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:
links.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.

Hello, so glad to see I'm not alone. Have HG and SPD. Starting to feel like I just cannot cope with another day of this. I go in hospital a lot for drips/meds, now week 33 and bedridden a lot.

I can't eat and when I do I can't keep it down. Don't see how I can have the strength for labour after 28 weeks of this and starting to want a section, is that ridiculous?

Hi Music, welcome. Sorry that you're having such a horrible time. I completely understand how you must be feeling. I'm just trying to deal with each day as it comes and remember that it's another day of pregnancy (and sickness) out of the way! I'm nowhere near as severe as you though- I'm 12 + 4 and have had 1 hospital admission so far. i hope you've got lots of support IRL.

Are you getting help for your SPD? I don't think wanting a section is ridiculous at all. I'm sure that someone more knowledgeable about it will be along shortly. I'm only 12+4 with DC1 so haven't given the birth much thought yet!

MusicisMedicine Welcome. That sounds awful, that you are so far along and still suffering so badly. I really feel for you. What meds do they have you on?
Great advice everyone, about a staggered return to work for Rae. I think everyone knows what Mother Hen will say, particularly Icklekid. 'Don't rush back. You and the baby must come first; You are more debilitated than you think; Overdoing it will make you worse' etc etc.

mrsmonkey So glad flight wasn't too bad.

Hi Rae, yes I thought it would go away at 12 weeks, then 20 weeks, then 30 weeks, but no, completely depleted.

Lucinda, it is and thanks for the kind words. Have had all the meds. Now on Ondansetron, Promethazine, Steroids, Codeine, Omeprazole, Thiamine, Strong B Vitamins, Fortisips high calorie drinks.

Frantic about all these meds. My lowest point was whilst in hosp my mother who didn't visit, telling me I should be up and about and not lying down and I should not be taking tablets and should put baby first - after I hadn't been able to keep down a meal or drink for over ten days and went into massive ketosis!

Yes thank you again everyone for the advice. I'm going to try Wednesday and see how I go- and Lucinda I promise that I will absoloutely come home if it's too much. I think part of the reason I ended up in hospital was because that week I had to cover my boss's workload unexpectedly, had a big meeting to prep for and deliver, had 3 trainees who were constantly asking me questions, also had to check their work, and had a written report to produce on a tight deadline. I was dashing off to be sick every 10 minutes and didn't eat all week. My problem is that I will think nothing of a 60-70 hour week to get something done on time and to a good standard, and then exercise on top of that. I'm going to have to reign that part of my personality in for the foreseeable future.

Music I'm so sorry it sounds horrendous. I'm trying not to hope that mine goes too much in case I'm disappointed. It's so horrible when you don't know when you'll feel well again (apart from the definite 'when baby arrives').

Just saw your last post Music. I hope you have some support from people who do understand how unwell you are it's a shame she didn't visit, she'd not be able to deny how ill you are if a consultant was telling her surely?!

Rae, it is so important to rest and pace yourself, I can't work now. If your HG gets worse as your preg progresses, it can just weaken you to total standstill. Please take care of yourself.

My mother was made well aware of how severe it is. I am her daughter. She should not need to hear it chapter and verse from a Doctor. Sadly I've come to expect no better from her. That's just the tip of the iceberg!

So sad about your Mum- I really hope that you have someone who can give you the support you deserve

I will be careful next week definitely. Fortunately I do work with someone who has become a close friend- I suspect she'll be kicking me out of the door if she can see me struggling.

music you are on the best meds possible.

In truth, the experienced doctors - and with those meds, your doctors are good - weigh up the risks very, very carefully.

Im -not- a pharmacist but have some training, many years ago, but do know something about their approach (had contact with a couple of professors when trying to find help for someone).

They weigh up the risks of the meds with the risks of dehydration and (extreme) lack of food. Most of the meds you are on are considered very safe.

The only exception is the steroids. There is a small - and it is small - risk associated with them so they are only given when the risks of not giving them are higher.

The doctors are doing well by you here, from what you say. Please do trust them and if you can, let your mind be at rest.

Secondly, an elective C section sounds very sensible in your shoes. Definitely ask the doctor / consultant you are under.

Thirdly. About your mother.

This is often a very difficult topic when close family don't understand. But to be blunt, your mother is not supporting you here and is actually wrong. Everyone wants a loving mum during this level of sickness, but very sadly that isn't always possible.

Can you look to someone else for emotional support? HG is so very, very isolating because no one understands it except the unlucky sods who have it and the relatively few experienced medicos. (fortunately there are more of them around now).

Do you have a supportive partner who can help? Or siblings / close friends? Ask them (and your mum, if she is is going to be willing to support you?) to take a look at these forums which are all about peoples' experience of HG. It can help your support network a lot to read these forums, it gives them more of an understanding

(breaking this up into separate posts as it might be easier to read)

rae glad to hear there is a possiblity of a staggered return. Is it possible to actually formally work it out with your boss and HR? Making it more formal can sometimes emphasise just how serious an illness it is.

Rae Goodness, that sounds horrendous! Mother Hen says cluck, cluck, put aside such schedules for the foreseeable future! Most people would find that exhausting in full health!

MusicisMedicine I can't better SeaEagleFeather 's advice, she is far more up on meds than I am; so many people on here have been on a cocktail of medicines, and anxious about it too, but the babies are fine. I am very sorry about your mother being so lacking in empathy. A lot of mother's don't really understand, but this sounds much worse than that. I knew another woman on another thread whose mother was bi polar and shouted at her for being sick in her house. I hope as others say, you have got emotional and practical support from other people.

SeaEagle that a formal plan will happen. They've decided on a mid-week return because they want me to meet with my manager and an HR manager before I actually start back and they aren't both available until then.

I did say on the phone that I'd like the option to be able to work from home if I need to and they seemed OK with that. I guess I'll go in with a plan about points I need to get across, like how much worse I am when I'm tired, etc. The doctor did say that the plan would need to be flexible to work.

Yes Lucinda I think it might do me good to learn to slow down, I always go at everything at 110mph.

Greetings from the other side. I hope that you are struggling through. I've caught up with people today who told me that I look amazing for 5 days post birth. This is because of how much the HG took out of me. It's incredible how quickly it changes post birth, and although I look rough, it isn't HG rough.
music I had spd and had sweeps to bring labour on, which worked. I moved a bit awkwardly in labour and have pulled a muscle but apart from that it has almost gone. I walked today without crutches for the first time in 14weeks. It's incredible how it improves. Labouring in water really helped the spd.
Rae do take it easy with work.
Baby is tongue tied and I've got so much milk that feeding is very tricky. However, it is easier than the HG pregnancy. Hang in there.

rae can I suggest that next week you do half days or work from home after lunch just to force you to take it slowly? I found find I was doing OK then pushed myself too much because of it and suffered after very badly. It does need to be flexible but little achievable goals are better than trying to do a bit of everything and not feeling you've done enough. I had a very big cry yesterday as everything just got on top of me- ds looked so worried and all he wanted me to do was read his Thomas book poor thing! Thank goodness it's the weekend!

music thinking of you- I genuinely did expect it to get any better after 22 weeks of horrendous sickness. It was just starting to last couple of weeks and if I listened to lucinda I would probably still be feeling better! That is the best advice I've got 😉 as for your mother it is so hard when not supported by the people we love and should be there for us. As others have said hope you have support elsewhere. As for c-section I managed labour after spd last time just had to draw up birth plan to make midwifes aware of limitations- physio was good at helping with this. Water birth was my ideal plan too...

squeezed sorry to hear about tongue tue glad they've found it now will they snip? Hope your ok as bad latch can be excruciatingly painful. Your supply should calm down to match soon. Sounds like you are doing incredibly well!

Well 4.30am is better than 3.30. I'm meant to be doing full day Monday but just don't see how which is very frustrating!

Just wanted to vent. Got lots of support on these threads in my last pregnancy a few years ago. Just as sick this time. 25 weeks now and still sick 5-10 times daily. Rested all week in order to be well enough to attend an old and good friends big birthday tonight. Got five stops on the train and puked in my handy bag for life I carry round for this purpose and have come home because I felt so terrible.

Fuck this. So tired of feeling this awful.

FellOutOfBedTwice Welcome back Sorry you are suffering so; that's awful. As you are such a veteran,you know all the things that are soothing to drink and nibble at. What meds have they got you on? That sounded like a day from hell. I wish you'd joined us earlier, as at least we could have sympathized. Is this a new name or is Mother Hen's memory going?
icklelid Very sorry to hear of things being too much. Cyber pats on offer.
squeezed Thanks for coming back on to give encouragement. Sorry to hear about tongue tie. Are you expressing milk? Probably a silly question.
Rae That sounds a good idea about working from home.
Apologies if I've rudely ignored anyone.

I'm many name changes ago Lucinda and can't remember what I was then but I had lots of great advice which eventually led to metaclophomide (spelling?) being prescribed and it works pretty well but makes me absolutely exhausted and tired all the time. It's got my sickness down by probably half on a good day, but I constantly feel foggy and tired.

I always wanted three kids. I now know I will be stopping at two.

FellOutOfBedTwice We're old friends, anyway. I'm sorry things are so bad even with meds. Our resident expert on meds is SeaEagleFeather (once Meerka)
and you are more of a veteran than me, but I wonder why they haven't tried Ondansetron with you, with that level of sickness?

Lucinda I've been hospitalised five times in pregnancy with DD and twice with this one (I think it should have been more like four times but obviously it's been different and I've insisted on not staying a couple of times over night this time, especially early on as DD was distraught at my being away overnight, she's not even two so very little) so I think I am sick enough for serious intervention... However my GP and midwife aren't great (my GP happily signs me off and sympathises but no practical help) and there's a lot of peddling cyclizine (useless, but I assume cheap?) at me. What's the advantage of Ondestraton? Stronger? Fewer side effects?

Thanks for your advice btw. Appreciate it

felloutofbed hello .. sorry to hear it is still that bad this late on :(

in haste (past midnight now!) here's a quick summary of the safe/usual meds

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 very 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).

Also, really look at this site links.nice.org.uk/nauseavomiting-in-pregnancy#!scenario this is the site for the government's own Best Practice body

The Goals of Treatment is specially useful as the idea is to give enough support, through meds if need be, that women can continue their lives as close to normal as they can.

The Meds liste there is also good.

Have you got anyone who can advocate for you if you go to the docs again? It can help a lot.

Dr Tony at the PSS (the number is in the first post) is absolutely great, he might be able to suggest what meds to ask for. But in your shoes, ondansetron does seem a good idea. Prochlorperazine would be less-strong option too, or prochlorperazine / cyclizine together (it might be doing more than it seems)

wishing everyone a peaceful night

Hi Ladies

Hope you don't mind me joining this thread. I've just sat and read through all of your lovely, understanding comments to each other. I'm 6+3 with my second pregnancy. I have a 12month ds. With him I suffered with hg from week 6 to approx week 20. I was signed off my work for 10 weeks (I'm another teacher) and just generally had an awful time. All worth it in the end of course. Anyway the nausea started to creep in last Monday. I thought I was coping ok for a few days and was getting excited thinking it would only be mild this time. However, by Wednesday the nausea became severe and I have been pretty much bed/sofa bound since then. Feeling so guilty about work. Think I'm going to have to tell them on Monday and I've only just returned from mat leave. I've also not actually been sick yet. The severe nausea however, is just so debilitating, I actually have thought about making myself sick for some relief. Can severe nausea without vomiting still be classed as hg? I probably shouldn't speak too soon. I was given cyclizine with my first which helped but made me very spaced out. Going to speak to doctor on Monday, they were very helpful last time. Anyway thought I'd just say hello and share my story so far. Hope you all don't mind xx

Welcome chocoholic sorry to hear this pregnancy is causing you to feel so unwell already my understanding is that nausea can also be classed as hg because of the debilitating effect you are already so aware of! Please do go see your gp and obviously you already know how important it is to rest

Welcome to fellout so sorry you have to join us but hopefully you will feel surrounded by lots of sympathy and support. We will all get through this together! I would definitely suggest trying other medications as seaeagle recommended. I'm on cyclazine and ondansetron as the combination is allowing me to function, all be it at a much reduced level!

lucinda you would be very proud of me went for a short walk with ds and dh yesterday to get some fresh air then I rested all day. Ds napped when we got back then dh took him out for the whole afternoon. I was still quite sick but my body is trying to recover from doing too much earlier. Promise I will be better/doing less this week!

Welcome fellout and chocoholic. I'm sorry that you find yourself here, but as you have already seen the support is wonderful.

ickle, well done on your walk and very wise to rest afterwards.Yesterday, I went out for the first time in 2 weeks and didn't need to use the sick bag I took with me. Like you, I really needed the fresh air.

Now, I am really confused. I've had three 'good' days in a row where I've only vomited twice the entire time and felt almost like my normal self. I can eat, drink and even brush my teeth! How can this be? Only 4 days ago I vomited 10 times and felt so sick and weak. Is this how HG works?