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.

I've been eating my weight in goats and sheep cheese! But there isn't really a mozzarella equivalent:( I am already starting to feel a little better- certainly glad I restricted myself to a small mouthful, I could happily have eaten the whole thing!!

Calmer cyclizine works by effectively establishing a permanent presence in the system. So as long as they are pretty regularly spaced put, it shouldn't really matter when you take them. I do agree with reastie that it's worth a chat with your GP and introducing something alongside/trying something else.

CalmerComber Sorry to hear of that awful day. Twins! Congratulations. That is two of you on the thread at the moment. I so agree with others, do ask for something additional. Because it is twins, it is likely that you wouldn't have suffered with a singleton pregnancy and it may clear up earlier. Sorry to bore on about this, but a good anti acid can make a big difference. Can you get a sick note and be off for a while?
beforeihit30 Oh yes, don' t rush back to work, partiuclarly when knocked out by tiredness and cyclzine. I hope you can get something that helps better than cyclizine. There are several they can offer.
Reastie Congratulations on those trips!
eallision I am glad you can eat goats cheese.
Who was it who had the misfortune to be 'gingered', and by a GP? How annoying.

Hi ladies I have dipped in and out this thread through out pregnancy. Hoping for some advice. Currently 35wks (nearly 36)

Has anyone had there meds just stop
working? (Currently on ondansetron, Metoclopramide, cyclizine, omaprozole and the odd steroid injection whilst admitted)

They have been getting weaker and weaker.

But now seem to have just fully stopped now. Getting zero relief from them. So back upto constantly non stop vomitting again.

7 days left until next admission to start induction and been told theres nothing stronger really they can give me now. Other than fluids and IV.

A week seems so close and yet so far away. Feel so emotional. And worried about strengh for labour.

Those of you that have done it before please tell me you got instant relief on delivery? And that you had the strength for labour.

notquite I ended up needing to be hooked up to a drip in labour as my labour was slowing down due to dehydration. Fairly sure I only needed thebone bag of fluid tho (my memory is a little hazy!). But I successfully birthed a 9lb baby with nothing but gas and air (and a bag of fluid!). What I do remember very clearly is how immediately the nausea lifted once I'd delivered the placenta. I remember drinking milky tea and eating buttery toast after labour that would literally have bounced before I'd given birth. Try not to worry too much, tho I know that's easier said than done.

Another newbie here. Like beforeihit30 I'm on DC3, I had nausea and vomiting with DC1 and DC2 but nothing like this. I'm now on ondensatron 4mg, metaclopramide, and cyclizine which has stopped me vomiting and from feeling too nauseous as long as I don't try and sit or stand up for very long. I've been signed off work, but only work 3 days a week so that leaves 2 days a week I'm looking after a 2 year old and just turned 4 year old. If I try and do anything it floors me - I went into town for an hour to get stuff for DC1's birthday on Wednesday and from 5 all I could do was lie on the sofa with my eyes shut trying not to vomit. However, if I do spend all day on the sofa / bed I feel OK so I end up feeling like people think I'm a bit of a fraud :(.

@eallison88 that is exactly the type of story I wanted to hear heres to hoping I am one of the lucky ones who has an instant off switch for the sickness after labour.

Going to call in later and see about fluids and other iv meds to try and boost my strength. So fingers crossed 🤞

Sorry just a quick reply to @teddyreddy! I think most of us can relate to what you’ve said re: rest and how you feel. I’m on pregnancy 3 now too (also with a 4 and 2 yo yay) and it really helps me to understand the ‘spoons’ analogy that people often use for chronic fatigue and similar conditions. It’s like you have a limited amount of energy/strength to use and once it’s used, it’s used and you go back to feeling grim until you get the next dose. The trick is to do just less than you can, to stay on top of how you feel! It can make you feel like a fraud but I find the less I talk about it and managing it to people who don’t understand the easier it is for me and the less stress I feel. Relatives just need to know I’m too sick for x. Husband and good friends get a fuller picture.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoon_theory

Notquiteagandt I’m also nearly at the end now (39+2) and had a really bad patch a few weeks back, ended up in hospital again on a drip for fluids over the new year but it has calmed down a little now. Doctors said it can be normal for the hormones to really ramp up towards the end.
Definitely call in and ask for more help - take whatever they can give you and rest up as much as possible.

Nighttime that’s sooons theory exactly sums me up! I had a good day yesterday and it felt so good! This morning I thought I’d try some gentle exercise so did 15-20 minutes low impact moves. The type of thing that wouldn’t even vaguely be classed as exercise pre dd it would be so easy. It has absolutely floored me and now I feel terrible and have had to come back to bed. I remember last time I was pg I tried returning limited amount tomwork but the work just made me worse. I wouldn’t be too bad if I stayed in my gentle limits of what I could manage so felt like I should be working but working made it so it was really bad. It’s frustrating and very hard for some people to understand who think I shoukd just suck it up and get onnwith it.

Notquite how rubbish. At least you’re now counting days and hours not weeks and months

Had nasty cramping pains that kept me awake for hours last night. This coupled with not feeling movements yet made me worry. Luckily, my midwife was able to squeeze me in this morning, and have just heard heartbeat (strong and normal!) and had a lovely reassuring chat with her. Its almost certainly the steroids and the resulting extra weight and general bloating that means I'm not feeling movements yet. Hurry up and get stronger baby so I can feel you walloping me thru the fat!! Hope everyone else slept better than me :)

Just popping in to say that my sickness hasn't started yet (and hopefully wont) BUT feeling incredibly sick this morning and we move tomorrow so I better not be heading down the road of constant sickness.
I'm so glad I've got ondansetron on hand already. I don't think I'd make the 6 hour journey tomorrow.

Oh, and looks like I can't have milk again this pregnancy. Yay.... 😭😭😭😭
Or sausage. Or ham. Or pizza in general. I hate pregnancy.

miserable wave to everyone

Had a hideous day yesterday and ended up phoning the doctor in tears cause my head was killing me and I couldn't drink or swallow my pills. Dh had to leave work early to pick up some Prochlorperazine that dissolves in your gums from them so I could drink again. Got told if they didn't make me feel better so I could drink I'd end up admitted. Luckily managed some soup and couple lucozades after one, still didn't feel amazing but enough to manage fluid.
Dh also told his mum last night who texted me super happy about being a granny and I'll get better soon after being warned I am really sick and am not excited one bit at the minute.
Also got "eat smaller meals" from anothe friend who doesn't get I can't, she thinks I'm doing this on purpose.

@LucindaE thanks btw the lucozade idea has been a lifesaver

avacado that sounds really rough. Have you tried the syrup from tinned fruit - that really helped me? I also found that sucking on sugar free mints helped sometimes too.

deaddoorpost how many weeks are you now? I'm 6+5 and the nausea is just kicking in. I am off to pick up my pre emptive meds this afternoon. I'm moving house in April / May and am dreading it as I suspect I will be completely useless!

I can't remember who was asking about nausea post labour - I had to be hooked up to fluid for the whole of my labour (approx 24 hours), I was very, very sick afterwards and then like a switch - it was gone! The best Feeling ever!

I’m on day 3 of cyclizine and not really feeling much better, just whacked out by the meds. I’ll call the doctor Monday if no change.

I assumed my sickness would go by end of first trimester latest, and it might. But I’m increasingly aware now that it can last a lot longer

I know it will go eventually, which is good, but I thought first tri was bad enough, let alone whole pregnancy! I have nesting to do

I’m Im only 7 weeks, need to get my head in gear for the longer term.

The stories of post birth relief are quite lovely though

happydays I'm 7+somethings days from my calculations. By this point last pregnancy I'd lost 7lbs already so not doing too badly. Just don't like knowing I'm potentially going to be seriously ill

I saw a post on a fb group earlier that got me thinking. It was someone saying they couldn’t take hormone contraceptives because it gives them pg like symptoms. They said they had hg in pg. a few other people came on and said they had hg and also can’t tolerate hormone contraception. It was a side point tonthe thread but it got me thinking and I just wondered if there was a link between issues with contraceptive hormones and hg as I can’t take hormone contraceptives as I get such bad side effect with them.

Poor those moving, I moved last time but was about 32 weeks by then so not as bad as first trimester, it was still tough though.

Reastie I’ve also read that adverse reaction to hormonal contraceptives is a precursor to HG. I’m not sure how much research there is into it but I know personally I had horrific nausea from anything with oestrogen in it. It probably means that we are much more sensitive to all of the same hormones, or that we naturally have high amounts of them so the amount of hormones in the contraceptives push us over a threshold of what we can tolerate. It’s really interesting and I wish there was more research into everything around hyperemesis, especially causes but also treatments and risk factors etc. I think it would make our experiences much easier as it’s crazy how many of us have bad experiences with doctors or family etc not understanding :(

That’s fascinating olivecake. I took a low dose combined pill and lasted less than a week on it before I had to stop from side effects. I took the progesterone pill for a few years but never felt it agreed with me then when I stopped taking it my body went crazy and it took a year before I felt like my body had got back to normal from it. I was getting awful nausea/dizziness/headaches and had to be prescribed prochloroperazine which I took for about 4 months or I couldn’t walk without feeling I’d be sick.

Reastie That’s such an extreme reaction to coming off the progesterone! Makes you realize how much we put our bodies through with these hormones! I definitely won’t be opting for anything hormonal once this baby is born.

I've been googling and apparently I shouldn't be taking Prochlorperazine?
The pill thing is interesting I was on Rigevidon for 8 months when I was 19 and it made me so ill but the doctor didn't believe me. Came off it and it was magical!

On the plus side to the Prochlorperazine I haven't been sick once today and I'm hungry for the first time in five weeks🙌🤞

Teddyreddy Welcome. As you are a veteran, you don't need my 'have you got kesostix from a chemists to check for dehydration' and 'do you find full sugar flat coke, ice lollies and the juice of tinned fruit' normal spiel. Are there any family members/friends who might help with the LO's? I am glad the cocktail is helping a bit. How long along are you?
Olivecake Sorry about so late an admission and those revamping hormones.
notquiteagandt I am so sorry you are suffering so badly again. That is so unlucky to have it come back at full strength. I am glad you are having an early induction. About 99.5 of sufferers recover within hours or a day or so. Many feel wonderful the second the placenta is delivered. Do not despair.
happydays I can't recommend the syrup from tinend fruit enough, particluarly pears, aprocots and peaches. I am so glad it helped you.

beforeihit30 I am sorry that cyclzine isn't helping apart from making you sleep. There are various others and combinations the GP can try.
avocadoo That sounds like a dehydration headache. How are the kesostix measuring? I am sorry people are being so obtuse.
Reastie It is frustrating; try not to push yourself too hard.
eallison I am so gad you had reassurance.
Waves to Olivecake and everyone.

Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked.

Jees we have been busy in here!!
Had a shit day today. Sick, nosebleeds while being sick and crying lots and just feeling pathetic and useless and like im the shittiest mummy ever.
Drank very little so sil brought me in a bottle of coke. Fucking lifesaver. Managed some cold pizza for tea. Made it for ds but he didnt like it. Feel a little better.
I concur with trying to do too much on my better days that leaves me floored!!

advocadoo I am glad that Lucoazade helped. I must be being obtuse, but is there a particlar reason why you shouldn't take Prochlorperazine? It is commonly prescribed for nausea and vomiting in preganancy.
I couldn't take the combined pill either; it made my migraines much more frequent and severe. Hyperemesis migth be caused by a form of hormonal imbalance.

Hairgician You deserve a medal for coping at all. Don't worry, LO will forget this period of comparative neglect. I am glad the coke helped.
Nosebleeds with vomiting are foul. Gentle cyber pats on offer.

@LucindaE I googled it and it was all over saying you shouldn't take it when pregnant think I just freaked myself out I suppose it's Like everything else it's not ideal to be on drugs but better than being in hospital.