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, phone them on:
024 7638 2020
Lastly, the NICE guidelines on treatment are useful:
cks.nice.org.uk/nauseavomiting-in-pregnancy
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.

Yay to a good scan foody and to you for no gd shez

I'm going to go insane if I have to rest much more! I decided to get up and get dressed this morning so that I could take the kids to school/nursery. Cue retching and dizziness and another awful day in bed. I need to be up and doing! I'm stressing about work so much too.

How are you feeling now nails?

I am just about managing sparkling water with a splash of squash in it but really struggling to get any food to stay down. I don’t suppose there is much the hospital could do though if I am managing to drink a bit. I feel permanently hungry though.

I’m glad your scan went well foody.

The pain went away by itself so I didn't bother going to the doctor, would rather avoid the health centre as much as possible until flu season is over.

Someone asked about sickness carrying on with breastfeeding - it does with an unlucky few but hasn't with me at least.

Sorry I've been so self centred!

hotchoc nails anat that all sounds rubbish.

Has to call OH and get him to pick up LO and sort him this evening (usually back from work about 10.30).
Doubt his work are impressed but I can barely move.

Hoping the Promethazine helps

Yay for no diabetes shez

Thanks Ana nails Foody ! Really quite relieved as it was my 2nd GTT and was expecting the worst after reading about stories online where GD was picked up late in pregnancy.

Foody Promethazine was God sent for me tbh! Really helped me survive my 2nd trimester and a good part of the 3rd trimester. And I liked having the extra sleep. Well could afford it with no other DC to look after and a hubby who is extremely flexi with work. I have my fingers crossed it works for you as well!
Good news about the scan!

Natsku So glad to hear the pain is gone now. Reading posts from recent hg survivors about how the nausea & vomiting disappears after birth give me a boost always!
Hope Mr. Justice and your little girl are doing well.

hotchocolate are your meds not helping in keeping some solids down? So sorry you are feeling like this. I do remember how it was to feel so hungry all the time but unable to eat at the same time. It wasn't the best of times but hopefully you turn a corner soon.

Ana You really should have an early night. Overdoing it leads to relapses in most cases so pls take rest.

I’m glad your pain went away nat. I breastfed my son but my sickness didn’t carry on. I wasn’t aware it could do.

foody I suspect I am also self centred at the moment. I think it is probably normal when you are feeling so rough. Don’t worry about it.

I am keeping very little food down shehz. I am dizzy a lot of the time and very tired. I’m grateful for every little bite that does stay down though and also that I am currently able to keep down some fluids. I am scared though as I have read that the worst time is usually between 8 and 10 weeks and I am already struggling a fair bit.

Good to hear good news from Shez, Foody and Natsku.
Hotchocolate the GP put my ondansetron dose up when I was still vomiting and not eating much. Then the hospital tried a different combination of meds, so may be worth speaking to them. Good that you're managing some fluids.
Sorry for other people feeling rubbish. My few days of feeling a bit better ended with a terrible afternoon of retching and having to go back to bed.

Thank goodness my sickness didn't carry with breast feeding as I'm 'still' bfing now haha.

isthismummy i know what you mean, I have foods that I ate right after conceiving in this and even previous pregnancies, before I knew I was expecting, that even now, years later, I can't look at. It's gotten better, it used to be if someone mentioned the word 'falafel' or if I was in a shop and saw a bottle of strawberry-banana drink, I'd heave right then and there. And those are triggers from 8 years ago! The mind is such a powerful tool, and deconditioning is hard! I found that time is the best healer in those matters, though I did do a few years of therapy following my previous pregnancies because HG-related trauma is a real thing.

Oh bored I am sorry to hear you are feeling rough again. I hope it doesn’t last too long. I will speak to the hospital about upping my dosage I think. Fingers crossed they will agree.

I’m in bed, my lovelies. I’ve really overdone it and I can barely walk my hips are so sore.

I had spd last time but from much later. I’m going to be seriously bummed off if it starts now.

Wishing everyone a peaceful night .

You too ana

Just back out if bed for a bit and managed half a slice of bread.

Hoping my LB settles to sleep soon. He's having another story with daddy.

I hope we have a better night.
We bedshare and OH sleeps in the other room.
Tried to swap beds last night and LO was having none of it.

He's not coping very well with mummy being a bit ill.

Hi ladies

I hope it's okay for me to ask here as I don't have HG, just bad 'morning' sickness but I've been struggling since 5 weeks (I'm now 10+1) and the doctor gave me Promethazine as I wasn't really able to eat or drink and had ketones in my urine. I couldn't get out of bed during week 8 and although I was worried about taking medication, I was in danger of losing my job for absence (I'm still in my 12 week probation as I only started in Dec) so I didn't really have a choice

I was originally prescribed 25mg/day but this had little impact and the doctor wouldn't give me any other medications so told me to take 3 x 25mg/day instead

This has helped somewhat. I can function but I'm worried that I'm taking triple the recommended dose...is this safe?

Thanks 😊

Hi!

You are more than welcome here!

I was on Promethazine last time and about to start again tonight.
I only needed 25mg but am sure I told up to 100mg was ok.
Will try to find a link.

www.pregnancysicknesssupport.org.uk/

with treatment for most conditions it is sensible to start on the 'first rung of the ladder' and work upwards if relief is not achieved. There is excellent evidence for using cyclizine (50mg, 1 tablet 3 x a day) or promethazine (avomine 25mg 1 tablet 4 x a day), which are very similar, both being anti-histamines, in conjunction with pyridoxone (B6, 10mg 1 tablet 4 x per day) as the first step on the ladder. If this treatment is started early enough then further treatment may not be needed. In second and subsequent pregnancies this treatment should be used as a prophylactic (taken before hand to prevent you getting ill), pre-empting the severity experienced previously. It is most effective when used as early as possible but unfortunately with many first pregnancies it is often a number of weeks before treatment is started and therefore too late for the 'first step' medications to have much impact, meaning that women need to move on to stronger medication to obtain adequate symptom control.

From the page linked above xx

Thank you @Foodylicious, that makes me feel much better!

My friend was scaring me by freaking out when I told her I was taking anti sickness meds but I really don't think I have a choice, I was so ill! She didn't have a day of sickness during her pregnancy so she doesn't understand, I explained that I feel like I've had norovirus for weeks on end but she is convinced it's dangerous for the baby

Also, not sure what you gp will have said, but I think it was ok to take more at once instead of as separate doses, but you might want to check that.

Sure someone else on here will know x

Sorry I've not been on in ages. Haven't been in great shape. Hope everyone is doing as ok as they can. Can't remember when I last posted but where I'm currently up to is that I saw a gp acouple of weeks ago who suggested ginger, told me I shouldn't need medication 'this is something every expectant mother goes through, you just have to get on with it'. Ended up in tears. Eventually got told by her go switch from prochlorperazine back to cyclizine as that may work better now I was further along. Cue everything getting worse from there. Got sent home by boss, back to the drs last Tuesday by which time I was dizzy, Ketostix were def picking up ketones, throwing up constantly, light headed, constant headache etc. After previous appt had a friend come with me to stand up for me as I had no fight left. He put me on metaclopramide and told me I wasn't allowed back into work until after a follow up appt which was yesterday, also suggested ginger. Seemed to get a bit better for a few days. Then threw up tablets and everything else again. Same friend came with me to drs yesterday. Different gp again. She told me no other medications available. I showed her the list on the pregnancy sickness website and she reluctantly put me on promethazine, told me ondastron is not safe in pregnancy. Also again reiterated ginger. Did urine test and she said that she's not concerned about ketones until they go very dark purple on her test sticks (no figures provided). Did tell me that I'm not allowed back to work though and has signed me off for another 10 days. Sorry for the essay I just feel rotten about it all. People especially drs advising me to have ginger is doing my head in as is being made to feel like I'm a failure just because I need medication to try to control the sickness. Ps dr yesterday completely dismissed the pregnancy support website as 'a bunch of people with nothing better to do than pretend that they are drs, they have no idea what they are on about and are just individuals that can't accept that a little bit of morning sickness is par for the course'. She didn't have an answer though when I pointed out that the midwife had directed me to that site.
Hope you're all ok.

polkadotpixie please don't let your friend scare you, sounds like you really need some help with meds. I had promethazine added to another drug I was already on, and started on 25mg 3 times daily. The site foody had linked is really reassuring, you can call them up for extra advice too if needed - may be useful for you if your GP won't prescribe other medications and the promethazine doesn't seem enough. It sounds like you are really suffering, and there are lots of drug options possible.

E2017 that sounds horrific, some Drs attitudes are barbaric. What a ridiculous thing to say about Pregnancy support, when I have been to the maternity unit in the hospital they have the PSS posters up all over the place!!!
Well done for getting someone to go with you, it's impossible to advocate for yourself feeling so ill. Sounds like banging your heads against a brick wall though......
I'd be really tempted to bypass them and go to hospital, especially if you have ketones. My husband's aunt is a midwife in Australia, I spoke to her when I was feeling terrible (cyclizine and stemetil hadn't worked) and she advised me to just go to A&E, they transferred me to the maternity clinic and started me on ondansetron (wouldn't give me fluids as no ketones) which I honestly believe saved me from a full on hospital admission. They injected the drug as vomiting so much you're just not going to absorb it. It just doesn't sound like you'll change your GP's ridiculous mindset - once you're feeling better I would seriously put in a complaint, their knowledge (esp regarding ondansetron in pregnancy) is seriously out of date and dangerous.
Really hope the promethazine helps.

Poor you Anatidae, it's so horrible. Feel good.

And E2017, you poor dear, some doctors can be so heartless and misinformed. I agree with bored, sometimes you have to just work the system.

polkadot don't get hung up by whether not you have HG, pregnancy sickness is a spectrum, and so often people (friends, Drs, family, etc) tell us to buck up and bear it, but if your sickness is bad enough to be interfering with life, it's not normal and of course you should get meds to help you, especially since there are so many safe options (despite what E2017's misinformed Dr said!)