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.

Hello everyone,

I am 11 weeks pregnant and was hospitalised three times by 9 weeks with HG. I'm on Metraclopromide, Cyclizine and Ondadestron (sp?). I feel like all I do is moan and having had two miscarriages this year I should be grateful to be pregnant. The HG is unbearable, I've been off work since early August and have just laid in bed for weeks. I just feel so ill.

@AndInShortIWasAfraid
Gosh, it does sound like you've had an awful time. I'm glad you're on medication. Are they stopping you from vomiting? Bloody HG means that even when you're not vomiting you still feel like death! This is a good group for support.

I'm 22 weeks and I'm relapsing I think, vomited today and I'm back in bed. Feel bloody awful.

AndInShort all I've done for 29 weeks is sleep (minus finishing my dissertation and attending graduation) so don't worry about that. And moan away we all do the same 😂😂

AndInShortIwasAfraid Ah - a fan of 'The Love Song of Alfred J Prufrock' ! Welcome. Sorry you are suffering so badly and have been hospitalised so often. Don't despair, for most people there is a big improvement between 25-20 weeks approximately, and even for those who suffer throughout, it is almost never so bad later on as it is during the first bit. Do you have kesostix to check for the early stages of dehydration, in case things get bad again? Have they given you an anti acid, that can make a big difference, and also, something for the constipation that accmpanies ondansetron? How do you find the juice of tinned fruit, full sugar flat coke, ice lollies, orange juice, fizzy orange, soda water, sips of chocolate milkshake (maybe soya) Dr Pepper, Eldeflower Water, Lucozade, jelly or slices of melon (maybe crushed and frozen into cubes, as recommended by some sufferers?) Some find cuppa soup, nibbles of crisps and cheap ice cream bearable. Don't despair - things will almost certainly improve.
Thingymaboob Sorry about the relapse. Might it be a hormonal surge?

AndInShortIWasAfraid Sorry, mistype! That's 15-21 weeks.
DeadDoorPost That is enough to do - finishing your dissertation was excellent in the circumstances! You're doing brilliantly.

I'm a week in with my mini magnum as someone called my baby up thread

She is a little beauty and so well behaved it's freaking me out. I never had to wake my son for feeds! I'm sleeping better than when I was pregnant and life is generally great although I expect change at any minute!!!

People have commented I look better now post section than I did while pregnant.... Yeah no bloody wonder. I'm beaming from having a brand new baby girl not perspiring from food aversions and sickness!!! It does say something though when you are better after surgery than during HG.... Further validation on what a horrible illness it is.

Anyway just popping on to say thanks again for all the support and just generally having a place to come even if it's just to read sometimes.

I wish you all the very best with your pregnancies and while I didn't always believe it at my worst in pregnancy, it truly is all worth it xx

Congratulations magnum lovely news!

andinshort welcome, sorry you're here, I am glad you have knocked me off the bottom of the due date list though! It's dire isn't it.

Anyone on ondansetron? My hospital told me I could take 8mg if 4mg didn't work. Went to gp today as they are no longer doing the job and she was really sniffy about prescribing it and said she could only prescribe 5 days worth of 8mg which seems ludicrous when they don't restrict 4mg. Is that right?

I have metoclopromide too but I think I'm on max dose of that.

I'm on ondansetron and get prescribed 20 4mg tablets at a time, so 10 days worth. I think it's a case of each Dr is going to be different about it. But mine just signs me off and doesn't bother me at all. He did say it was odd that I was still feeling sick this far into the pregnancy but he hasn't questioned anything thankfully. I'd probably bite his head off.
What dosage are you on for Metoclopramide? I found it only worked for maybe 1.5 weeks for me before I vomited 15 times that day and had to stop (day of my 1st scan as well.. my body got used to the drugs pretty quick). Hopefully they're working a hell of a lot better for you.

Magnum that's wonderful

I'm waking up every 2/3 hours without fail, no idea why!

Magnum that is so encouraging to hear right now as I hang on for the arrival of little one. I'm glad she's behaving well & I hope it continues!

Blueis I am also waking every 2-3 hours - last time around i remember so many people saying that it's your body's way of preparing you for a baby but I just don't think that's logical; surely the best preparation is more sleep whilst you can have it!

I am off to the mw this morning - haven't really bonded at all with her, we're not on the same wavelength & 4 or 5 appointments she's not been there so had cover (some of whom were lovely!) but yeah I have hardly seen her so would have been more than happy to have had baby and not see her again! I'm deliberating about whether to have a sweep or not so we'll see. No signs of anything happening yesterday or this morning so maybe a sweep would help...in the meantime I am going to tackle a few jobs (whilst hoping my plan to accomplish something will surely encourage him out!)

Thank you for the lovely messages, I am feeling very sorry for myself!

thingymaboob No, I've vomitted three times today and I've only been awake an hour! They seem to work better in the drop than they do in pill form.

DeadDoorpost Well done on the dissertation! At the moment even reading the packet my medication comes in feel too taxing.

LucindaE It's one of my favourite poems! No and the kesostix would be really helpful. I always end up being admitted when my dehydration is quite severe. I lost a stone in six days the first time. I haven't been given an antiacid but I will ask at my next appointment. Luckily, tinned pears are helping with the constipation. I don't seem to be able to have anything sweet which is ridiculous as I used to eat a million chocolate bars a day so I'm surviving on watered down coke, watered down Capri sun and bowls of cereal. I had all these dreams about all the wonderful healthy food I'd be eating and this just feels rubbish. I will try the ice cubes. I really hope it gets better soon, I don't really feel pregnant just ill.

Just it's so annoying how reluctant some GPs are to prescribe ondansetron. Mine has given me a repeat prescription for up to 24mg a day if I need it so your GP is talking rubbish. It really shouldn't be this hard to get hold of.

Morning AndInShortIWasAfraid you are unfortunately both so don't be to hard on yourself. Hg is a shocking condition and I'm one of the unlucky ones that gets it all the way through. Ok so I would say that they meds aren't really working for you and you need to go back to drs as there is still steroids to try.

I know she has unlikely been on but just want to say Daffodil397 I'm still thinking of you every day I hope you are getting all the support you need.

Mammabear I don't know, I suppose getting extra sleep whilst we still can isn't going to do us any favours either. A bit like eating a weeks worth of calories in one day and then not having to eat for a week - it just doesn't work like that

Unfortunately, we can't have a stored sleep supply if that makes sense

oklahoma is that in 8mg tablets or 4mg? Maybe I just need the 4mg and I can take more if needed?

inshort hg is a cruel joke for diet, I spent months being healthy before ivf and was v smug about how healthy I would be pregnant but no, I am eating beige food only and for about 6 weeks ate only grated cheese! Ah well. They take what they need, it's just us that aren't getting it!
I too feel great on a drip, tablets not so much.

Can't remember who asked about metoclopromide but I'm taking 10mg three times a day. Ondansetron doesn't work on its own but does with that!

Sorry if I ignored anyone but bad screen sick today as waiting for new drugs to arrive. 4mg of ondansetron is barely touching sides now and I'm constantly gagging. Ugh.

Congratulations Magnum and so pleased you are feeling better and getting some sleep too! Sorry you are feeling so poorly at the moment though andinshort.

Daffodil, like Mustang said I know you probably won't see this, but just in case, I'm thinking of you very often too and hope you have lots of people in real life around you to give help and support.

justtheone Yeah, I asked about it. I think that might be the maximum dosage of metaclopramide (I know they're really awkward with it in most places) so definitely try and speak to another Dr and get the ondansetron tablets sorted.

AndInShort I lost 7lbs in a day at one point, but don't know how quickly I lost a stone.. tbh I'm still losing weight as I'm not putting any on and bump is getting slowly bigger so I've no idea how much I've lost. I was the same as you: chocolate all day before I got pregnant and it's taken months to feeling back up to eating it again. But then I've gone through stages of only wanting to eat savoury foods and now it seems to be sweet foods. Hopefully you'll feel a bit more like yourself (for me it was about week 20 but can't remember anymore).

I fear I may need to join this thread again. I found it invaluable when I was pregnant with my daughter (who is now 2). A week ago we discovered I was pregnant again, but no idea how far along as I still haven't had a period since getting pregnant the first time! We estimated 5 or 6 weeks and I'd had no symptoms so was hopeful I might escape the HG this time. Last night I woke up feeling really sick and have felt awful this morning. Luckily I've already got a supply of cyclizine so have taken one already and if I can find my vitamin b6 tablets I'll take them too. My hope is that by treating it this early, I won't get to the stage of hospitalisation as I did last time.

I hadn't realised how much HG affected me mentally last time. Just the feeling nauseous last night panicked me a bit and I'm now terrified of being as ill as I was last time 🙁

Welcome dilly and sorry that you're here again but congratulations! It's awful isn't it that HG takes away from what should be an utterly happy time. Starting the meds early should hopefully help.

Just I have 4mg tablets. I vary my dose day to day depending on growth spurts and how much toddler wrangling I have to do.

Hi Dilly and welcome. I also have a 2yr old and took a pregnancy test because I felt so awful I knew I must be pregnant. It's just as much fun second time round but at least you are mentally prepared and it isn't such a shock. Taking drugs early definitely helped keep me out of hospital.

Just popping in to say that yes, it's very annoying how some GPs are so reluctant to prescribe Ondansetron. I've a friend who is an A&E consultant who told me that even 2-3 years ago there was more reluctance to prescribe it in pregnancy, but that - in hospitals at least - it is now prescribed routinely for HG, with confidence in its safety. But GPs don't work in the hospital setting so perhaps aren't as aware of this.

If you have a reluctant GP, try to get seen in an EPU. They are usually far more experienced in treating HG than the average GP.

Sorry to see the new joiners, but you're in the right place. Lots of support on here.

dillydollydarling Welcome back. I do hope you escape the worst this time and 'only' have MS. Do get meds asap, even apart from your leftover ones. At least you are a veteran this time, no need for advice about kesostix and the juice of tinned fruit etc. I remember you and your name; that's a literary reference, too, isn't it? 'Vanity Fair'.
MagnumAddict Thank you so much for calling in from the Pink Castle with that lovely message of support. You deserve an angel baby. Mine was devilish - but I didn't suffer as badly as you!
DeadDoorPost I hope Ondansetron is still working?
MamaBear I am cheering you on over the drawbridge of the Pink Castle! I think people who have a midwife they really click with are so lucky...
justtheonethen Grated cheese sounds healthy compared to coke and crisps and cheap ice cream, a typical Hyperemesis diet on here, anyway...
Mustang and pippasnippa I have been thinking of Daffodil too - as I am sure we all are. If there is justice, it is beyond the grave, that is for sure.
Oklahoma MotherofPearl and others - I so agree about Ondansetron. I believe things are getting better. When this thread started circa 2010, being prescribed it was the exception, and sufferers only got meds when they had been admitted at least once, even if they had suffered badly throuhout in a previous pregnancy. Sometimes not even then. It was barbaric, quite frankly.
Lovely to hear from TwoDrifters - great advice.
BluelsYou I am glad you had an improvement at twenty weeks.
These weight losses are quite shocking...
I hope AndInShortIWAsAfraid Gets steroids if necessary.
Apologies to anyone rudely ignored or with whom I have cross posted (with all this literary talk I mustn't end a sentence with a preposition!)

LucindaE yeah the ondansetron is still working but on an upped dosage. On 2 4mg tablets a day but really can with it so tend to stick with 1... should probably go back to 2 but I don't even know if it makes much of a difference now. I just feel ill most of the time anyway.

LucindaE I've also got a prescription for cyclizine so need to take that in asap. Thankfully since starting them this morning I haven't felt too bad so fingers crossed controlling it early enough will minimise it!

My nickname is actually something my older sister called me when I was about 8. It's stuck ever since!!

Welcome dilly and hello to everyone else, sorry to hear it sounds like a lot of people are having a rough time at the moment.

I don't know whether anyone can help me with this question Lucinda maybe you know of someone who's had GD and HG combined before and had the same issue? I'm having trouble controlling ketones right now. I have totally adapted my diet (no sugar, low carb) and have had consistently good blood sugar readings (great!) and am on day 3 of the changes now. But, ketones are consistently high (yesterday morning 4+ and then 1-2+ throughout the day, this morning 3+ again). I feel unwell (obviously) but am just not sure what to do. On the first day I vomited a fair few times so it was to be expected, but yesterday I didn't vomit at all. I am definitely not anywhere near dehydrated so can't exactly go to the hospital and ask for a drip & I am being careful to drink loads of water.

I understand that this can happen with GD if you don't eat enough (particularly if combined with vomiting like the other day), but I am stuffing myself with as much as is allowed by the GD diet - trying to have loads of snacks. But the fact is the lack of carbs / sugar means that I'm really just not getting anywhere near enough calories in - particularly given that I'm burning more since they've told me to walk around as much as possible. I am grazing constantly on all the GD friendly foods and eating loads, but if I eat more my stomach gets too full and obviously that worsens the heartburn and means I vomit, making things worse. I have already started losing weight and am just getting a bit worried about constantly having ketones like this. Normally I could eat a nice sugary biscuit and drink and quite quickly redress the balance, but obviously I can't do that now. Anyone have any thoughts? - I have an appointment next week when I'll discuss, but it feels like a long time to wait.

Sorry for the long and rambling question...