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 great: 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.

Please tell me it's going to get better than this. I'm so exhausted. I managed to go downstairs for 15 mins and felt so dizzy and sick I had to come back to bed. I've not kept any food down today - I tried 2 pitta breads - but have managed about 500ml squash. I honestly can't do this. I'm so sad as I was so desperate to be pregnant after our infertility. I'm being a crap mum to my daughter and although my husband is helping its clear he's pissed off with me. I think he thinks I'm just being lazy.

Mustang Thank you

Sorry everyone is going through pretty much the same crap as me - Sickness and tiredness. Feeling (touch wood) a little less sicky this evening but I'm just exhausted.

The exhausting itself is making me feel desperate for relief of some sort.

I know I sound naive but I'd rather have a small baby to tend to than be nauseous and knackered 24/7 with no real reason other than HG which few people even try and understand

Ah Lemon sorry to hear about the disastrous choir event, and thingy about the rubbish holiday. Sounds like lots of people are having bad days, beanhunter I really hope you have a better day tomorrow and things pick up, those days are the worst. I know what you mean about feeling guilty about your DD - it is horrible.

Here tonsillitis continues, and had several horrendous throwing up episodes this afternoon which really didn't help my throat. My bladder control, or lack of during vomiting, has got me down . Fed up is the best summary!

Oh and Bluels, that's not naive at all, a little baby to take care of is definitely easier than HG!! Sorry you're feeling rubbish today.

How far along are you beanhunter? I've found that it gets better after 16 weeks but I might be a lucky one. I'm still taking ondansetron but I may be able to cope without it depending on whether I watch what I eat.. I don't want to risk it just yet as I've got my graduation coming up.

Today me and the DH rearranged our bedroom to make room for the cot etc. And done some cooking as well.

9 weeks deaddoorpost. An eternity to go.

It does sound like most of us are having a bad time at the minute. I tried stopping meds as I hadn't vomited for a couple of days but this combined with doing too much yesterday (trying to get spare bed sorted for in laws coming end of this week - currently room covered in boxes from house move!) was a bad idea; nausea and sickness hit me like a train and I feel horrendous. Oh the joy of hg.

Bean I remember very much 8-12 weeks being a very difficult mental battle and genuinely thinking I couldn't make it through. I am now 32 weeks and I don't know how I have made it this far but am relieved to be here; I know that doesn't help you in the midst of suffering so badly but just wanted to encourage you to hang in there Also I have a 3 year old who I could barely look after - she took to doing wees in the potty which was in her room as she couldn't reach the doors/manage to go to the bathroom without help (she is v short!) and she didn't want to tell me because every time I got up I was sick. For me that was the low point of my inability to parent her. We used lots of telly and she just played around me; even now I still have days/times when I just need to lie down and she'll just play. It is a short period of their life and will soon be forgotten once little one arrives. In the meantime is there anyone who could give you a hand with watching your daughter for even an hour? My husband is definitely fed up with me now (although he wasn't too bad early on) and feels like I should be better now and his life is so hard when I have bad days - not that there is much he has to do, other than eat dinner with her (lots of meals in freezer that I defrost/hear ready) and put her to bed. It is hard when it feels like your not fully supported

Blue Definitely agree with the baby over hg any day! But I think that those who don't have hg find it difficult to understand where we're coming from on that one!

Oh ffs I typed out a huge waffles reply to everyone 🙄. I know the area well @thingymaboob my aunt lived in Wigtown for many years and I dated a guy from Kirkinner briefly lol

Bean what everyone else said head up high Hun it will improve. Might not be perfect until baby is here but it does get easier

Bean weeks 7-9 were the worst for me, mainly because the sickness was so intense and, like you said, it feels like an eternity. You're doing brilliantly. There's not much you can do than try to not think too far ahead, take one day at a time and think "this too will pass". Those first weeks are the worst. Odds are things will get better, even if symptoms don't go entirely. For example, I'm having a horrible week - but it's still nothing like this first trimester! Just try to hang onto that thought - tough as it is.

I don't think it was close to this bad with my daughter. I know rest helps but we are moving house in a week and I genuinely don't know how I can do it. And then when we move my husband is around for most of the next 3 weeks but then I'll have the rest of the summer holiday to amuse her. Hopefully I'll be one of the lucky ones who feels better after 12 weeks as we have no support network where we are moving too. Currently sat in church trying hard not to vomit.

Oh no, I just typed a long message and my pc started doing updates and calmly deleted the lot.
beanhunter Oh, no. Can you run to getting one of those firms who do packing as well? I know it is very expensive. Will any friend/relative come in to help pack at this side of the move, anyway? Remind me what meds you are on. As you are a churchgoer, might there be some support in the church where you are going? Much sympathy to you and Mamabear about unsympathetic OH's. It is very hard for most men to understand and they get fed up because they think in terms of 'fixing things' (except people's feelings). About neglect of LO's - from all I have seen on this thread and elsewhere - they soon forget all about this period of comparative neglect. They are very resiliant and after all, have flexible minds and are not judgemental. Also, they will have a sibling - a priceless gift. I wish I had gone for it twice, though it seemed too difficult at the time. Cyber hugs on offer.
pippasnippa That sounds awful. Would ice cubes help? Also, can you stand gargling salt water or is it too nauseating?
Much sympathy to all. Who said 'Wigstown'? What a wonderful name.
Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked. I am anxious that my pc might eat this, too.

Bean Weeks 6.5 to 10... I felt as if I was literally dying. They were the absolute worst.

Then it when back to relatively 'normal' nausea and sickness. Then week 14 hit and I was hospitalised for a few days

Ok so I've just slept for another 3 hrs. I've got some urine dipsticks and I have 1+ of ketones (max is 3+ on these strips). Does that mean I have to go to hospital or can I see how things go?

bean keep an eye on it. 3+ is admission point usually, but do take into account how you're feeling in general too (I sometimes find ketones oscillate quite wildly for me, if I manage to keep a bit of an ice lolly down they go down to zero, but a few hours later are up to 3...). Do hope you start to feel a little better soon.

Lucinda sadly can't stomach it, but the throat is starting to feel much better. Unfortunately the vomiting is a bit unrelenting at the moment and once again those ketones are creeping up .

If you're feeling really bad I'd go to the hospital even if the ketones are only +1

beanhunter Do keep an eye on those pesky ketones. Great advice generally from Natsku and everyone.
pippasnippa I do hope ice cubes or ice lollies sooth it.
Everyone, I have my daughter's graduation ceremony coming up - split between Liverpool and Neston, and so I have to be absent for two days. However, the wonderful TwoDrifters will be looking in to keep an eye on things. Look after yourselves.

Other signs of more severe dehydration (what the doctor checked in the hospital) are dry mouth, squeezing the fingertips to see how quickly (slower if dehydrated) the colour returns and the skin pinch test. But I'd go first and foremost on how you feel and when you last kept anything down.

thanks. I rang the ward as epau not open until tomorrow. They were pretty dismissive and said would discharge at 2+ so it wasn't an indication of fluids. I tried to ask if it was relevant that I had no ketones on Thursday before ondansetron was started and now I'm worse and she just said to eat crisps and drink coke. I feel like I'm being pathetic.

Urgh sorry they weren't helpful over the phone, not very nice of them. Waiting until ketones are elevated shouldn't be necessary if there are other signs of dehydration so going in person might go better.

I'll speak to them tomorrow. Managed a bit of tea. Will see if it stays down. Not enjoying the ondansetron constipation either.

Fingers crossed for you that your tea stays down and you can get some help tomorrow.

I threw up once today when we drove the bendy roads to town but otherwise have been OK. Stopped using the metoclopramide altogether as it didn't seem to help and gave me a dodgy stomach so managing on the doxylamine. Will ask the doctor when I go back to get my thyroid review about taking another dose in the early afternoon to make the evenings better.

Sorry they weren't helpful bean. I've been discharged at 2 keytones feeling absolute rubbish in the past. One of the gps earlier in my pregnancy asked why i was checking keytones for dehydration as they were more signs of starvation...which might explain why I felt so rubbish for weeks at the beginning but because I managed to keep a little food down, didn't have high keytones. When I did get admitted, both a&e and the epau mainly used my keytones rather than any other signs of dehydration (such as my wee being bright orange and low in volume) to judge my dehydration, which looking back probably isn't the way.

Basically, keep an eye out for the other signs of dehydration as well as the keytones and go ask for fluids if the signs indicate moderate dehydration. I didn't and I felt awful and weak for weeks...

Mellee: your DH is off away soon right? (Since I'm coming up on 38 weeks and you're 2 behind me). Is he going to be too far to come back easily/quickly if you do go into labour early? Though, be warned, if you and Holly both have your babies early and I end up going over I am going to be annoyed and jealous

That's terrible haitch I think I must be really lucky with my local hospital, they gave me fluids the first time before doing any blood or wee tests because the OB told them too, and the second time based on my blood test showing low sodium levels. My urine had no ketones either time but they estimated that I was about one litre dehydrated. I reckon its better to give fluids earlier before dehydration gets too bad as then meds are more likely to stay down so you don't need to be admitted at all (if fluids are given in A&E) so saving money and suffering.

It's interesting to hear there are different approaches. My GP that I visited when I felt really poorly also ignored ketones as it was just an indication of food (she didn't even test them and I was sent home with the 'eat a ginger biscuit and sip water' advice). I was feeling truly awful and was sent home. Next time I skipped the GP and went straight to hospital where they tested ketones which were 4+ so was on a drip that day but didn't have to stay in as blood tests were ok - they didn't check ketones again on the way out, just asked if I was feeling better as an indicator. At my last routine appointment they tested 2+ and offered hospitalisation as an option which I declined as I wasn't feeling too bad. Ketones are bizarre, I don't understand them! Bean, I hope your dinner stays put, or at least something to drink - sadly mine has not!

LucindaE Hope all goes well and you have a lovely time!

I'll be checking in & out to keep an eye on all poor sufferers - hope everyone manages to get some rest and relaxation tonight before the week begins anew…