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.

LucindaE that's a really interesting point about number of episodes vs number of heaves. I can easily be at the toilet bowl for 10 minutes unable to catch my breath but usually less than 5 episodes per day. Also I know it says no tmi so I must ask, has anyone else wet themselves from the force of the retching? It's happened to me twice now I've never had problems in that department before. Not a whole wee, enough to wet my knickers but not my jeans.

somebody yes, it's happened here 😶😶
Quite a bit the last few days.
Currently wearing a liner again

Somebody yes definitely, big retches very likely to make me wee too. As if the whole thing isn't bad enough! On NHS website and mentioned in PSS stuff. Partly due to hormones weakening things I think (not as I feared due to not doing your pelvic floor exercises enough!).

Lucinda yes the whole ketone thing is really complex. We only really use them clinically in animals in relation to diabetics and ketoacidosis, and we get very worried about them! We sometimes check on a blood sample as often the amount in urine lags well behind what's happening in the blood. There is also one type the sticks don't pick up at all. I can't seem to find anywhere why they would go up in dehydration, but obviously most women with HG are going to be taking in very little food and fluids at the same time. It's something I wouldn't think about testing in relation to how dehydrated an animal is, so I'd be really interested why that is the case in people.
Hope people suffering are feeling a bit better now. Foody glad you are managing to eat a bit today.

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,

Whaaaaa? But that would mean I’m having dozens and dozens a day. I class one session as one vomit. In a session I can be heaving for ten or twenty minutes solid. :( I must clarify what my doctor means by it...

And yes, I pee myself. It’s so violent I can’t help it.

Couldn’t get through to midwife, will try again tomorrow morning. I do t think it’s and Aand E job, there wasn’t much and I’ve no other symptoms of bad gastric bleeding. It’s also very very dry here and I have had a few nosebleeds so it’s possible it’s the remnants of that. I will get it checked though.

foody glad you are not feeling too horrendous and managing to eat a little.

I am home from the hospital. Had 2 bags of fluids this time and iv ondansetron just before I left. I’ve been given a prescription for metoclopramide to take alongside my ondansetron and cyclizine but I’m a bit nervous about it as that’s a lot of anti sickness meds.

Hope everyone is feeling ok.

Good to hear you are home hotchoc

I was wondering earlier about getting a few bottles of chocolate slim fast in.

Has anyone else tried them?

Anitidae Goodness, Mother Hen is anxious. Do get it checked asap. They really took it serious with the other sufferer who had it.
Hotchocolate I am so glad you are a bit better. They tend to monitor women on metoclopramide as very occasionally the mother (not the baby) gets twitchy on it. But a lot of people find it really helpful.
Somebody I used to wet myself all the time with retching. Never worry abot tmi. Well, it's less awful than losing control of ones bowels, I suppose!

Much sympathy with all those who have horrible prolonged retching sessions. I believe the doctors might be more appalled if they heard about those: 10-20 minutes is awful, and being unable to breathe.
Bored It's really odd about ketones. I bought some an did an experiment on myself when I last had a bad migraine, being unable to keep down liquids. I don't see how starvation could have set in by 10 hours, but after being unable to keep down liquids for that time, I had 3+ ketones. Obviously, as I wasn't pregnant, it wasn't serious.

@hotchocolate86 I was taking all 3 when I was last discharged too, try not to worry and make sure you take all 3 as instructed. This a week and a half ago for me and now I'm down to just taking 1 ondanestron tablet every morning. The combination of all 3 really did work for me at the start and once they all got into my system I've managed to cut the other 2 out. I do still need the ondanestron at the moment, I couldn't go without it but I really think the only way I've managed this is by taking all 3 at once to start with. Hope it works for you x

@LucindaE thanks for the extra information a few things there I'll try, I've got an acupuncture session tomorrow so hoping this might work even if it's just temporary.
I didn't realise the drs classified it like that, it's so much more than 1-4 times as I wretch for about 5 mins never counted how many times though! And tend to dry heave quite a lot between sickness as well but always try not to be sick so I can keep as much down as possible.
@hotchocolate86 glad to hear you are home and feeling a bit better. Fingers crossed the medicines will help avoid you ending up so ill again.

anatidae I had really bad stomach pain as well. Can't take NSAIDs since which is a pain.

hotchocolate so pleased you're home, hope you had a better night, and that the metoclopramide works for you.
Bitzy pleased the med combination worked so well for you and that you are down to one ondansetron, long may that improvement continue!
Lucinda good experiment! Gosh that's quick! They have checked mine when I haven't kept anything down for similar lengths of time and they were negative.I think the term 'starvation' is maybe a bit misleading - just means not having a glucose/carb source of energy and having to burn fats instead. Crazy that some people do it to themselves on diets like this Atkins one!
Anatidae hope you have had an ok night and the bleeding was a one off. Hope you are on ranitidine or omeprazole etc already to help a bit. I really feel for you that none of the sickness meds help you.
Hope everyone has a better day today.

Well I’ve just taken my first metoproclamide tablet. I’m hoping for a good day. So far so good this morning. I’ve even eaten a small amount of plain pasta.

Ana how are you today? Have you been able to contact your midwives?

bitzy I’m glad to hear this med combination worked for you. It’s nice to hear others experiences. I hate taking new medications at the best of times and when I’m pregnant I feel even more wary but it’s not going to do me or the baby any good being so ill. Can you remember how you spaced out your tablets by any chance? I am taking a tablet every 3 hours as all I have been told is to take each one 3 times a day.

rockinrobinn I hope your acupuncture session helps. Do come back and let us know.

Anitidae I do hope all is OK?
Bored It's certainly a complex matter about those pesky old ketones. I suppose, though, as the staff at A and E do seem to go by them, unfairly, surely, if people are so horribly dehydrated that they have dry lips and can't produce a urrine sample, it's a good idea to go in armed with kesostix if they are showing high readings...
I hope everyone is feeling a bit better today?

The dr at the hospital told me women don't get pregnancy related sickness past 20 weeks unless there is something else going on

Hope everyone has a better day today x

@hotchocolate86 yep I took the ondanestron and cyclizine together, then the Metoclopramide inbetween, maybe 2 hours after to give me a boost. To be honest after a few days I kept forgetting the Metoclopramide, I didn't really mean to not take it. I realised I didn't need it then after a few days stopped the cyclizine. Cyclizine has never worked for me in any of my pregnancies so I thought would it really make a difference to me to stop taking that one too? It's the ondanestron that's been my life saver. I'm 12 weeks not so I'm sort of wondering (touch wood) if the worst has been and gone for me and that is also playing a part in it too. A few weeks ago I don't know if the ondanestron would of been enough to be honest. Hope that sort of helps. Take it slow and see how it goes, lots of love to you, hope you feel better soon x

*12 weeks now

nails well that Dr can big off
I had it the whole way through and there wasn't 'something else' going on.

Every couple of weeks I would stop it and within 24hrs, severe nausea and vomming would start.

I think I stopped trying to stop the last couple of months though.

I have since read you are not supposed to take Promethazine near the end, but no one told me at the time...

Though this is reassuring
www.choiceandmedication.org/generate.php?sid=81&fname=handyfactsheetperinatalpromethazine.pdf

Thanks for your reply bitzy. I haven’t been sick yet today so fingers crossed the drugs are helping. I am absolutely exhausted though. I wonder if that’s the metoclopramide.

I had nausea all through my last pregnancy as well. I was on ondansetron throughout which controlled it but if I missed a dose I’d be sick. There didn’t seem to be anything else going on.

hotchocolate That is good; let's hope it stays that way! As with bitzy , numbers of women have been put on that c ombination. While cyclizine can be very weak on its own, I have heard that it combines really effecitvely with cyclizine, sometimes with one of the B vitamins (thickhead forgets whether it is B6 orf B12) and an anti acid. But I am forever carrying on about the benefits of a good anti acid, people must get sick of hearing about it, if you'll excuse the expression. As below, I think the only thing that makes doctors cautious about metoclopramide is that it can produce symptoms if twitchiness in some mothers (not the babies). That is the only thing to look out for, and having said that, one woman on here Kalidasa, did suffer from those symptoms for some weeks without reporting them, and while they rushed her off it when they heard, she was none the worse.
Anitidae Sorry to nag, but have you seen a doctor yet? That 'coffee grounds' vomit should be taken seriously.
Nails I don't know what that doctor meant, exactly - of course, there is something else going on: you have Hyperemesis!
foodylicious I believe it is often used in early pregnancy, and regarded as safe. I hadn't heard that about later pregnancy, unless I've missed something. Very easy for me!
I am hoping that all is well with justtheonethen. She is probably very busy.

Foody I thought I had read that somewhere about coming off promethazine towards the end of pregnancy too. Not sure if it was someone on this thread nearing their due date.
Bitzy I'm just over 12 weeks too now and this week things have been better on some days so cautiously hopeful to be going in the right direction too. I wasn't as bad in my first pregnancy so didn't have meds, but had virtually constant nausea until 20 weeks, so hadn't dared hope for any improvement at this point. Couldn't cope without the ondansetron either though.
The mind is such a funny thing, I almost can't remember the really horrific weeks in any detail already, I know they were awful but I can't actually remember what I felt like at the time - like I'm watching someone else go through it if I think about it. Guess it's my mind's way of dealing with it being traumatic.
Hotchocolate really pleased you have eaten something, hope the new meds continue to work for you.

I'm having a set back. I thought the cyclizine was working perfectly but I was on the couch all day yesterday, the nausea was crippling me. Today I'm worse again. Had some lovely ribena but that set me off retching and then had another episode at DD's toddler group. I was so ill I thought I couldn't possibly walk home but I managed just heaving as I kept walking. Must have been quite a sight! I contacted my manager and told him there's no way I can come in this week, can't even believe I was going to try. Agree with you LucindaE about acid suppressors, although I'm having a good old moan I do feel better for being in omeprazole now.

Somebodys that sounds awful, well done for getting home in that state. Do you think you could speak to your Dr about different meds this afternoon, before we hit the weekend?

Thanks bored I only got the cyclizine on Monday and I've only had 1 bad day so I'm really hoping it's a blip. I've also not been taking the buccustem tabs as regularly so shall try to keep on top of those. I've managed some lunch, I'm so bloody hungry! We'll just have to see how it goes.