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.

@MagnumAddict can't offer much advice but I feel your pain. I've been quiet on here too as the last few weeks have been bad. After admission, I felt a huge improvement but the sickness seems to be creeping back to 4-5 times a day even with ondansetron 3 x a day and I'm nauseous and exhausted all day. I'm onto my 8th week off work and starting to feel a bit down. Can't seem to get myself excited about baby or baby shopping. Hoping 20 week scan will help.
Hope others are having better days, getting meds they need and support from GPS, employers etc

Hi all

Sorry I've been absent, I've been having fun with the dizzy headaches which get worse as the day goes on and have been hit with fatigue again. I have an appt with the drs tomorrow and I'm going to ask to have my bloods checked for vitamin deficiencies.

I'm mainly nipping on to ask Lucinda and Lucy about hair loss. I think I remember you mentioning you lost your hair during pg. Could I ask how bad it was, what caused it, what you did about etc? I'm getting concerned at how much and how often I'm losing clumps of hair and handfuls of strands, especially when I wash my hair (I've bought a dry shampoo with conditioner to try but dry hair treatments are helping the hair dryness a little but not the hair loss). Thanks in advance

Sorry to hear of the new and continued suffering. Mellee: well done for attending a wedding without seats and so on. I hope you don't continue to suffer for it.

Take care everyone

Sorry to hear that mardybum and everyone else who is suffering. A family member is pg and sailing through it and another family member said oh you must hate hearing that.

My reply was no actually I'm glad, I wouldn't wish HG on my worst enemy never mind someone I care about!!

How did it go with the GP MrsGrembles? I really hope we are not losing Metoclopramide as a drug, it has worked for so many of us. And surely the risk of side effects should be weighed against the probability of actually having those side effects, and how bad the alternative outcome is?? It's one we'll have to keep an eye on by the sound of it...

GP was more than happy to prescribe metoclopramide so I'm sorted for now. Huzzah!

TheShapeofYou That is such a lovely message, that I wanted to thank you first. I am touched you have fond memories of this thread and it's wonderful to hear that you've now got a flourishing three year old.
The thread must have been going about six years and a half years? My goodness...
mrsgembles Welcome. I am so glad you got meto if it helps you. There does seem to some concern about this possible side effect of twitchiness, (of the mother, not the baby) . I remember that one woman on here went on taking it without reporting it for some weeks, and she was fine when last heard of, but obviously they don't want to take any risks. Hopefully that drug will keep you from getting too dehydrated, but have you got kesostix just in case?
LightTripper Great advice, as ever. What would we do without you?
MadryBum Can they add anything to the Ondanestron to make it more effective? Some sufferers on here find that cyclizine really works well with it.
MagnumAddict I do feel for you about your feeling drained and isolated. A lot of sufferers find the radio or audio books the only entertainment they can bear, as a moving screen makes them iller. Hopefully things will ease a bit soon. True, MagnumAddict you are moving up those ladders on the Hyperemesis Snakes and Ladders Board.
Melleebacca and Blondes I had to laugh at the picture you gave, awful as it is...Dogs and cats do seem to be very empathic when you are ill, just as horses are when you are sad.
IAmSeriousAndDon'tCallMeShirley Good to hear from you, and I am sorry about this continuing worry with tests. How are you? It must be so draining.
TwoDrifters Devoted old you, still feeding.
HaichM On hair loss, Lucy had it really badly, in patches. I had it diffuse after pregnancy. I think that is common, but in my case it was worse because of being ill again afterwards, and it really did look thin and awful for some months, but from old photos it seems to have grown back OK again about a year later. It is dreadfully upsetting when you seem to lose enough hair to stuff a sofa. I was ill last autumn with some chest infection and fever and two months to the day, my hair started falling. The dr says it is the body's way of reacting to physical stress, or some such thing, and it does grow back. I've lost about half of it, and it does look awful, so I've cut about six inches off myself. I was so dismayed I didn't want to go to the hairdresser. Poor Lucy had it in one patch, I think, and had to style her hair to hide it. I think it's growing back again.
Apologies to anyone I've overlooked. Watch me cross post....

Mel be proud you wasn't sick at wedding. The one I went to at about 20w I was sick think 5 times 😷😷😷😷

And a dogs love knows no bounds

Why no seats at a wedding? Someone should have got you one 😡😡

And didn't dh go?

Shirley. Hope brain scan shows something

Magnum We were all last once and now I'm
top of the list

Just incase you didn't know 💓💓😂😂

And don't have to say anything positive. If you are having a shit time then come and tell us and wallow and get sympathy x

Haich. Know @lucy suffered really badly from hair loss bless her

Headache. Me too 😢 and flashing spots. Thought possibly pre eclampsia but for checked out and it wasn't thankfully

Def get checked out

Mrsgembles. Fab news on gp. Mine is really helpful and lovely

Lucinda. Is your eldest 6.5?

Hi all - thanks for all the comments. Wedding had seats for the rain for the ceremony, but none in the mingling area with nibbles. Ended up leaning on windowsills or crouching on the floor.

Magnum & Mardy - I sympathise with you both. The seemingly endless exhaustion is awful. I keep thinking of how it can't be too much longer till I get energy again. And then I remember how much I rested last pregnancy and how little work I did. I had a meltdown at 22w because I was given a huge amount of baby clothes for DD and I couldn't cope with looking at them as I was so disconnected from the pregnancy. Somehow I got through it, and I really relished the newborn stage.
Also, my rule of thumb is if you have a stomach bug, the amount of time you're sick for is about the same amount of time your recovery needs, and HG is a really drawn out stomach bug. So I was vomiting for 8w, and expect recovery to take at least 8w on top of that. And then I will start weaning off meds.

Oh I'm due on 27th Oct btw

Light and Mellee thanks for your comments. I have spent most of today cuddling my - very wriggly - DS, trying to soak up every moment with him whilst I feel well!

I know if I go ahead with this, there will be many moments of regret where I wonder what on earth I have done but hopefully at the end of it all, I will be triumphant and satisfied it was the right decision.

(Amidst all of this angst, soul-searching and HG fear, I am also stupidly panicking about secondary infertility. It's ridiculous isn't it. Worrying that I might not be able to be ill for 9 months straight!)

TwoDrifters - I was so sure I had secondary infertility. Was such a struggle to get DD, I figured the second time around would be harder. Was I ever wrong!!

Two, I remember you! My DD2 is just over 10 months now. Of course it's easy to say when the baby is out and the horror of HG fades, but I think we all feel it's worth going through, whether it's your first or subsequent child/ren. And if you've done it once you can do it again. Good luck!

Hello MoP lovely to see you here again. Have missed you!

Thanks Lucinda it has been a pretty rubbish time.

I found out yesterday afternoon that my job has been cut in an organisational restructure. And all decisions about what will happen to me will be made whilst I am on maternity leave. It's the last thing we need. We can't survive on just the one wage, and if they redeploy me I get no say in where I work/ what I do. Spent last night just sobbing about it all, my daughter, my job, and feeling so ill for so long. All topped off with a nice vomit on my train this morning.

Sorry for the moan, but I am suddenly feeling overwhelmed by it all. I'll kick myself back into shape soon enough. Xx

Shirley, thanks, and sorry I've been scarce on the thread. I'm finding life with 3 children and a full time job quite frantic to keep on top of! So sorry to hear about your job. Are you unionised? If so, this sounds like something they could help with? I really feel for you. HG just grinds you down in such a relentless way. You must at least be nearing the end now? Thinking of you all battling on. X

IAmSeriousAndDon'tCallMeShirley My goodness, poor you, more stress with your job under threat, on top of worry over your daughter's health problems, and being ill. It's awful being sick on public transport.
I don't think you should be hard on yourself and speak of 'licking yourself into shape'. You are suffering more stress than anybody should, and feel free to moan as much as you like. Are there any close friends too, in real life, you could let go with? You may be one of these tough people everyone thinks can take any amount of stress, but we all have our breaking points. I know that misfortunes run in groups, so hopefully things will get better soon. Cyber pats on offer.
MotherofPearl Lovely to hear from you. It's ridiculous - my family used to have a huge Victorian tray made of papier mache surrounded by mother of pearl inlaid and I always think of that when I see your name!
Blondes I wish I was so young as when my daughter was six and a half! No,she's at university now - and bigger than me. I didn't think of starting a thread until many years after I had suffered, when I came on an account by a young girl of how dismissively her Hyperemesis was treated - they accused her of trying to lose weight out of vanity, etc - and I was so indignant I swore that I would do something to help. I remember you soldiering through that wedding. I thought you were very brave.
Melleebacca I forgot to congratulate you on getting through the wedding - but they should have thought that not everyone is in a condition to stand for hours and provided chairs.
TwoDriftersTry not to worry - as Melleebacca says, you might well be surprised. I was in dread of not being able to conceive again after my mmc - and guess what, I conceived the next month.
Apologies if I've rudely ignored anyone.
Due Dates
Due Dates
Blondes 30 March
HurryUpApril17 17 April
NerrSnerr 18 April
Castlefeck 19 April
moonoverthewater 10 May
user1477 14 May
IAmSeriousAndDontCallMeShirley 20 May
Robber Bride 29 May
LHReturns 1 June
PeaceLove 3 June
Boobs 6 June
South London 6 June
fourcorneredcircle 7 June
Pastiemaid 12 June
squeezypeasy 13 June
Babyand 23 June
Captain Warbeck 24 June
HollyHop17 20 July
whoate 1 August
HaichM 1 August
SociallyAcceptableCookie 5 August
JimmyJay Early August
Daffodil 11 August
SickRose 18 August
Pip1982 20 August.
Melleebacca 22 August
Mardybum2017 25 August
MagnumAddict 1 September
littlepooch 2 September
MamaBear 7 September
MrsK8541 15 September
MuvaWifey77 17 September
FluteyTootey 26 October
mrsgembles 27 October

Can I shyly be added to the due date list please? - 23rd Oct by my calculations.

Heartburn247 Done. How are you today? Thinking of your name, I d hope that you are not still suffering from heartburn? There are other meds than Gavicscon which it is safe to take in pregnancy, if so.

Due Dates
Blondes 30 March
HurryUpApril17 17 April
NerrSnerr 18 April
Castlefeck 19 April
moonoverthewater 10 May
user1477 14 May
IAmSeriousAndDontCallMeShirley 20 May
Robber Bride 29 May
LHReturns 1 June
PeaceLove 3 June
Boobs 6 June
South London 6 June
fourcorneredcircle 7 June
Pastiemaid 12 June
squeezypeasy 13 June
Babyand 23 June
Captain Warbeck 24 June
HollyHop17 20 July
whoate 1 August
HaichM 1 August
SociallyAcceptableCookie 5 August
JimmyJay Early August
Daffodil 11 August
SickRose 18 August
Pip1982 20 August.
Melleebacca 22 August
Mardybum2017 25 August
MagnumAddict 1 September
littlepooch 2 September
MamaBear 7 September
MrsK8541 15 September
MuvaWifey77 17 September
Heartburn247 23 October
FluteyTootey 26 October
mrsgembles 27 October

Thanks LucindaE
I joined MN when I was was pregnant with my Daughter and suffering with heartburn, I'm sure it will make a reappearance this time too!
I took ranitidine last time (useless) and drank the huge bottles of paint like Gaviscon.
Out of interest has anyone had success with Omeprazole (sp)?

Today I hit 28 weeks... Maximum of 14 weeks to go. YAY!!!

14x7=98ish more potential vomits (I average one a day)... yeah... that doesn't sound so good...

Probably overdid it the last couple of days - finally had grandmother's funeral, so traveled 700 miles in 24 hours, plus lots of standing around at the funeral, lots of people touching me (really?! Just because we share some DNA doesn't mean you can fondle my stomach!), very little food as it was all sandwiches of dubious origin and the sole vege offering was ... goats cheese

Projectiled this AM. Sat on the sofa feeling very sorry for myself - but given the circumstances... I think that's ok. Have to extract myself soon though, got a date with the whooping cough vaccine. FML.

Four - you poor thing! And HG is so much worse with unfriendly foods. Hope you get some rest in this week and enjoy the less than 100 days of vomiting to go.

Heartburn - I haven't tried much to deal with heartburn, but found gaviscon did nothing for me. I do have some calcium/magnesium powder that I put in a wee bit of water that seemed to help last time.

Shirley - all that stress can't be helping the sickness. Oh, how I wish I could help! Is there anyway you could be included in the meetings by phone conference while you're on mat leave? I know you can mute the microphone so they won't hear screaming baby but you might be able to still be a part of the discussion. Thinking of you...

Managed 12hrs alone with DD yesterday, and with no car as hubby had to take it for a business trip (his car has no A/C). Was a real struggle, with lots of iPad time and dinner was a picnic on the floor. Had a serious retching session but still kept everything in.

Hi ladies.

Hope you are all faring well - torrents of spew here :( Due date now 3 October. Had scan today. My eldest's menacing threats of it being triplets are thankfully unfounded.

Four. Sorry you are still being sick daily. May get better. I'm
Roughly Once a week tho then do it big exorcist style 🙄

Shirley. They surely can't do that can they? Legally

Pearl. Nice to see you back

Lucinda - bless you. So was years ago yet you still help us poorly lot with loads of support and advice 💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐

Mel well done for survive alone

Heartburn. Welcome. I suffer big time from
It

Is it true you have hairy babies? If so then
Bubs will be a gorilla 👶🏼💓👶🏼

Ruby. Yah for date

MoP No need to apologise at all, life with 3 must be manic. I struggle with just the one, the bump and work. Just lovely to see you here again. You helped me a lot during my horrid 6-16 week bucket hugging. I hope you are keeping well.
Yes I'm closing in on EDD, I go on maternity leave (we'll leave my job now as it would appear) at the end of April. And that's the big one for me. No more commute. Wahoo!

I'm not part of a union, but have a few well placed friends and family members giving me good HR advice.

Thank you Lucinda yes indeed I hope I have now had my run of poor luck! It does feel very stressful, the atmosphere at work yesterday was horrid. The restructure means a lot of the colleagues I work with are also losing jobs/at risk. So it's become a bit hostile as everyone will be competing over a limited pool.
I seem to be having a slightly worse week this week for sickness and nausea again (now 30 weeks). I wonder if it's partly down to the fact I'm not sleeping well so very tired.
Thank yo for being so lovely.

Four I'm totally with you on the touching thing. My belly seems to be regarded as public property. I hate it when people just reach out and rub/tap it.
Sorry to hear of the bad run again, but I do like your vomit countdown. I might start one myself!
Hope the WC vaccine went well.

Mellee well done on he day with your daughter. Not at all easy when you are feeling so rotten.
I think I'm going to need to call in for updates whilst I'm off, I just hope they will let me do that. Don't much fancy trekking to London for HR meetings with a tiny baby and 19 month old...

Ruby Sorry you are so poorly. Glad to hear the triplet threat has passed (was a massive fear of mine!) I hope you have better day today

Blondes Sadly as it's a whole organisation restructure the rules are a little different. I'm not allowed to be discriminated against due to pregnancy/mat leave but if others are losing jobs as well then I'm still eligible for the chop. And unfortunate my post has been confirmed as one they are chopping (I'm not surprised as my boss is very unimpressed that I'm going on mat leave again and won't have fought my corner at all). I will be allowed to apply for the other posts at my grade, however competition is strong and interviews are due to be held the week after my due date- which means I can't feasibly attend.

I hope Wednesday is good to everyone, and the buckets aren't too heavily used. Xx

IAmSeriousAndDon'tCallMeShirley
Much sympathy. I remember being in that position and it was awful - what people really are comes out in such situations, as some are ready to sell everyone as long as they keep their job - goodness knows how they would have acted during World War II under Nazi occupation in mainland Europe! Some rather high falutin' advice - whether or not you believe in psychic stuff it's a good idea to envisage yourself being surrounded by an invisible bubble to resist the atmosphere. Always feel free to vent. It's awful having so much going wrong at the same time. Not surprising that insomnia has set off the sickness.
Blondes That is very sweet of you. Thank you for the present. Well, these days I am mellow with age (except about certain topics that set me off like a red rag to a cow)and Mother Hen. Thank goodness, things are gradually becoming more enlightened about Hyperemesis and severe pregnancy sickness. Believe it or not, a couple of decades ago the view that 'it's all in the mind' was common.
RubyReins Always good to hear from you. I've added you, as they say on Facebook. I suppose you still battle your way into court?
Heartburn I think tackling the heartburn is one of the best ways of reducing the nausea - and all sorts of women on here have been helped by that one. I think it helped MotherofPearl to stop those awful head in sink episodes the minute she got in the door from work.
I hope everyone is coping. Apologies for not answering everyone Recovering from a migraine today, so I am in a rather vague state. A while back, someone spoke of dreaming about abortion and how awful it was. I think most people who suffer from Hyperemesis have such dark thoughts at some point. Thoughts aren't deeds - don't feel guilty.
Due Dates
Blondes 30 March
HurryUpApril17 17 April
NerrSnerr 18 April
Castlefeck 19 April
moonoverthewater 10 May
user1477 14 May
IAmSeriousAndDontCallMeShirley 20 May
Robber Bride 29 May
LHReturns 1 June
PeaceLove 3 June
Boobs 6 June
South London 6 June
fourcorneredcircle 7 June
Pastiemaid 12 June
squeezypeasy 13 June
Babyand 23 June
Captain Warbeck 24 June
HollyHop17 20 July
whoate 1 August
HaichM 1 August
SociallyAcceptableCookie 5 August
JimmyJay Early August
Daffodil 11 August
SickRose 18 August
Pip1982 20 August.
Melleebacca 22 August
Mardybum2017 25 August
MagnumAddict 1 September
littlepooch 2 September
MamaBear 7 September
MrsK8541 15 September
MuvaWifey77 17 September
RubyReins 3 October
Heartburn247 23 October
FluteyTootey 26 October
mrsgembles 27 October

Hello everyone, sorry not to post for a while.
I've been feeling less nauseous recently since being off work and have had more good days. Hoping things have abated a bit now and have agreed to start work again next week. Doc not keen to sign me off anymore as I'm not really throwing up now, just tired and nauseous.
Have been very sensible and agreed to increase dd's nursery days to 5 and for me not to work compressed hours any more as I was getting too tired. Gonna miss the little button but I guess it's not fair to my work to try and work hours that I blatantly can't do.
Saw a query from flutey about vit B, don't suppose marmite helps at all? I've been eating it rather obsessively on crumpets recently and I think it's a good source of vit B. Of course depends how your sickness is and I apologise if the very thought of this has made you want to puke!
My sister in law also gave me the tip of non alcoholic beer, has vit b apparently. I couldn't think of anything worse but tried a can today and it went down surprisingly ok!! The can looks like real beer though so I was being quite over defensive about it to dh and anyone else looking interested!
Hello to everyone new and old and a big hello to the next one over the drawbridge, blondes. Sorry you are suffering with your circulation so much at the moment. You will be so glad to be holding your little one very soon! Hope you feel more comfortable and that you don't have too long to wait.
Xx