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.

Lissi828 It is hard on LO's. I didn' t go for it again, but I do regret that. They soon get over the period of comparative neglect, forgetting all about it.

Bad few days for me. The nausea has been constant for 48 hours now, vomited six times and my food aversions are so strong I'm struggling to eat. It's all compounded by the fact I have a viral infection so spiking fevers also. I'm trying to stay hydrated as much as possible but I'm struggling with the not being able to eat and I'm feeling weak. I've managed a bowl of salad, a slice of watermelon and a satsuma in 36 hours. The thought of any warm food makes me feel nauseous. My OH bought be some fruit smoothies and I'm sipping on those as well as water, but my stomach feels so acidic I need to be careful. I'm also constipated too and my piles (a present from my previous pregnancies) are playing up. I feel like I'm ready for the knackers yard!

Gemsie Sorry you are suffering. I hope those ketones are low-ish? What anti acids have you tried? Sorry, remind me.

I'm taking ranitidine, I've had long standing issues with GORD, so prone to acidity. Ketones not too bad atm, thankfully.

Gemsie Sorry to hear that. I hope the Ranitidine is helping. There does seem to be a correlation between Hyperemesis, and a form of ulcer. I was never tested for that, but I had dreadful heartburn for a some years,until I was given a coure of antibiotics, when it vanished. I do wonder if I had that, but will never know,and I'm assuming you've been tested for that.

Thank you Lucinda. This is my third time dealing with HG, not sure what is wrong with my brain for thinking I should do this again. I am a total baby junkie but neglecting my two little ones feels awful. After begging the nhs for Ondansetron for three weeks I ended up paying for a private consultant who gave me the prescription. But I think the dose is low, 4mg? I have no idea how much they gave me in the US but it was way more effective then. Could also be because they got me on it earlier...So far I can’t even feel the difference. Still vomiting and so nauseous I can’t move. What dose are others on?
Gemsie - I am so sorry to hear of your suffering. You are so strong - hang in there. I got a smoothie with pineapple, frozen banana and cocunut water the other day. It was heaven but completely out of my way to get so not happening again anytime soon unless I can have someone make it for me. Can’t even go into the kitchen without getting sick. By the way, I love the advice, eat little and often and stay far away from triggers. If my trigger is the kitchen how am I supposed to accomplish that?! 😬

The early days are so ridiculously awful - lots of sympathy. Lissi I started on ondansetron 4mg three times a day, but had to increase to 8mg three times a day for a while, also had to have promethazine added as was still really sick in the evenings/overnight.

Hi ladies

I'm just coming back in for a whinge. 31+2 today and although I'm taking ondansetron (which kept the nausea at bay during the 2nd trimester) it seems to be resurging. Fuck's sake. Had a vom into the kitchen sink this morning and wet myself. Yay! I remember this stage with DS...

I'm planning an ELCS, hopefully on the dot of 39 weeks. My obstetrician is on board but he has warned me that the hospital can be quite difficult about setting a date. I swear to God they will face my wrath of I go a day over 39 weeks 😡😂

I’m on 4mg of ondansetron 3 times a day lissi. Currently I’m also taking cyclizine twice a day as I don’t want to have to get up in the night for the extra one and I’m on a low dose of steroids. In my last pregnancy I was on 4mg of ondansetron 2 or 3 times a day until birth.
One of my triggers was and still is the bathroom. Being in close proximity to the toilet to clean it or after I get out the shower or anything brings on terrible episodes of dry heaving. It’s pretty difficult to never go in the bathroom.
gennz I’m sorry you’re having a relapse. I do hope it’s short lived.
Back to work for me today. Only a short shift of 4 or 5 hours but I’m very nervous. I really hope it goes ok.

Lissi you poor thing :-( HG is just so awful and horrendous :-( you're very brave for doing it 3 times! Hope it eases up for you soon.

Thinking of you going back to work today hotchocolate hope all goes well

Bored I was on the exact same meds at the start. also my HG was definitely by far at its worst overnight.

Gemsie hope you feel better soon :-( some days are much worse than others :(

How did you get on Hotchocolate86?

Hope you are not too exhausted.

I hope work was ok hotchoc

I've now been signed off until mat leave starts but it's driving me nuts being at home. I need to be at work but I'm not well enough. What can I do to get me through the days?

Lissi Great advice from others over effective doses. I hope the doctor agrees for yours to be increased. Many people find that Ondansetron is the better for being combined with cyclizine and a good anti acid (you no doubt have already stocked up on anti constipation meds as you have had it before). I believe that Ondansetron is sold as zofran in the US. I wonder if that is stronger? The sense of smell is very debilitating. I used to hold a lavender satchet to my nose, particularly because OH smelt to me of roast pork!
Genz I am really sorry that you are having a relapse. I have unfortunately heard of circa 30 week relapses. Much sympathy over kitchen sink and wetting yourself puke. No fun. I do hope that tomorrow is better.
Hotchocolate I'll join with others in saying I hope your day wasn't too exhuasting.
nails I'm glad you have been signed off until M/L.
Foodylicous How are things?
Everyone?

Thanks Lucinda! I think it maybe partly triggered by tiredness as my sleep is more disturbed by getting up to wee, plus DS(3) is having random 2am wake ups too. 🙄 I notice after a bad night I'm much queasier - massive power chuck this morning like something out of the Exorcist 😷

I only have one week left of work so am hoping a rigorous regime of daily napping will help!!

Not too bad LucindaE Thanks, apart from this morning's violent voming episode

Have had really bad heart burn in bed last thing at night and first thing in the morning last two days so need to start taking ranitidine regularly.

I was thinking I had felt a bit less sick the last few days so was considering trying without meds.
Think I'll wait a while now!
Was a spectacular vom and wee

Midwife if referring me for physio.
Stomach has felt really heavy and sore again for a few days so have ordered a bump band so see if it helps.

How are you?

Gennz sorry about the relapse, hooray for only one week of work left though, hopefully resting up (as much as you can with a 3 year old!) will help calm things down.
Hotchocolate hope you feel ok after work?
Foody big sympathy over spectacular vomit and weeing - I have definitely fallen out with my bladder this pregnancy.
Hi to everyone else and Lucinda.

I have survived another 2 days of work, but definitely still in a relapse, feel much worse at 21 weeks than I did a month or so ago. Lost a bit of the weight I had managed to put back on as food aversions getting worse again, and nausea not going with eating as it had been. Has been a few weeks now so hoping will calm back down at least for a bit....Also waking at 4.30-5am unable to go back to sleep with the nausea so knackered. Anyway, moan over! Still much better than the early days some people are struggling through.

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

Hi all. Not sure if I belong here as I'm not sure I have HG but would like some advice (and a moan) please! I am 11 weeks with my second . In my first pregnancy I had quite a bit of nausea and was sick a handful of times but had all disappeared by around 15 weeks and was manageable. This time round however I feel awful all the time. Yesterday was the worst day so far - nothing stayed down and I was sick around 5 times and couldn't move really.
I live in Hong Kong and my in laws are visiting at the moment which is a god send as they are doing the bulk of childcare for my DD who is 17 months old. But they will be gone soon and my DP works away for days or weeks at a time and I just don't know how I'm going to cope on my own.
How bad do I have to be before I can ask for medication? I have lost around 9lbs already and feel so thirsty most of the time but not enough liquid stays down. I had a good cry yesterday as I'm just so fed up with it.

slumberparty I think it would be perfectly reasonable for you to ask for medication now. You have lost a lot of weight and if you are struggling to keep food down and look after your son then You definitely shouldn’t feel bad about asking.
foody that vomming episode sounds awful. I hope that’s it for a while
Work was ok aside from the usual nausea when I’m up and about but I really suffered last night. I was up a lot feeling very nauseous and also struggling to get comfortable because of pain in my back and between my legs. It might be time to fish out my pregnancy pillow. I’m back there today for 6 hours if I can manage the whole day. Fingers crossed.

Hi Ladies

I have been suffering with HG now for about 11-12 weeks and spent 3 days in hospital being given fluids due to dehydration.

I was trying to remain positive at first as many people reassured me that the sickness would die down or even disappear once in the second trimester. I am now 15 weeks pregnant and still suffering!

All I want to do is sit and cry, but crying makes me sick. I feel as though I am at the end of my tether with being sick constantly for so long.

I have tried different medication from my GP but it does not seem to help at all

BobbieLee Welcome. Sorry you feel so bad. Don't despair, this tends to last longer than ordinary MS. People tend to start to feel better at some point between 14-20 weeks from what I've seen on this thread. Even the unlucky minority who are ill throughout almost never feel as bad as they did in the first bit. What meds have they tried? For those for whom nothing else works, they try Ondansetron, maybe along with cyclizine. A good anti acid makes a big difference. Have you got kesostix from a chemists to check if you get dehydrated again? Some liquids that have helped others: flat full sugar coke, ice lollies, the juice of tinned fruit, Elderflower water, Lucozade, Lemonade,Fizzy Orange, orange squash, soda water, Robinson's fruit drinks, orange juice (for those with less acidity) Dr Pepper and sip sof chocolate milkshake (maybe soya). For foods of a sort, nibbles of crisps and chips, cheap ice cream, cuppa soup, cornflakes, Scotch pancakes, tinned fruit and slices of melon and mango.
SlumberParty Poor you. I so agree with others, do ask for meds. There are several safe ones they can try. As above, a good anti acid can make all the difference. I am not sure what they might be called in Hong Kong, but can you get sticks from a chemists to check your urine for ketones, as they do take that seriously as a sign of dehydration in hospitals. They are called 'kesostix' over here. Come to think of it, you can get them online. For drinks, not sure what the brands are for the drinks above in Hong Kong, but I hope you can find some that suit. Can you arrange any nursery for your LO as a precaution, though hopefully the meds will help a lot to help you cope?
Hotchocolate I am glad work wasn't too bad. Sorry about the pain in the legs. I think it is coarsely called 'fanny daggers'. I remember them with horror.
Genz Sorry about disturbed nights with LO.
Foodylicious People swear by Ranitdine. I hope it helps.
Bored Oh dear; sorry to hear this relapse is continuing. I hope it is the twenty week hormonal surge. You are brave struggling into a job which is not for the squeamish even when feeling healthy!
Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked. I hope everyone is coping today.

Thank you for your reply.
I have tried prochloraprazine (if that is how it is spelt) and cyclizine so I may ask my GP for odansetron - if I can ever get an appointment!
I will definitely get some kesostix and already have some Gaviscon advance which helps.

I have tried so many of the recommended foods and drink for sickness and nausea and nothing seems to help. I am really hoping that this dies down or goes completely ASAP as it is affecting my everyday life quite significantly.

Hope everyone in the same boat gets better soon

Really hope you get your hands on some ondansetron Bobbie and it works for you - I couldn't have got through those hideous weeks 9-15 without it every 6 hours.

I am just feeling so fucking sick (excuse the pun) of being pregnant. I don't know how anyone enjoys it's, it's like a fucking prison sentence. I hesitate to call what I have HG as it's not excessive vomiting, just unpleasant sickness that lasts the whole 9 months, but it still sucks. I think if it was just that I could manage but I have SPD which I need to manage by not walking virtually anywhere - so no exercise, no dog walks, no outings with DS, plus heartburn, plus low iron.

If anyone says to me "oh it will all be worth it in the end!!" I think I'll attack them.

Sorry for the moan, I just know this is a safe space!!

Thanks LucindaE. I will try the flat coke thing I think. I definitely can't do fizzy drinks right now. Weirdly I have found that I enjoy Horlicks at the moment and it mostly stays down. It's the only hot drink I fancy at the moment. I never thought to try an antiacid as I don't have heartburn - but I will give it a go anyway.
Thanks for providing a safe space to moan! Feeling so sick and pathetic all the time is tough and it's hard for others to be completely sympathetic when they can't imagine what constant nausea is like.

Gennz18 - I feel the same way about pregnancy - it is seriously no fun at all and I envy the women who swan through pregnancy without a care in the world.

I also feel the same way when people tell me that it will be ‘worth it in the end’ - I still have 25 weeks to go of feeling like crap, I can’t look forward to the end yet! Lol.

Seems I might have overdone it with the housework today. Not really hg related though,
Just had a dizzy spell and had to lie on the dinning room floor while LO had his tea!
He was a bit upset by it bit I couldn't think what else to do.
Tried to reassure him that mummy was fine and kept giving him numbers to count to till I could get up.
Managed to eat my tea and persuade him to have his in the lounge so I can lie on the sofa.
Feeling a bit silly 😶