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.

SociallyAcceptableCookie That is very worrying for all women on Ondanseton; other research quoted on websites claims that there is no proven link, that's one thing. I think that expense is also a factor in GP's not prescribing if cyclizine works reasonably well, as Ondansetron is very expensive compared to other anti emetics as I understand it.
Sorry you feel awful today. Gammon, that is brave of you.
fourcorneredcircle Great advice, and SouthLondon too and everyone. It is a tricky balancing act for doctors.
SouthLondon Goodness, I had to laugh at the way you put it about those tights and the CCTV and being desensitized to public embarrassment through those Pavement Episodes and others! It is awful about that consultant talking that nonsense, though. I did feel for poor you that day you reported that.
hereI goagain Thank you so much for coming back to encourage others.
Blondes Ah, I see about the IVF. That is really unfair and must have been so awful getting that notification. I am so glad things took a turn for the better, to put it mildly. I could have done with you for my sleepless DD. I tried to implement the principles but I was too soft to do it properly.
Castlefeck I am glad you are a lot better, but sorry you feel awful today and that you still vomit once a week. You deserve an award anyway!
Pip Sorry for error. I hope you get an appointment soon!
PastieMaid Sorry that steroids and meto. not doing wonderfully. I hope you get an improvement really soon.
Apologies if I've accidentally ignored anyone.

Blondes Sorry to hear of glucose test. Oh dear.
On Hyperemesis and the pill, it does seem from anecdotal evidence on this thread that there is a connection between Hyperemesis and hormonal imbalance, which seems to be connected with a tendency in many to cystitis, menstrual migraine and PMT. It seems to vary, though.

Guys my stomach has grown overnight. It always grows for a Sunday morning and feel like a beached whale!

Tights were funny. Literally beneath my dress held by my boots. Then taking them off I have the hardest legs!!!!!! Anyway let's hope I'm not on the next series of The Tube or whatever it was called on bbc2! Ha.

Had a weird day today. Dizzy and tired. Slept a lot of it away and now lying in bed but not as tired now (typical before work). Couldn't eat much dinner.

I'm the same that I can't get to shops as it's too daunting and I know I'll vom. Can't walk far without it churning up even on a good day. Best tights have been next maternity but my friend swears by jojo. I've had those but they slipped a bit but bump smaller then. Not sure if yesterday's were next after they were washed or if they were George of Asda. I think George but will keep you informed!! Haha. George ones have been really really rubbish. Got new look ones to try.
Tight watch here! Hehe.

Do we all have to have that glucose test or is it by assessment? My friend having twins is having the test but other than that we are the same demographic and she hasn't had sicknesses alone HG.

South only some women need glucose tolerance tests, for example if there's a family history of diabetes or if you have a high bmi. My bmi was 30 on Friday, which is the cutoff in my trust, so I was told i would need one but I'm kind of hoping I can get them to reweigh me closer to the date and reconsider.

Lucinda I just don't know how I feel about the ondansetron thing. It hasn't been a magic cure for me so far, and they haven't tried all the other options so I'm wondering if I should talk to someone about it. Unfortunately I'm not sure who I'm supposed to talk to, if my gp isn't prescribing it, and at EPU no doctor actually saw me. They just prescribed it and a nurse handed me the prescription.

And I will be seeing an obstetrician but not until I'm 12 weeks which is when the risk goes down anyway.

Reading these comments has helped with a thread I just posted. Although I don't think my partner has HG, I will somewhat treat her as such in the sense that I will be extra sensitive to her morning sickness.

Let me know if I'm wrong in thinking this but, the suggestions for people with HG aren't always going to be successful but they're bound to be more successful for someone with less severe symptoms right?

I thought all woman had Glucose test at 28w unless already have a child
And last test showed diabetes so then have at 20w for second child

Tho obv you can refuse it but I'm not going to refuse sis
Thing that doctors offer you

In some countries everyone has a GTT but not in the UK.

Have picked up a bug of some kind. Woke up from a nap at PIL's with a really sore throat and aching all over. Ended uo in bed before DS in a nice, quiet room and comfy bed to try and help the aches and headaches. Felt like it was my bones aching. Even my cheeks started at one point. Aching a little better this morning but throat and headache still bad. Waiting to see if my breakfast stays down...

I've never been on the pill for very long (but had no problems when I was), or had any nasty period symptoms of PMT etc. I did get very car sick as a child, so I don't know if that has any link... I think my lack of hormonal problems in the past is one of the reasons I was kind of shocked to get so sick with pregnancy (even though my Mum was pretty sick).

So sorry to hear you have another illness on top Haich. I think pregnancy does suppress your immune system so you tend to get everything going (though, touch wood, this time I have only had one nasty cold - whereas with my DD I seemed to get everything going!)

Hope everybody else is doing OK. Just walked to work because of the tube strike (I don't live on a tube line but despite that the buses are always horrible on tube strike days), which I haven't managed to do since I started being sick. I feel surprisingly OK so quite pleased with that.

South: sorry, seem to have missed your post re tights first time around. Glad you enjoyed the show even with heat, tights and travel issues.

I am in North UK so guessing things diff to London.

Lucinda: yep I teach adults so it's usually less stressful and with less workload than a school. My GCSE classes were taken more for their benefit so they can have consistency but I'm relieved and enjoying the benefits for me.

Mel: I had issues on 'off' weeks with the combined pill so moved to mini-pill and then had mirena after DS. No issues with the last 2 but no periods either. I also have issues with spots (hating my skin atm) and am quite travel sick. EPU doc wondered briefly whether that may have something to do with it.

Castle: we all do it. My ds had lots of tablet time before Christmas and I'm sure will keep having to have some when I really need a quiet lie down.

I went straight from cyclizine to odansetron, was that wrong? It does seem to be helping me keep things down (more or less).

Good luck with the glucose test. That sounds horrid with hg!

thought i was turning a corner as was only sick once at the weekend, sick 3 times today and not keeping anything down

Jaffa sorry to hear that. Hope the rest of the day gets better.

I'm off back to bed shortly. The aching has picked up again and my brain feels like it's going to explode out of my ears. Just managed an ice pop so I'm telling myself I've done the fluids part and now it's off to rest.

I don't think there is anything wrong with going straight from cyclizine to ondansetron Haich. Traditionally people usually get prescribed cyclizine (or another antihistamine) first, then either metoclopramide or prochlorperazine as a "second line", and ondansetron only if they get hospitalised/if the former two aren't working sufficiently well.

But I think part of that was related to cost, and ondansetron seems to be much cheaper than it was (it came off patent about 10 years ago), and to work much better for most people (other than the constipation issues), so it wouldn't surprise me if doctors start to "skip" the second step. Plus there was a good study on safety in 2013 (see here: www.pregnancysicknesssupport.org.uk/help/treatments/ondansetron/) so probably that is making doctors more relaxed about prescribing it given it's been around less time than the others. At the same time when you get metoclopramide the leaflet now says you shouldn't take it for more than 5 days (because of possible side-effects for the mother - muscle spasms) - which my GP and I both ignored, but again I wouldn't be at all surprised if ondansetron starts to be prescribed sooner in the future. Maybe your doctor is just ahead of the game!

So sorry to hear that jaffa: can you rest for the rest of today at least?

Gregwr I think that is a very fair assumption. There is a good chance of all the advice women on here for controllable if nasty sickness get which is ineffectual - ie, small, bland meals, sickness bands, etc working well normally. If it doesn't or your wife is unable to drink enough of, or to retain liquids for twenty-four hours, that is the time that it becomes serious and medical help is needed. I think the tips here have a great chance of working.

LightTripper Good points. Excellent , concise advice for socially acceptable cookie Thank goodness, there has been a shift towards medicating effectively before severe dehydration, compared to how things were when this thread began, and maybe the Ondansetron prescribing is part of that. It's good the cost has come down.
SouthLondon Lol -when I worked near Kings Cross it was still a red light area - the last place to be caught with your tights down - but I hope it is safer these days. . Your friend is expecting twins and had no sickness? How unfair is that???
HaichM Sorry about aching virus, that sounds awful.
whoateallthejafffacakes I do hope it is just a temporary relapse, perhaps a hormonal surge?

Hello..I'm back here a little sooner than planned but hey ho! This thread plus ondasetron got me through the pregnancy of my lovely Dd now 1, I thought, I'm definitely going to wait a long while before going through that again...now pg with no 2! Am happy and maybe would never have actually decided to go through this again so maybe it's a good thing it er, happened!
9 weeks now and flat on my back posting on here. Here we go again!!
Thank God this time haven't chucked up but the nausea and tiredness is pretty much constant. Really don't want to use medication again but I neeed to work, care for dd etc etc so have reached for my stash of ondasetron several times in last few days. But really what I feel I need is a new stomach!!
Hello to everyone! Xx

Mel I couldn't take the pill, (progesterone only one) had milder symptoms of tiredness and nausea. Wondered if my body just doesn't like progesterone!

So sorry to hear you're ill Haich and pip. Fingers crossed you improve soon.

Thanks for the tights advice south! I am finding it so hard to get maternity clothes, especially as I'm so short everything swamps me.

I'm so tired at the moment. I'm only managing to be awake for 4/5 hours before I need a nap and I'm 18 weeks so I thought I would have stopped by now. Does anyone think they are showing signs of improvement yet?

Haitch I've also gone straight from cyclizine to ondansetron. It seems to be what they do at my hospital.

I spoke to a doctor in antenatal clinic today. He said ondansetron is officially unlicensed for pregnancy and second line. But it works and they give it. They don't have the same amount of data as they do for other meds. If you're well controlled on something like cyclizine which has a longer safety track record, you should stay on it. Basically he said it was up to me, and he didn't give me more info than I already have.

I don't have the energy to keep overthinking this. I'm going to give ondansetron another 24 hours but if I don't feel better then I might as well stop it because I don't really feel better than I did on cyclizine.

Also Mel I tolerated the mini pill well for years but I don't think I've had one with oestrogen in it.

Cookie: with cyclizine I wasn't much better nausea wise but I had 2 days of non-stop vomiting. So far on ondansetron (which I've been on almost 3x as long), I have been sick only 3 times and I can manage sips of water without it making me ride the bile train. For now, I'm going to stay on it but I will chat to midwives/doctors if headaches don't disappear once 1st trimester over with (and this bug). Sorry to hear it's not helping you. Hope you're managing to rest. I'm off to bed again (3rd time today) with aching bones and major headache. Fingers crossed my system kicks this soon.

Take care everyone. I hope your Monday hasn't been too bad

Hi guys. I'm all caught up but drug fog makes me forgetful. Hope all ok. Sorry some people back.

Lucinda you made me laugh about red light district. I'm going to tell my friend! They were down and then they were off!!!! Hahahaha. I can confirm they were George of Asda through process of elimination. Wore jojo today and i have decided they are def annoying. Next best so far. I'll report on newlook ASAP.

I commuted in with a friend/colleague today!! And home. So great improvement. Totally shattered but watching tele in the lounge. Drinking g ginger beer but because i fancied sugar and fizz. Not because it will help me recover in any way!!!!

Had to get up early because of plumber coming. Got a new toilet and radiator and manky radiator smell gone!!!!!!! I've been made sick so many times by that disgusting radiator!!! It looks fab! Moved in here in October just as HG was escalating and it has been torture going in there. Even better got a radiator for towels now so will be so cosy!

Everyone have a good evening if at all possible.

Morning all. yesterday I slept until 12pm and basically did nothing all day! when evening came though I started to feel bloody awful and I've woken up the same way. I've been sick 4 times already this morning, even a dry cracker won't stay down. managed an ice lolly but I'm not confident I'm going to be OK with that either. I'm feeling really low which annoys me even more because I know I'm only at the beginning

Sorry you feel so bad Pip. Beginning def the worst. Once you are medicated, rested and hydrated the side effects are less. That doesn't help you now but you won't feel exactly like this for 20-40 weeks. It's slightly more easy to cope with. Hope that offers some light at the end of the tunnel. Remember ginger is not the cure!
Get loads of rest and sleep xxxx