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.
It has been suggested that I add some practical tooth cleaning advice: a lot of sufferers find using a child's small toothbrush and strawberry toothpaste far less nauseating.
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’m slightly worried I’m just going to sound all woe is me

@Reastie you won't! I didn't feel judged but I did realise my life sounds like an episode of eastenders 😂

I really really hope they are helpful as I’m putting a lot of hope in the fact they will help with my mh more this time. I’ve found everyone so far has been quite blasé about it and just left me to it. I hope they don’t try to just get me to take medicine to improve my mood as an answer as I have discussed this with my gp and have decided this is not the right answer for me at this point (I had to come off anti anxiety medication before pg as it wasn’t that compatible to continue). When I’ve spoken to anyone already the first thing they say is just ‘we can give you drugs to help with your mood if you feel you need it’ and left it at that. Which actually is quite ironic how easily they seem to want to give those drugs tome when I think about how hard it was to get the anti sickness drugs! Weird how some things they are so much more willing to prescribe for.

Absolutely Reastie especially when your pay at 17-25 weeks sets your maternity pay (at least the first 6 weeks if receiving statutory, but also for the SMP if it turns out to be lower than the SMP rate), so if you were on SSP or anything lower than your usual salary then you’re in a pickle not just then but during mat leave too. This was my worry, what if I’m being docked pay during weeks 17-25, but I’m very fortunate to work for an employer with very good enhanced benefits (I don’t think everyone working here realises how good this is but it’s brilliant, even when you compare with other sectors, I know people in much higher paid jobs for big private firms but don’t get an equivalent enhancement for things like sickness or maternity). Although maybe they’re expected to have tons of savings because of their high salaries!

I hope your appointment goes really well tomorrow and you get the support you want and need, not just whatever they fancy prescribing

@Reastie I just read your message about your worries about tomorrow's appointment. I'm a MH nurse and just wanted to reassure you that's it's definitely not pathetic to take someone with you to assessment, infact it's generally encouraged. Don't worry about sounding "woe is me" just tell them everything. Tell them about your very worst moments / thoughts and get it all out. They won't (shouldn't) judge you and they need to know it all to be able to help. It might be helpful to jot down some thoughts / things you're going through that you definitely want to cover to take with you as it can be overwhelming and easy to forget what you've said / not said. I hope they treat you with respect and dignity (they should), remember this is your time to talk so don't feel guilty at all for doing that. Best of luck x

Welcome to User1704. Sorry that, asReastie says, you are on thread nobody wants to need. I don't know what the expiry date for various meds is myself. Probably as others say, it is worth phoning, and as you have suffered before, hopefully they will see the need for early medication. As you are a veteran, you don't need my spiel about 'have you got kesotix as they do take those measurements seriously at A and E departments' and 'Do you find flat full sugar coke, the juice of tinned fruit and lollies any good'? Have you got any childcare help you could call on from friends/relatives/OH taking leave?
Reastie and Avocadoo I am so glad about the appointments. Great advice from Moonkid.
norbert Reastie Billi and others, goodness, that does sound grim about bowel problems, insomnia, dreadful dreams about choking LO's and flying spiders. Of course, one does have horribly vivid dreams in pregnancy, and they can be really upsetting.
beforeIhit30 I am so glad you had a better day. That is such good news, and it is such a nice touch about the flowers.
eallison That is wonderful about the consultant. So good to feel understood. You needed a boost.
cattaxiand beanhunter How are things?
Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked.

My dad's come down for a few days (he lives 150miles away) so we've had a lovely evening. I'm likely to regret the late bedtime tomorrow, but he's around to entertain Little, so it's all good! And I managed to have a small pudding after dinner (by having no carbs with dinner - courgetti spaghetti for the win!!) And my blood sugars didn't go thru the roof (in fact, they were well below the target range). Thats given me a boost as well; I know I can have small sweet treats with corresponding scarifices elsewhere. Makes me hopeful that can keep it diet controlled and thus have no impact on labour, which is really important yo me. I ended up giving birth lying on my back on a bed last time (for a variety of reasons) and I'm desperate to avoid that this time (if I can).

reastie best of luck tomorrow. I totally understand how you can feel a bit "woe is me", but actually, feeling crap is justifiable with the joy that is HG. And do be completely honest and tell them everything; it's only then that they can best support you. I second the suggestion of writing it down - either as a prompt, or hand over what you've written, it can be easier to do that than say it out loud sometimes. Its something often do with my kids at school; give them paper, pens, pencils and colours and suggest they write it down or draw it while I give them space, and they find it much easier then to either describe what they've drawn, or talk me thru what they've written, or simply hand over what they've written. One child told me that others easier to write and me read cos she knew I couldn't make eye contact as I was reading, and I think there's a lot in that.

Hoping everyone has a restful night.

Back in A&E hoping to get fluids 🤞 OOH doc told me to either get a lift or phone for an ambulance so I'm guessing he was pretty concerned.

And I've got my 12 week scan tomorrow. I sense a repeat. I was this ill with DS

Does anyone know if HG gets worse as the weeks progress before peaking? I'm 8 weeks, I honestly feel each day is getting worse again. I'm trying to prepare myself (haha) for this worsening.

@DeadDoorpost hope you get fluids and a compassionate dr xx

DeadDoorpost for you, hope everything goes okay and they treat you well.

moonkid I’m not “better” yet (12 weeks now) but I did have a rough time of it around 8-10 weeks, I remember thinking it was getting worse (it wasn’t that long ago but feels like an age!). Now I have some moments of reprieve, it’s peaks and troughs with me - in fact, I seem to have a bit of a pattern of feeling a bit better on Wednesdays and Thursdays, sometimes a bit of Friday. Saturday to Monday seems to be the worst for me. No idea why! But it is a bit better than it was a couple of weeks ago, taking the whole week into account, before I’d be rough every day whereas now I do have one or two days where it’s ok.

Hanging on for those ok days to increase in number, that’d be grand!

Yeah, I also got worse around 8 weeks.

As for getting fluids, my ketones were 2+ and I seriously need to vomit but I don't seem to be able to. I know I'll feel better.

Still waiting to be seen by the GP...

Scratch that... just thrown up.

I'm done. So so done.

You poor thing @DeadDoorpost I hope you made it home in the end and that fluids have helped you feel better. I also have my scan today so that's something to look forward to, it's hard when you feel rubbish though.

I had a bad day yesterday but mainly due to diarrhoea and feeling sick, only actually sick twice and managed toast and a sandwich so it could be worse. Slept like a log after the previous horrible night. I have to go in to the doctors today and get an appointment after my phone one was booked for next Monday by mistake. Dreading it. Can I ask for a female gp instead do you think?
Hope everyone has had a better night xx

Thanks norbert but I've only just been admitted and still waiting to have fluids. I can feel another bout of sickness coming on though. And you should be able to ask for a female GP. I don't see why not. Do you have any that are particularly interested in women's health?

What makes it worse is the fact I'm hungry. I know. I've been throwing everything up, body!! Ugh.

Thinking of you @DeadDoorpost and hoping it passes soon so that you get some relief from it. It sounds really awful for you xxx

@deaddoorpost you poor thing. Both that you've had to go get fluids, but more so that it's taken so bloody long to be admitted and you still don't have fluids. Thats just crap. I hope you get sorted soon and feel the benefit.

moonkid it does tend to follow a pattern of getting worse for a bit before it gets better. I was definitely at my worst between 9 and 13/14 weeks. Now at nearly 5 months im in a much, much better place than I was. I'm not well. But I'm so much better than I was (the steroids are probably helping! But I am now able to consider weaning, which I am doing, which was simply not an option a couple of months ago). Most women find it eases, at least a little, at the latest about 20 weeks. Even those of us fortunate (!) to suffer throughout rarely have quite the intensity of the first few weeks/months.

Moon mine definitely ramped up around 8 weeks, sorry. After that it became more variable but very intense. I hope you’re ok. Agree with eal, I’m still not great but I’m much improved from first trimester.

Dead I hope you feel better from the fluids soon.

Norbert I slept well last night too, hurrah. Woken at 7 by dd and think I only woke a couple of times in the night. Going to rest this morning ready for hospital this afternoon. Might sit in the garden to get some more sun/fresh air. I decided I must be lacking vitamin d a lot as I’m never outside anymore, I’m always cooped up inside. FWIW I don’t think it’ll be a problem asking for a female gp unless you’re asking for a same day emergency appointment, I’m sure if they can accommodate you they can but it could be a case of being limited by what they have. Male go doesn’t mean unsympathetic though. The most unsympathetic and unhelpful go I’ve seen with this has been female so I really think it depends on the doctor.

Thank you so much for your mh comments. I hadn’t thought to write it down but I think I’ll write down my main issues so I don’t miss anything. Things like because of my anxiety I like to know what’s planned an nonone will tell me the procedure for elcs until my 36 week apt. Maybe they can get me an apt with a mw who can just talk through how it works at my hospital (eg how long to fast, where I wait etc) it would really ease some of that anxiety. I don’t think that’s unreasonable to have set up but I’ve been ignored about it up until now. No, infact I’ve been told I have to see a birth choices mw first (who will try to talk me out of a csection. I’ve had one before so they can’t say no but they add hoops. I know the risks and I’ve done my research I don’t want to waste my limited energy on a journey which I find very difficult for any unnecessary apt. It’s just making me worse suffering with nausea the next day for no useful purpose).

@DeadDoorpost hope the fluids are making you feel less crummy 💕

@moonkid I think I peaked at week 10 where looking back I should have been admitted for dehydration but was stuck in bed in tears. Now I look back with every week and think it's not as bad as week 10 but after that I'm still sick but it's not quite as hideous, but everyone is different so please don't fear week 10! It's one week closer to getting them out to be their fathers problem too.

@norbert23 you can ask for a female gp it shouldn't be a problem if it's booked and not an emergency appointment.

@Reastie Let us know how you get on💕💕

Back from the scan and everything is good, which is a huge relief. Bonus is that it measures a week ahead so I'm 13 +2 not 12 +2! A bonus week done! That does make my due date 26th August though but I don't mind really as long as it's healthy. Retched all the way home into my trusty puking bowl and now worn out in bed. But happy!

@norbert that's great news.

Thanks all for the info about your peak HG weeks. I'm feeling awful today and again am not managing to keep much down at all. Feel I can hardly move or I'm retching.
Does anyone know how long it takes ketones to build up? I fear I'm heading for needing intervention again but there's no way I'm going if I'll be turned away if no ketones present - in my experience they will only treat me when ketones are there

I'm sorry to butt in but I'm looking for a bit of advice. I'm only about 4 weeks pregnant with DC 3 but my pregnancy sickness is suddenly awful. I had bad nausea during my first pregnancy and took some time off work, and it was much worse with my second pregnancy. That time I was prescribed Cyclizine which helped a bit but made me very drowsy. Today has been awful - I've felt sick constantly since I got up, I've been sick 3 times and I can't even manage fluids. I'm also finding it difficult to care for DS. I've taken the day off work but obviously no one knows I'm pregnant yet. Is it too soon to try to get something from GP?

Only go to the gp ASAP. The sooner you get meds the more likely it won’t be as servere. Sorry you’re suffering so early.

So, just got back from mh nurse apt and feeling really down. It was like mh nurse had her own agenda and only wanted to help with something specific which she kept asking questions about. I lost faith really. She didn’t understand. At one point when I said it was very difficult to get to the appointment and that I coukdnt achieve much before the nausea got worse and had to pace myself so would need to rest tomorrow to recover from coming she told me that it was psychosomatic that I only felt sick because I expected to feel sick. At that point I lost all faith in her. She clearly just doesn’t understand. It was like she wanted to fix one ongoing mh issue that I have (which I’m not mentally in the postition to do, I just need to get through this as easily as posssible) when I wanted help and answers to specific questions about things that would happen during my care and birth in pg which were causing me anxiety and she couldn’t help or pass me to anyone that would. I just don’t understand what she’s there for. She said I could go back to her again but I’m not sure what that would achieve as it seems she can’t actually do anything and isn’t brilliant as a listener to talk to problems about. I feel like I’ve sobbed through the appointment telling her more than I wanted to about a specific issue which I’m not in a place to work on atm and the actual stuff that she could do to make things easier for me mentally she can’t.

I’ve been thinking, just to have her say ‘this must be really tough for you to go through’ and acknowledge and justify that I’m suffering would have helped me feel better I think. That I am having a hard time, that my body sucks at being pg. that anyone in my situ woukd struggle. That kind of thing, that would have really helped me more than telling me needing to rest after going out was because it’s all in my head.

Reastie, I'm so sorry you had that experience - she was no help at all. Would it help to bring someone with you next time to advocate on your behalf? I've suffered from MH issues in the past and often brought my DH or DM to basically do the talking. If you have questions you feel she didn't answer but could have it might worth trying again. Thanks for the advice about seeing GP - I'm going to try to get an appointment tomorrow.

Thanks onoy. I took my mum with me as I couldn’t manage to get there on my own as I found it too difficult but she waited in the waiting room. I don’t think I talk to her enough about my mh for her to be able to talk for me. I hate how I just start crying every time I try and talk about it and can’t get the words out!