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.

www.rcog.org.uk/en/guidelines-research-services/guidelines/gtg69/

Sorry if link doesn't work (rubbish with phone), but these are some guidelines for Drs for treating nausea and vomiting in pregnancy and HG, clearly stating the need for meds. Interesting for your Dr - 3 of the people listed on here involved in the guidelines (for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists) are also trustees or linked with Pregnancy Sickness Support - so that GP really doesn't know what they are talking about!
I know one of the GPs I saw referred to these guidelines when deciding on the next treatment choices.

Goodness, the thread is moving on quickly.
Welcome to PolkaDotPixie. You've had great advice already. I'll just reiterate, please don't feel guilty about taking meds.
Decades ago the guidelines were not so good and some unborn babies were damaged by a drug called Thamidolide (spelling?) which had not been properly tested. That could never happen now. Doctors are super careful. That sounds like Hyperemesis even if you haven't yet lost the official amount of weight, one eighth of body weight or whatever it is. Do invest in some kesostix from any chemists, to help check for the early stages of dehydration just in case. I hope the meds help. Some drinks that are useful - the juice of tinned fruit, flat full sugar coke, ice lollies, ice cubes, soda water, Elderflower Water, Lucoazade, lemonade (as I think you said), fizzy orange, Dr Pepper,
sips of chocolate milkshake (maybe soya) orange juice (I think for those with less heartburn), and someone recently said Robinson's fruit drinks. For foods - of a sort - cuppa soup, cheap ice cream, custard, crisps, nibbles of chips, slices of melon and mango and I have heard too, mashed potato and cornflakes.
Shehz I am so glad that the test went OK.
Foody ...And happy news about the scan. Sorry you feel so awful.
Is it out of the question to get signed off? You seem to be far too ill to work, says Mother Hen.
E2017 That is awful. I am so about that doctor's attitude! I'm not sure, I'm probably being obtuse, about whether that doctor was annoyed that you had spoken to Pregnancy Sickness SOS or if you had printed out advice from them. If you haven't spoken to them, do ring and explain that dr's attitude about drugs and advice and they might be able to suggest a way of getting meds.
Anitidae Poor you. Do rest as much as you can.
hotchocolate Only a tiny minority to suffer after birth, to do with breast feeding hormones, largely.I have known it happen to about six people (I was one of the lucky few, though I hadn't suffered that long before birth!) on these threads out of hundreds over the years.

Much sympathy to all who are suffering.
Nails added you to the list.
Goodness, the thread is moving on quickly.
Welcome to PolkaDotPixie. You've had great advice already. I'll just reiterate, please don't feel guilty about taking meds.
Decades ago the guidelines were not so good and some unborn babies were damaged by a drug called Thamidolide (spelling?) which had not been properly tested. That could never happen now. Doctors are super careful. That sounds like Hyperemesis even if you haven't yet lost the official amount of weight, one eighth of body weight or whatever it is. Do invest in some kesostix from any chemists, to help check for the early stages of dehydration just in case. I hope the meds help. Some drinks that are useful - the juice of tinned fruit, flat full sugar coke, ice lollies, ice cubes, soda water, Elderflower Water, Lucoazade, lemonade (as I think you said), fizzy orange, Dr Pepper,
sips of chocolate milkshake (maybe soya) orange juice (I think for those with less heartburn), and someone recently said Robinson's fruit drinks. For foods - of a sort - cuppa soup, cheap ice cream, custard, crisps, nibbles of chips, slices of melon and mango and I have heard too, mashed potato and cornflakes.
Shehz I am so glad that the test went OK.
Foody ...And happy news about the scan. Sorry you feel so awful.
Is it out of the question to get signed off? You seem to be far too ill to work, says Mother Hen.
E2017 That is awful. I am so about that doctor's attitude! I'm not sure, I'm probably being obtuse, about whether that doctor was annoyed that you had spoken to Pregnancy Sickness SOS or if you had printed out advice from them. If you haven't spoken to them, do ring and explain that dr's attitude about drugs and advice and they might be able to suggest a way of getting meds.
Anitidae Poor you. Do rest as much as you can.
Much sympathy to all.
Goodness, the thread is moving on quickly.
Welcome to PolkaDotPixie. You've had great advice already. I'll just reiterate, please don't feel guilty about taking meds.
Decades ago the guidelines were not so good and some unborn babies were damaged by a drug called Thamidolide (spelling?) which had not been properly tested. That could never happen now. Doctors are super careful. That sounds like Hyperemesis even if you haven't yet lost the official amount of weight, one eighth of body weight or whatever it is. Do invest in some kesostix from any chemists, to help check for the early stages of dehydration just in case. I hope the meds help. Some drinks that are useful - the juice of tinned fruit, flat full sugar coke, ice lollies, ice cubes, soda water, Elderflower Water, Lucoazade, lemonade (as I think you said), fizzy orange, Dr Pepper,
sips of chocolate milkshake (maybe soya) orange juice (I think for those with less heartburn), and someone recently said Robinson's fruit drinks. For foods - of a sort - cuppa soup, cheap ice cream, custard, crisps, nibbles of chips, slices of melon and mango and I have heard too, mashed potato and cornflakes.
Shehz I am so glad that the test went OK.
Foody ...And happy news about the scan. Sorry you feel so awful.
Is it out of the question to get signed off? You seem to be far too ill to work, says Mother Hen.
E2017 That is awful. I am so about that doctor's attitude! I'm not sure, I'm probably being obtuse, about whether that doctor was annoyed that you had spoken to Pregnancy Sickness SOS or if you had printed out advice from them. If you haven't spoken to them, do ring on 024 76392020 and explain that dr's attitude about drugs and advice and they might be able to suggest a way of getting meds.
Anitidae Poor you. Do rest as much as you can.
Much sympathy to all suffering.

Due Dates
OrangeCloud 4 March
Shez21 22 March
scottishem 22 March
AndInShortIWasAfraid 27 March
Polyfilla 25 April
Poppet1985 28 April
dillydollydarling 4 May
seizethecuttlefish 13 May
Sally Mid May
Bunnyfluffy 20 May
BATMAN 21 May
Greenbeanies 23 May
Elephantgrey 25 May
Meadowhay 18 June
Lifeofpies 9 July
NailsatHome 20 July
Harebell 13 August
Endorra44 16 August
Anitidae 27 August
Didntcomeheretofuckspiders 1st September
SleepyBadger 3 October
Foodylicious 5 October

Sorry about that, everyone - in trying to copy the due dates list, I ended up copying the whole post twice over!

luc I am taking the rest if the week off and have cancelled our plans to visit family this weekend .

The Promethazine and the a bit of a better sleep seem to have helped.

I haven't been actually sick since mid yesterday, just had numerous cycles of wretching etc. Delightfully on the sofa, but I find it far too easy to be sick and staying out of the bathroom reduces the likelihood (though obvs only to an extent)
Still getting some spasms overnight and now, but I do feel better. My body must have absorbed every single nutrient from the slice of bread and butter I managed (over several hours) last evening

I have Booking appointment with MW on Monday morning so will see how I am then re work .

How was everyone else's night?

Lucinda is right about thalidomide - that case was one of the events that actually founded the modern drug development industry. Before then you could pretty much just test things however you wanted. There were some guidelines in places after the horrendous experiments the nazis did on people but thalidomide prompted them to be updated. Drug development is now regulated to within an inch of its life. As it should be!
I work in drug development and the safety monitoring is intense - drugs go through three rounds of initial trials (basically in a dish, in healthy volunteers and then in the population you intend to treat.) then after that even when he drug is released all concerns are reported and collected. And ALL reports are collected. Patient hit by a car and broke a leg? You still have to report in a trial and assess if it was linked. Most trials fail - either the drug doesn’t work or it isn’t safe enough.

It’s not perfect - sometimes you need that drug to be taken by twenty thousand people before you’d see an effect, but the monitoring is there and doctors now are very very conservative with prescription. The drugs you’d be given for HG are as best we know, safe in pregnancy 👍

Thalidomide is actually still used - it’s a good treatment for some of the side effects of leprosy and certain types of cancer.

Wow the thread has moved on a lot overnight.

polkadotpixie You are very welcome here. Your symptoms sound very much like HG. I hope the meds you’ve been given help you.

E2017 I wonder if it might be a good idea to bypass the doctors and go to A&E. They will probably be of more help there.

I hope everyone has a better day today.

I had a very rough night. Tossing and turning with the nausea. My throat hurts from being sick and all that’s coming up is I presume bile. Ive never brought up bile before but I presume it’s that. My ketones are showing as high but could that be because I haven’t had much to drink overnight? I wonder if maybe I should test again if I manage to keep down some fluids before deciding to call the hospital. I am so dizzy as well. Hoping for a better day today.

Ana do you still have the hip pain or has it eased off a bit overnight?

hotchoc sorry you have had SUCH a bad night.
I think you could just call the hospital? You don't sound well at all xx

I am walking like an eighty year old this morning :(

Also have some pains in the bump - nothing worrying but a sign I’ve overdone it. Will rest as much as I can today and see if that helps.

You poor thing hotchoc it sounds really rough :(

Anatidae hope you feel better soon with rest.
Hotchocolate you are only likely to get the ketones down if you can eat - they are formed when there is no sugar/carbs as an energy source so the body breaks down fat reserves. Just drinking is unlikely to help as they are more a starvation than a dehydration marker. Fluids help dilute them, but you will need to eat to stop their production (which doesn't sound like it will happen you poor thing). So sorry you feel so terrible, I think you better speak to the hospital......

Hot choc go straight to the hospital. No point soldiering on through, go and get meds and fluids.

Sorry to hear so many are suffering and that drs are being unhelpful. Maybe we need to campaign for better education for them on hg.

Thank you all for the advice. The comment just made about ketones being a marker of starvation more than hydration is interesting. From what I'd read that was the impression I was getting. Yet the 'lovely' gp stated that is how they assess if someone is dehydrated or not. So confused.
Hope everyone is having a good day.
My due date is 12th August by the way. X

I have finally managed to make a gp appointment ....... on the 5th of March!!!!

Hello everyone I've been reading through this forum today as I am ten weeks pregnant and suffering with constant nausea, however I'm only vomiting about 1-4 times per day.
My GP has prescribed me cyclizine but it doesn't really seem to be doing anything apart from making me more tired. I was just wondering what your experiences have been and if anybody has any advice.

Off to hospital shortly to see if they will give me any fluids or anything. Thanks for the responses everyone.

Sorry to hear you are still suffering with the pain ana

rockinrobinn at best my tablets slightly reduce the vomiting at the moment. They don’t really help the nausea. If cyclizine are not helping though there are other medications you can try so it might be worth going back.

I’ve just puked up all over myself and the bathroom and noticed what looks like old blood in it (basically black/brown grainy material.)

I’ve eaten nothing but beige for the last few days so I can’t see what else it could be...but I’ve been having quite bad stomach pains as well. :(

I suspect I had an ulcer before I was pregnant too (stressful job.)

Oh no Anatidae that's worrying. Are you on any gastroprotectants already? Better get yourself seen.

Did it look like coffee grounds? ana

Think you need to call 111

Sounds like a bleeding ulcer, I've had one before. Get to the doctor.

I’ve had blood in my vomit in both pregnancies, both times I called GP and they saw me and then sent me to A and E. Both times they were happy it was just because I was vomiting so much and so frequently it had caused some damage to tummy lining. But I would DEFINITELY go and get it checked it out as it could have been more serious and they want to see you to rule anything out. Really hope you’re ok x

Yup, the coffee grounds type which is old blood (I’ve had plenty of streaks of fresh blood but that’s common and generally not serious unless it’s a lot.)

I will call my MW practice. Joy.

natsku did you have any other symptoms? I’ve had quite a lot of trouble with my stomach since #1 was born - the oesophageal sphincter seems to not work anymore :/ I get terrible acid reflux and a lot of stomach pain, which of course is worse in pregnancy. I’m not sure I can face A&E but I’ll definitely let the gynae/mw practice know. I need to go see them anyway as my sick note runs out next week and there is no way I can go back to work in this bloody state :/

Oh ana That sounds horrible. I’m glad you are going to get checked out.

I am at the hospital now. I have 3+ ketones and am now on fluids after 3 attempts to get my canula in. I’ve had a stemetil injection. I’ve never had one of them before but I hope it works.

hotchoc so sorry you are this I'll again, but glad you are getting treatment

ana glad you are calling mw.

I've just had to send OH and his coffee out of the room 🤢

RockinRobin Welcome. There are certainly other safe meds they can try; they usually start with the weakest treatments and work up. When you say 'only 1-4 times a day' do you mean separate episodes? I keep meaning to post about this, because I think there can be a breakdown of communication about vomits, as it seems doctors tend to count each separate heave as a vomit, and not a heaving session, which is what I used to do, which with me always contained at least ten, though there might be only five a day (imagine how horrified people would be, reading this thread!) . So it is worth stressing how many heaves.How are the liquids staying down? Unfortunately, it is very easy to become dehydrated with only minimal vomiting if you can't face drinking much liquid.

Some drinks that are useful - the juice of tinned fruit, flat full sugar coke, ice lollies, ice cubes, soda water, Elderflower Water, Lucoazade, lemonade (as I think you said), fizzy orange, Dr Pepper,
sips of chocolate milkshake (maybe soya) orange juice (I think for those with less heartburn), and someone recently said Robinson's fruit drinks. For foods - of a sort - cuppa soup, cheap ice cream, custard, crisps, nibbles of chips, slices of melon and mango and I have heard too, mashed potato and cornflakes.
It is certainly worth investing in some kesostix available from any chemists. The whole issue of whether they should be used as markers of starvation or dehydration seems so complex - they use them to check for severe dehydration, but I remember a doctor saying that it tends to be in the early stages that they are a good indication. Anyway, you tend to be able to tell when you are badly dehydrated - when you feel dreadful and haven't been able to take in much liquids for a couple of days, and urine is dark and scanty and the skin is dry and very likely you have a headache and even begin to feel confused.
Anitidae Poor you, how horrible. I hope you can get that checked asap. I think you are only the second person to have that symptom, and while I don't want to be alarmist, the other women who had 'coffee grounds' type vomiting was rushed into hospital by ambulance with the sirens blaring - she was on the first thread, and had been refused meds only days before though it was her second Hyperemesis pregnancy.
hotchocloate I hope you are now getting meds and feel much better, and this is the beginnng of effective treatment for you.
Foodylicious I am sorry things are getting worse. Very sensible to cancel all socialising and go off sick. I hope you get signed off.
Bored and E2017 It is so confusing about ketones. A doctor said that they were used for detecting the early stages of dehydrtion, but later on they were a more reliable guide for starvation, whatever that means. I am not medically trained and find it confusing. However, it is supposed to be a medical rule of thumb that if a pregnant woman has been unable to retain fluids for over 48 hours, it's a medical emergency, and I don't understand why so many GP's seem to be so blase about it.
I hope everyone is coping today. Watch me cross post. Sorry if I have discourteously overlooked anyone.

Due Dates
OrangeCloud 4 March
Shez21 22 March
scottishem 22 March
AndInShortIWasAfraid 27 March
Polyfilla 25 April
Poppet1985 28 April
dillydollydarling 4 May
seizethecuttlefish 13 May
Sally Mid May
Bunnyfluffy 20 May
BATMAN 21 May
Greenbeanies 23 May
Elephantgrey 25 May
Meadowhay 18 June
Lifeofpies 9 July
NailsatHome 20 July
E2017 12 August
Harebell 13 August
Endorra44 16 August
Anitidae 27 August
Didntcomeheretofuckspiders 1st September
SleepyBadger 3 October
Foodylicious 5 October

luc I am managing to eat today and haven't vomited.
Just very frequent but not quite constant nausea and stomach spasms/pain.

I have just remembered about TUMS. I got through tubs and tubs of them last time.
They just took the edge off the heartburn enough to reduce the spasms.
Hoping they help me again this time.
Though not the blue ones, they are disgusting 😵