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.

Hi ladies just an update I am in hospital with severe hyperemesis badly dehydrated and bad ketones in my urine on a drip most likely only kept in for the night just want this to end scared incase it's going to keep happening

Hi lizzy, although it is very scary for you at the moment, being admitted will hopefully be the turning point you need. Lots of us have been admitted during the first trimester. On my second admission being on the drip to hydrate and having iv anti sickness meds enabled me to break the sickness cycle and keep down the oral meds. The consultant was also able to prescribe a combination of sickness meds to help. Although it's never nice being in hospital it really is the best place for you. Let us know how you're feeling tomorrow - hopefully you'll be much brighter.

Hi Lizzy. It's not nice being in hospital but IV fluid makes you feel so much better! Now it's happened once ask what you should do next time so you don't end up in such a bad way - see if your early pregnancy unit has a walk in service. I know your scared about being in hospital but it's the best thing for you and your baby. Xxxx

I live in a rural area so they can't do a drip or anything like that had to go in an ambulance nearly 3 hours away so i am going to ask what are the next steps and will they give me something to help this as it's no nice at all but I'd rather be here than having another uncomfortable night at home xx

izzy7915 Sorry you have had to be admitted overnight, but as others say, now you will get treated more seriously and hopefully after the fluids you feel a lot better. This is the worst part, the early weeks, and one admission is unluckily all too common. Only the unlucky few have to be admitted later on. Keep us informed as to how you're doing.
Castlefeck I wondered if you meant acid or diahorrea (which I can never spell). Never worry about being grahic on this thread, can't be avoided. To give everyone a laugh, I once had fluids coming out of all orifices at the same time. I think a number of people get that, and it is a pain as it increases the possibility of dehydration. How are those ketones measuring?
MissJuliet I so agree with what you say about treatment. It is gradually improving, thank goodness, but is still very uneven.
Blondes I am glad about that improvement. Yes, come along, Baby Sleepy!
Apologies if I've rudely ignored anyone.

Lizzy you poor thing, hopefully this is the start of an improvement for you with medication.

Thanks Juliet and Lucinda, I meant diarrhoea, although the last 24hrs has been a bit better. I think my fluctuating hormones cause it and maybe drinking too many soft drinks which I'm not used to. I haven't been sick for 48hrs now and haven't had the vile saliva either so I'm hoping things are improving. I'm worried about getting my hopes up and then going back again, it's a real mental battle.

Hi everyone else.

I feel a bit better just tired and very weak I've managed some breakfast and water I am getting a scan at 11.50 to make sure all ok with baby then should be getting home if no ketones in urine fingers crossed all ok so can get home x

Lizzy you are in the best place - the drip and fluids will make a huge difference plus now been admitted once if things take a turn for the worse you should be in ASAP

So sorry you have been in hospital Lizzy but as others have said hopefully this will be a turning point for you as it has been for others. Do make sure they send you home with something to take for the sickness so you hopefully don't end up back there again!

So glad you are doing a bit better Blondes. I've just dropped the metoclopramide, and just taking 2 cyclizine a day ... seems to be going OK so far touch wood, though I have a work thing this evening so I'm hoping I don't regret it... Why not drop down to 2 first rather than all the way to 1 and just see how it goes for a bit?

Yeh I'll be pushing for what ever I need to take home to make sure this doesn't happen again not nice and fair for us ladies to suffer like this I'll be going for my scan soon so I'll update you all as soon as I know what's going on thanks for the support

Hi All,
Sorry for silence, have had a busy few days, one way or another.
Welcome to new joiners. Juliet, yours sounds a very severe case indeed. Interesting to hear how you've been helped by steroids. I know they're the next step if Ondansetron doesn't work.
Lizzy, I really hope they're going to prescribe something to help you. As others have said, IV treatment can be really effective at breaking the sickness cycle.
Blondes, glad to hear you're feeling better. Funny - and lucky - that you can stomach water and not fizzy drinks! For most people it's the other way around.
That baby needs to get moving Sleepy! Fx things happen soon for you.
Hope Rae enjoyed her spa days and is feeling more rested.
I had the fillings and repair work done on my teeth today so my mouth is feeling sore and I'm feeling shattered. Am off to bed now. Waves to Lucinda, Light, Happy and everyone.

Good evening everyone,

I was signposted to this group earlier on by a member who kindly responded to a post I had started.

I have just been diagnosed with HG, and to honest am feeling pretty terrible (I guess that comes with the territory?!)

I am nearly 8 weeks pregnant, and was extremely sick in my last pregnancy too. But never diagnosed.

I have not kept water down in over 48 hours, and my GP has given me cyclizine saying 'i don't personally recommend taking any unnecessary drugs in pregnancy, so only take them when you are desperate'.

She also flowed that up with if I don't keep fluids down I will have to be admitted. But have no indication of who to see if I'm no better. GP again or straight to a hospital?

Feeling very confused about it all. I took a tablet earlier this evening as my vile of now blood streaked due to the contact wrenching I suppose? And thought that was a step further so I should begin? Also not peed today at all (even after waking this morning) until 10 mins ago. So must be pretty dehydrated.

Tried every 'natural' thing I can find on the internet over the past few weeks and days, from ginger to ice cubes....

Sorry for the long post, endless questions and slightly TMI in places.!
Any advice gratefully received.

Xx

Welcome iamserious, I'm very sorry to hear you are feeling awful and have also had a (seemingly common) poor experience with the GP. Did she test your urine for ketones? 3 or above normally means you need to be admitted to hospital for rehydration.

There are a number of anti emetics which are safe for use during pregnancy: cyclizine seems to be the first one GPs prescribe but there are plenty of other options if this does not work. I think you need to essentially build them up in your system so one tablet alone probably will not make a difference.

Can you go and see another GP today? Or call the number on the first page - so many of us have been helped by this charity! I am
concerned that you are not keeping fluids down at all and have also vomited blood. Have you tried sucking ice lollies or sipping coke? Lots of us could also tolerate flavoured milk in small doses. I also found that sucking mints or boiled sweets stopped me retching so much.

I'm sure you are feeling utterly awful and please know you are not alone!

Hi Iamserious from what you've written I'd go straight to hospital. Unfortunately I think your GP has given you poor advice as if you only take antisickness tablets when you are desperate it's not going to help break the cycle. Hyperemesis gravidarum that isn't controlled is much more of a risk to you and baby that the drugs themselves.

Motherofpearl ondansetron sunbelt helps me and I'm still on it but with that alone I was still ending up in resus so poorly. I've been on steroids constantly some 12 weeks and am also on Prochlorperazine too. Unfortunately cyclizine did absolutely nothing for me sickness wise and I just got terrible side effects. It really is a case of trial and error.

Lizzy you poor thing. You are in the best place though if you can't keep down fluids. I've been quite lucky in that even though it doesn't feel like it, I'm clearly keeping down some water. I'd certainly be happier in hospital in your condition. Hope it picks up for you.

Iamserious I too think you should go to hospital if you can't keep down fluids. Sounds like you need some medication to me, ginger just does nothing. The exception for me being these sweets called gingins which are so very strong they seem to stop me from vomiting while I'm sucking them. Quite unpleasant though. Have you called your GP?

Juliet sounds like you've really been through it. Are you feeling any better now? I think we have similar reactions to the drugs, wish I could take the steroids.

I have total preggo brain this week & a cracking headache to boot. Some blood vessels have popped in & on my nose, so I look like I've been in a right punch up! I can't remember who asked what & I'm on a phone & can't scroll back, so to answer...
The cat says that is NOT funny (she is also still giving me a wide berth).
I am all about the ponytails & the half pinned back hair look is my other friend right now!
Rae (look I remembered one!) I'm 29 weeks today. He's being evicted at 39, so only 10 weeks of throwing up left to go! Going to need them too as the building site is now basically a bomb site. Have thrown out about 50 bin bags worth of stuff recently (hooked on the Marie Kondo book), so at least we have somewhere to keep the boy now!

I saw the midwife yesterday & was told I'm underweight, yet the boy is measuring huge! He'd be right on target if I was 7'5" - what a monkey! My blood pressure was 96/49 so no wonder I feel like a zombie this week. Looks like I have anaemia too, it's all fun 🙂

Hope everyone has better days today. Any news on the impending arrival of babies?

Just dashing on to reiterate the advice of others: Iamserious, please go straight to A&E. Like others on this thread, I was in this situation a few times, and from what you've said, you will certainly need IV rehydration and mead. For future reference, you can buy ketostix online to measure your ketones at home. You may find your hospital has an EPU, which you can self-refer to in the future, if you need to. Please go to A&E now - if your hospital has an EPU, that is where they're likely to send you for treatment. If not they will treat you in A&E itself. I know it sounds scary but you will feel loads better for it. Let us know how you get on.

I am feeling a bit better today not 100% but I've managed to keep stuff down.... I was giving the sick tablet you mentioned and have been told I can take it up to 3 times a day if needed and it's safe in pregnancy hoping this will be the start of feeling a little bit better as I can't handle traveling 3 hours to the hospital and back.... hope you are all feeling better x

Iamserious that sounds like very bad advice from your GP. To give you a comparison, I have been much less sick than you (no dehydration and have never thrown up blood) and my GP didn't hesitate to prescribe cyclizine (neither did the consultant nurse at my scan, and neither did the locum, so this is not some far out view). In fact when I thanked my locum for represcribing she said "oh but of course, we couldn't leave you vomiting and feeling awful when there is no need for it!" Cyclizine in particular has been taken for a very long time in lots of countries, so there is a lot of evidence to suggest it does no harm to you or the baby.

Just to also echo what the others have said, my GP strongly recommended starting on 3 a day and spacing them evenly through the day: she said they need to build up in your system to work properly. So I would start with that; if they work really well you can always experiment with a lower dose. They did make me feel very groggy the first couple of days but that quickly faded. For me cyclizine alone wasn't enough, but it did help take the edge off and was a start, so worth a try.

Is there a different GP in your practice that you could see? In any case given you are throwing up blood and there are good reasons to think you are dehydrated I would echo the others that hospital sounds like the right place for you (sorry): do you have a local Early Pregnancy Unit you could call to make an appointment? Lots of them let you self-refer. Otherwise you could phone the Pregnancy Sickness Support help line at the top of this thread for advice and support.

Glad things are going a bit better today lizzy though sounds like you are still suffering a lot you poor thing. Do bear in mind there are other drugs too, if what you are on isn't enough. Keep us posted!

P.S. turned out dropping the metoclopramide was a bit of a mistake - back to retching yesterday evening and this morning (though thankfully no vomiting). Have taken another this morning: think I am going to try 1 meto and 1 cyclizine for now and try dropping the meto again in a week or two.

Pleased you joined us iam, I told you we were a friendly bunch.

Quick one from me... Baby girl sleepy was born in the early hours of this morning weighing 6lb 7oz. Unbelievably, I'm still being sick!! Even with that said, she's 100% worth it!

Congratulations Sleepy! Girls are lovely. How exciting.

So sorry you are being sick. My friend who had really bad HG told me that for her it disappeared as soon as she gave birth, but when I had my MMC I found that it took a couple of days to stop throwing up and then probably within about a week I felt properly well again. The Doctor who did my procedure for me told me that it can just take a bit of time for all the hormones to clear your system. Hope it goes quickly for you!!

Sleepy, huge congratulations! I'm just thrilled for you! Hope the sickness lifts very quickly indeed. You still managed to get her out a few days early!

IAmSeriousAndDon'tCallMeShirely Welcome. You have already had great advice, and as you posted yesterday evening, I hope you are in hospital being rehydrated. I am so glad you were referred here by a member. If a pergnant woman can't keep fluids down for 48 hours it is usually seen as an emergency., and you sounded as if you would be dehydrated. Hopefully the blood is only from the throat (I still get that with migraines) but they like to check. If it was brown, that is worrying as it seems it can be from the stomach. Hopefully, they will give you stronger meds that help.
izzy Are you out of hospital yet?
LightTripper It's disappointing you can't come off them yet, but good that you felt well enough to try.
Waves to all. Back soon.

SleepymrsE Wonderful news! So happy for you! Congratulations!
[. You were really brave. About the still being sick, don't despair. I don't emphasize this as it is so discouraging to others, but I am sorry to say that I was vomitting for a few days after I gave birth, and that happpened to a minority of other women on the thread. The letdown seemed to set it off for a while,then it was just vague nausea. It is disappointing, but even if it lingers for a few days, it will go in the end, honestly!