, we all caught norovirus and that seems to have kicked the morning sickness into gear I didn't keep much food down yesterday, though I am peeing so that's all good. I can start taking up to 3 tablets I know, but I took one this morning and I already want to be sick I'm tired, I'm so tearful (I just can't imagine doing this again for another few months), I have SO much saliva in my mouth and an acid stomach and the worst thing is I just feel ridiculously dizzy. Oh, and constipated, which so far a day of lactulose hasn't shifted yet.

Sorry, feeling very sorry for myself. Especially as I know I already have meds and it's got to get a lot worse before there's anything else anyone can do. I've been off yesterday and today to recover from the noro but I'm supposed to be back at work tomorrow. The job isn't too bad (desk job) but the commute is over an hour each way and I generally have the 4yo to get to nursery at least one side of it. I can't picture doing it tomorrow. I just want to curl up in bed (8w exhaustion too) but actually napping in the daytime makes me sicker when I wake up...

Morning all, welcome Jessica. Sounds like you're really suffering. It's so frustrating when GPs won't prescribe anything. Can you have a consultation with a different GP? It took a while to get my combination of medication right but the doctors could see how the HG was affecting me and making me dehydrated. The links lucinda posted at the beginning of the thread are great and worthwhile reading before chasing your doctor. Try not to worry about work. I was really worried to start with but when I was at my very worst unable to move my head without being sick I realised there was no way I could be in work. Even now I'm not as bad, I'm still working from home on reduced hours.

Glad to have you back lucinda, sorry to hear your mum isn't doing great.

Hello to everyone else who is suffering really badly at the moment. I'm feeling a bit worse today after doing some work from home yesterday and this morning. Feel shattered which I think is making the nausea worse. Also, after complaining of constipation, I now have hemorrhoids which I guess is another joy of pregnancy.

Hi too thurlow, just missed your post. You sound like you're really suffering too. Can you go back to your GP to ask for different medication or combination of medication. I tried all of them before settling on a combination of cyclizine and ondansatron. The medication I used in my first pregnancy didn't even touch the sides even though it helped so much with DC1. I'm only 11weeks and been on medication since 5 weeks.

Thurlow I was dizzy when taking stemetil, but was also the combination of being sick and not getting the nutrients I needed. I also found the commute really difficult ontop of the working day. If you are feeling dizzy just stay at home, it's much safer.
sleepy Make sure you rest up and don't overdo it.
Jessica I'm sorry that your doctor isn't more helpful with the medication. I don't think people realise just how different HG is to morning sickness.
mrsmonkey Unfortunately I still get what seem to be hormone surges when the nausea and sickness is worse. It does also happen when I've overdone it.

Sickness has calmed down but nausea has kicked up. Also feeling very tired. Spoke with my manager yesterday who asked if I could work out of a closer office because they have someone else off. Clearly ongoing sickness, being unable to walk and risk of labour isn't something to be worried about.

Hi everyone. I just want to let you know my baby boy was born on Saturday at 37+6 weeks weighing 6lb 12.5. My hyperemesis has gone nearly completely so there is light at the end of the tunnel for anyone still suffering late in pregnancy. Thank you so much for all the help during my toughest weeks.

Congratulations heaven, absolutely wonderful news.