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.
On my image of a pink castle: that is an image I use because when I was little, my family had a Snakes and Ladders board with an image on the last square of a pink castle in the clouds. As Hyperemesis is so like a grotesque version of Snakes and Ladders - eat a meal, go up a ladder, first thing in the morning bile run, down a snake - I have used the image of that pink castle on the last square of that Snakes and Ladders board as a metaphor for the happy end of Hyperemesis.

That’s very good eal. I get ssp quite quickly (which I think is about £150 a week) but I’m not sure how long I’ll be on full sick pay for first but I suspect whatever the minimum is. I’ve asked my manager to send me a copy of the schools sick pay policy to check.

I lost my stemetil this morning and spent 30 mad panicminutes looking for it. Finally found it but all the looking has absolutely exhausted me. I can’t believe how little energy I have. I don’t know how those of you that are working are doing it.

Thanks all for your advice. You’re all right that I need to wait til I’m ready. I know work don’t need me as such, but it’s more my own pride and my 3 year old knowing I’m not going to work and I don’t want that to become the norm for him. I work in private sector/banking so our sick policy is pretty good, but I do think once on a phased return you’re only paid for the hours you work. So I’ll have to check that xx

Anyone got any meal ideas? If anyone in here can manage. I’m living off pot noodles, coke and fizzy sweets. And getting the dreaded thrush now (yuck) x

I’ve now got glucose in my wee. So looks like they steroids have given gestational diabetes. Waiting to see midwife. How on Earth am I supposed to manage this? Carbs are basically the only thing that stays down. I’m so so fed up of this now.

Bean have you had gd before? They will likely give you a blood sugar monitor so you test your levels at points in the day. If the levels are ok you can stay as you are with diet. I know it’s so tough as there’s so little I can eat and the thought of eating pretty much anything except beige carbs is impossible but take it a step at a time. You might find some carbs you eat give higher readings than others so might just have to have to work around that.

Forever what I can eat depends literally on what I can manage at that second and changes constantly. Things like chips, bread, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cheese, cornflakes, rice crispies have worked at specific times but others I can’t even think of eating them! It’s so grim.

Foodwise it's so tricky, isn't it. I've surprised myself and have eaten a fair bit of frozen battered fish (obviously by a "fair bit" I very much mean in a HG context!). Pot noodle actually sounds quite appetizing, and normally I would NOT be saying that!! Also finding some success with wholemeal toast and peanut butter, and pitta and grated cheese, also soft goats cheese. Had an amazing mango smoothie at the weekend, that as far as I can tell was frozen mango and ice and banana. So I've added a load of frozen fruit to the online shop and am hoping to replicate.
Oh, and lots and lots of lollies and ice cream. 8ts the sheer coldness of it I think.

But it is very much as reastie says, what do I think I can stomach in the moment, and something that was edible one day is not necessarily so the next.

Such joy...

Managed some "breakfast" juice, hot honey and lemon and a cup of tea today as well as some crackers with vegetable pate (not real pate so not pregnancy banned) and some Coca Cola (much less than I have been having) and shared a bag of mushroom sweets.

Got stew leftovers for dinner so no cooking just reheating and the kids are having tuna sandwiches so nice and simple.

Blitzed the place today, got the mopping done and all the tidying etc. And put on the washing (turned out the culprit of the bad smell was an item of my sons clothing which I hadn't realised). Bins all out, febreezed the F out of everything so feeling much better in the house.
The odour of toilet is gone and food smells minimised so fingers crossed a sick free day and night.

I was going to go back to the drs but it seems to have settled back down again a bit. Managed not to be sick for a few days and eat a fair amount even if nothing until gone 1pm and I'm up between 4am and 5am so that's a while really

Have to get up then otherwise my sickiest time would be during the school run...

Was doing really well, but took a late dose of meds tonight (1hr ish) and really suffering along with not taking a drink in the car with me. Ketones at 2+ and some vomiting too. Have managed 3 pieces of ravioli since I was sick, but darent risk more. About to try soya milk (chocolate) as someone said heavier liquids stay down easier..... I hope so!

Reastieand Olivecake Excellent on voting for PPS. Reastie Being a cookery teacher with Hyperemesis sounds awful. Were you on this thread years back, as we had a cookery teacher on briefly?

Olivecake Hugs over tears.
Plasticgiraffe Do take it easy on your return, clucks Mother Hen (as aways).
foreverblues Great advice from everyone on food. Do you find nibbles of chips and crisps, slices of melon and mango, tinned fruit (particularly peaches) or cuppa soup any good? Or Scotch pancakes?
And as others say, baked potatoes and ice cream (many say, it must be cheap) and then, there are those sips of chocolate milkshake (maybe soya).
beanhunter That is really infuriating. You have had a lot to put up with. Much symapthy. Is that a side effect sometimes had from steroids, excuse my ignorance? I hope someone with more knowledge of modern treatment of diet in gestational diabetes can advise. My receollection is that sufferers just haven't been able to keep to a diabetes diet with Hypermesis.
Waves to all. Apologies to those rudely overlooked.

SassehMonsta Sorry to hear about the step back. Good luck with the soya chocolate milshake.

Sass fx it’s a blip this evening. I’m trying to work people out and I think you’re on the same mn fb secret June group as me. Are you the one who had a long work trip today? If so well done for getting through being back at work and hopefully it’s just recovering from today and the big trip.

Lucinda I was on the thread briefly a while ago before I was pg. I was asking advice and wondering if I couod actually go through this again so it could’ve been me (or it could’ve been someone else!). Very good memory! It was a long long decision in deciding if I could go through pg again.

beanhunter that seems so unfair, you poor thing. Hopefully you don't have full.blown gestational diabetes.

sasseh hope it's just a blip.

bumble I'm a little in awe of your productivity today! Make sure you're gentle to yourself tomorrow tho, you might find you have a dip from pushing yourself today (hopefully not tho!!)

Who mentioned super noodles? Just added them to the shop, thanks!

Just checking in briefly. Sorry everyone is still suffering so much.

I only have 3 weeks to go from tomorrow (!) but my word is it dragging. I’ve been being very sick again for the last 2-3 weeks and on top of that I have a ridiculous streaming cold and a horrid cough. It hurts to swallow and all my glands are swollen so I’m feeling very sorry for myself at the moment.

My DH has worked from home the last 2 days to help with our toddler but he has to go in to the office tomorrow and I’m dreading having an almost-3-yr-old to entertain for the day. I feel so guilty that I’ve been so ill for the last 8 months and we’ve spent far too many days indoors and watched far too much television

twodrifters I rememeber a regression towards the end of my last pregnancy. But you're so close now!! You've done (and are still doing) amazingly! Your toddler won't remember the telly or the 8 months of less than steller mothering. They will remember a childhood of playing with a sibling. You have my complete sympathy tho, toddlers are hard when you're firing on all cylinders... toddlers when tired and not enough energy are bloody hard. Best of luck tomorrow. Im only managing with mine by shipping him out to family and nursery. I did 3.5hours with mine today, 1.5hours of which we both slept (in my bed, it was like being on maternity leave with him again!), and I am exhausted!!

I have an appointment with a GP (one at the surgery, but not one of the 2 that have been caring for me so brilliantly. However, she's the only one who had an appointment) in the morning. I intend to ask for an extension to my sick note. I'm a little worried as she's not one of the GPs I rate particularly, I wouldn't choose to see her if there was another option. She's particularly unsympathetic generally. In fact, some of the most unhelpful nd unsympathetic healthcare professionals are women. It's like they can't quite get their heads round anything that differs from their experience of pregnancy. Hmmm.

Wishing everyone a restful night

Reastie, I am on that group, but that's not me :) I'll happily out myself as being Sarah who posted a super-stripey bump on the bump thread yesterday.

Feels like last night was a blip, and feeling grim this morning but back down to just traces of ketones again. They did get up to 3+ last night but went for a liedown and it got better.

Glad you're feeling better this morn sasseh

Slept through my alarm at 4am to take my pill and was sick promptly on waking... First time in nearly a week hate when my regime gets mucked up but obviously needed the sleep!

Waiting at doctors surgery. Running very late, naturally. Waiting room is approximately a million degrees. Which is helpful cos being this hot is a real vomit trigger for me. Eurggh

Success. Signed off til 25th Nov and repeat prescription of all meds. And I no longer have to have an appointment in person with a GP for any meds or sick note extension. Pharmacy can request repeats for all my meds. And I can just ring the surgery and explain I need a sick note extension, and the GP will issue one. Every so often I'll get a phone call from GP before issuing the sicknote but just to keep in touch and up to date. This feels like a massive weight off my shoulders.

My pharmacy is struggling to get hold on ondansetron tho. So I'm glad I've been proactive, as I have 11 days worth left so time to find some somewhere! Supply really isn't meeting demand at the moment, is it!

Really pleased eallison! :) I have gone home from work as I felt so vile and have spent the day dozing in bed with an audio book.

There's definitely something to be said for dozing with audiobooks/podcasts. I'm loving the ifinite monkey cage atm, i like to think im learning stuff too!!

eallison I am glad you survived the heat and got signed off. I hope you avoided the unsympathetic doctor. You are so right about some women with fixed ideas, who think they are experts on ALL pregnancies because of their own. Very annoying.Audo books are a great idea.
Bumblebee Sorry, I forgot to congratulate you on your industriousness, but I hope you are not paying for it today, as others say.
SassehMonstaI am sorry you felt bad and hope you enjoyed the rest. Congratulations on getting the ketones down from 3+ before. That is really no easy task.
TwoDrifters Really sorry that you feel dreadful again. You have been really stoic. The fabled Pink Castle at the end of the dread Hypermesis horror run is in view. I'll spruce it up for you.
Reastie I remember your posting about ttc, but this was about seven years or so ago - someone who had been struck down with Hyperemesis as a cookery teacher and was desperate for meds to keep going
I hope Beanhunter and everyone is coping.

Thanks. Had blood sugar checked today and it’s thankfully still in normal range. So no diabetes yet. Need to try to get off steroids I think.

Lucinda dd is indeed 7 so that would completely line up with dates! Wow, you have an amazing memory! FWIW they only gave me cyclizine (after avomine made it worse) and was made to feel that I was lucky to get that

Bean did I imagine it or can steroids affect gd? I may be completely making that up.

Agree with podcasts and audiobooks. I hate that I can’t really read as I’m not up to it as usually I read a lot, and I can’t really focus on box sets or anything more taxing than homes under the hammer. Audio things are great and sometimes help me nap a bit with relaxing whilst listening to them.

Eal that’s fantastic, makes such a difference having easy access to what you need.

Sass I was the person admiring the wrap and saying I had a moby one I was looking forward to using.

Having issues getting prescription of ondansetron from gp. Applied for another prescription and it was turned down by gp. Now my official gp is not helpful and has said to me she would never prescribe more than cyclizine as by doing so it would be risking the health of the baby (and made me feel unreasonable for asking) but nice other gp has been helpful and prescribed ondansetron. My requests for new prescriptions automatically goes to my unhelpful gp, so it is just making everything awkward getting prescriptions and I live in fear of a) running out of medicine, and b) the gp changing their mind and deciding to withdraw my prescriptions. Please tell me if something is working they won’t force me to stop taking them because I am literally fragile enough that I will say to them if they stop prescribing these to me I will request an abortion. Not as a threat or because I don’t want this but because I’m barely coping with medication let alone without.

Lucinda I was thinking of you last night and thinking you must have so much experience of hg. You make comments like you’ve seen people improve then do too much and have a relapse so to pace ourselves when we do eventually feel better. So, do you have any ultimate top tips or things that would help us that usually people wish they knew or advice that you feel like you constantly say but people don’t listen until it’s too late and then say they should’ve listened to your advice?

Yep. Steroids increase your risk.