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.
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.
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.

Before I’m glad everything was ok with the hospital trip last night. Dd is the same, she comes into my bedroom pretty much every evening to have a chat and see me. I have an exercise ball and foam roller innthere (from the days I was actually able to manage exercise before I felt sick ) and jumps and bounces around on those!

Lubilu really feel for you. For months movement was a trigger so I had to lie still. So was speaking. Even now activity is still a huge trigger. Best thing is to try to take it as easy as you can and have the lowest expectations of yourself. I’m 35 weeks now so a similar point to you but mine has never gone away. It’s a lot better than it was and I have good and bad days.

Average day today. Managed to play a card game with dd this afternoon but equally had to lie in bed after lunch and felt pretty queasy. I just can’t wait to not feel sick any more! Fingers crossed 3 weeks max left 2 weeks min until section.

Dead how you feeling today? I have not managed to get out of bed at all today as the slightest movement is making me really sick.

I’ve run out of something I want to drink too! I was telling dh that I’m not sure I can cope any longer and have to have a work meeting in a week’s time where it has to be face to face so my managers will be coming to the house, can’t say I’m looking forward to it at all just another stress to try and deal with.

Sorry I am being such a moaning myrtle but this is the only place I can truly say what I am thinking and feeling without fear of being judged.

Hope everyone else is doing better today x

Sorry lots of you are having a hard time right now I’ve just skimmed through as I’ve not been on in a couple of days. Moving absolutely makes things worse, any sort physical activity.

My scan went well. As the scan lady was measuring the head and thigh bone it was coming up 26 weeks at the bottom of the screen, I’m 28 weeks. So baby is on the small side but still within the ‘normal’ lines on my growth chart. They say he weighs 1lbs1oz. I finally got some blood results back, platelets are back within normal range but haemoglobin has dropped further, consultant put a line next to it but didn’t mention it. Not sure if low haemoglobin would cause tiredness or if it’s just general pregnancy/HG.
I hope everyone has a good bank holiday. Rest up

Blii I’m presuming low haemoglobin is related to anaemia, which definitely can add to tiredness and exhaustion.

Composed have you tried any ice lollies? When I couldn’t manage drinks I could cope with frozen liquid. If you get something sugary at least you’ll get a few calories for energy from it too.

Bad sleep night last night so not expecting today to be great. Tried just taking one ondansetron this morning but may well end out taking another depending how it goes.

Blii glad scan went well. Scan measurements can be so unreliable that they just give a general measurement so a couple of weeks behind or ahead is fine, plus they take the measurements on an average baby so yours could just be a slightly smaller than average. Dd always measured big and ahead. I have a growth scan on Friday and really looking forward to seeing how big he’s measuring.

composed I'm feeling better, the famik y are going to the beach but I'll be staying indoors so i can catch up on sleep/writing/reading without DS. He's going to love it at the beach though which is good. DH is going too so I'll have the house to myself.

blii glad scan was good. I remember being told how unreliable the measurements get the more the baby grows when i went in for growth scans woth DS, so I wouldn't worry unless they seem genuinely concerned.

Reastie do you take ondansetron as and when you need it now or do you have a routine with it? I think I took only one yesterday and want to see how I get on today without taking any, I’m 13 weeks today not sure if it will work but with everything that’s happened re the neds I feel as though I want to try. Maybe the stupidest hours guess I’ll know in a few hours!

I’m glad your scan went well blii. I think low haemoglobin would definitely cause tiredness in itself.
Good luck with your scan in a few days reastie.
dead I hope you enjoy your day to yourself.
For those of you saying about movement making things worse I completely agree. When I was in the worst throes of HG I couldn’t even turn my head without vomiting and even when I got past the worst I found I had to move very slowly. It was frustrating because everything would take so long but it was the only way to be able to do things.

This morning it has taken all my energy to try to tidy the playroom. It is such a state and the dust is embarrassing. I don’t think it’s been dusted since October and it’s got the kind of stuff in it where it looks really obvious iykwim. I’d say about half way through and taken me well over an hour to do what I could’ve previously done in less than a quarter of that. Not sure I’ll finish it today as think the task will finish me off before I finish it! Having 2-3 weeks ish left to go I’m now panicking the house will be a tip and I will have visitors and it shouod at least start off vaguely presentable.

Composed I’m still on 8mg 2 x a day and 4 mg 1 x day. I take them at specific regular times. I’m not at the point most days where I’m counting the minutes to the next dose as I was in the first trimester when I’d definitely flag and be in desperate need to take them but I do need it. To demonstrate, this morning I thought I’d try 4mg instead of 8mg and see how I fared. Got to 9:30 and couldn’t manage anymore and had to take the other 4mg, so I definitely still need them and they make a difference. I think lots of people by now have managed to reduce alot though so it just depends on the person. I still wonder how much better place I’d be if I saw the lovely consultant I saw last week in the first trimester as she was talking to be about why I hadn’t had steroids last week. Maybe I would have managed to work and actually do stuff, but I guess there’s no changing things now, just got to survive the next few weeks.

I'm back - and want to thank lovely HarryPotterFan436 for her wonderful help and advice.
Lubili28 Welcome. I am so sorry that you are still suffering at 34 weeks, and only had a brief respite, even if things are not so as bad as they were. You are on the home run (waddle?) now, that is one good thing. It is a very hard thing to get through. Some liquids that have helped others are flat full sugar coke, ice lollies, the juice of tinned fruit, Lucozade, Lemonade, Elderflower water, Elderflower cordial and tonic water (*eallision's tipple), fizzy orange, orange squash, orange juice (if not too acid), soda water, tonic water, fizzy water, ice cubes, sips of chocolate milkshake (maybe soya), Robinson's fruit drinks, Dr Pepper and Iron Bru. Some foods of a sort: nibbles of chips and crisps, cheap ice cream, suppa soup, baked potatoes, biscuits, slices of melon and mango and Scotch pancakes. This seems late in the day, but do you have kesostix in to check for dehydration just in case things take a turn for the worst (hopefully they won't at this stage)? Though they aren't the most effective method of checking for dehydration hospitals do take their measurements seriously.
Reastie I am glad you are seeing the helpful consultant again. That is intersting about imagining a tingling pain in the little finger. Congratulations on tidyingand dusting the playroom.
DeadDoorPost I am so glad you have a break by the sea. Others have said sea air really helps the symptoms, too.
Composed I am reallly sorry that your OH and mother are so obdurate about meds that you are reduced to taking them secretly.
I suppose no amount of information on websites is going to change their minds.
beforeihit30 Sadly, those measurements mean nothing to me as a non medical person.
Bili I am so glad that baby measures within normal limits even according to the - as others say - often highly inaccurate scans.
putputput Good advice from Reatie about laxatives.
I hope everyone is coping. Ironic that this Witsun weather should be so much cooler than it was at Easter!
Waves to TwoShades1 and everyone...

Ah, and beforeihit30 Sorry, I forgot to mention that unpleaseant scare. I am glad all is OK.

Thanks everyone. Yes I’m not too worried about the scan, the heartbeat and the blood flow through the cord is perfect so I’m happy with that. As long as he carries on growing on his line on the growth chart I guess that’s all that matters. My first stopped growing at 32 weeks so I think that’s what they’re worried about, and the reason I get the scans. It’s nice to see baby though.
Deaddoor glad you’re feeling better.
Composed hope you get on ok with just the one ondansetron.
Thank you harrypotter, yes I’m the same with movement, even now if I do too much in one day then I don’t feel too good the following day. Today being like that. I had a long drive to see a friend on Saturday and then I worked all day yesterday, I think it has caught up with me. I’m in the bath now and I’m going to have an early night. No drs have said it but I’m thinking I must be slightly anaemic. Previously when ever I tried to donate blood I was never allowed because my haemoglobin was always low, they would give me a leaflet on what to eat to get my levels up. Never seems to work though.
Don’t worry Reastie. No one will be looking at the cleanliness of your house. They will be more interested in seeing baby.
Welcome back Lucinda, hope you had a nice time visiting family.

Urgh, definitely regret the cleaning. Won’t be doing that again in a hurry. Have had to go to bed already as feeling rotten from it. Feeling like I’m getting close to hitting the metaphorical wall this pg, all the pains etc I’m getting added to the frequent nausea is just getting so much after so long.

Lucinda hope the trip was good. I forget where you went this time, sorry.

Blii early night for both of us!

Reastie i couldn’t go the day without the meds in the end. Its been horrible today, spent it in bed crying my eyes out all day and thinking the worst things possible, which then led to feeling even more guilty and horrid.

Lucinda glad you’re back. Blii, dead, reastie and everyone else hope you had a better day xx

DeadDoor I have attached a photo! Hopefully it’s visible, I know it can vary sometimes between app, desktop site mobile site etc.

Blii my hospital is part of a study into growth scans, to determine whether they’re reliable/how reliable they are at determining size before birth. So all mothers are offered a growth scan so they can use the data as part of this study, along with hospitals I think globally (definitely nationally but I think my consultant said hospitals in other countries are also part of the study).

Reastie I can appreciate the cleaning and tidying panic. Our house is okay-ish/serviceable for now... but so disorganised and some bits have been neglected and I really want it all sorted before baby is born. I’m worried the sickness could get worse closer to birth so trying to do little bits and pieces to eventually add up, but it’s taking forever! I managed to clear a space for the cot in our room, which took me all day and still loads of other stuff to do in our room... that’s just our room, there are of course other rooms in this house...

Thanks all. I played a different ‘panicked mother’ role this evening by spending about 20 minutes wandering around our housing estate trying to find one of my cats DH thinks it’s absurd but I can’t go to bed without getting them both in!

How is everyone today? Before did you get the cats in? I am trying to work up the strength to have a shower!

Hoping for a better day today for all x

I’ve gone back to bed after doing very little this morning. Just looking forward to getting today over with and another day closer to the end! Sleep is becoming harder now at night as I’m so big and I thinknthe reduces sleep is impacting on how I’m feeling in the day.

Composed is today better than yesterday?

Before hope the cat turns up

Reastie not long to go fx! I’m back in bed too given up the idea of a shower for now will try later. I didn’t mess around today and took meds as soon as I woke up.

Had a terrible night’s sleep last night in that I didn’t sleep at all. Its our third wedding anniversary this thursday but I probably won’t have the energy to do anything and its eid next week which I doubt I will have energy to celebrate either.

before yeah, I'd say it was ketones considering it's with urinalysis.

I got a 4 hour nap in today after a bad night of sleep last night. Almost threw up again earlier but managed to control it.

Got Dr appt on Thursday (yay) to talk more about my meds seeing as they don't seem to be working too well. Hopefully I'll be able to get something along side the Prochlorperazine

I was visiting daughter in Cheshire.
Bili I hope the early night helped.
composed Don't be guilty about dark thoughts; we would all be in prison, if thoughts were punishable!
Reastie Sorry about cleaning knocking you out and bad night's sleep.
beforeihit30 My cat insisted on going out at dusk,would meow until let out, and would not return till early morning... Did you say yours lie on the bed when you are at your worst? I think cats can be wonderful for that.
DeadDoorPost I hope you are enjoying the sea air (at least, coming through the window).
Apologies for anyone rudely overlooked.

That’s DeadDoor, useful to have another set of eyes on it! I hope you have a good appointment on Thursday.

I’m not concerned, just surprised I guess (2-3 here is moderate to high). Maybe I have massively underestimated how quickly one can go start to go into nutritional ketosis.

Thanks composed and Reastie, I did manage to get the cat in eventually, just as I was giving up he made an appearance (typical, although I was relieved). Given how I feel about the cats, I think I made need to steel myself for adolescence I was already checking the road to see if he had been hit turns out he was just hiding in my neighbour’s front garden and not responding to being called...

I feel a bit like the days just sort of pass me by. Although it’s a bit better now, I’m just lethargic. I haven’t started the iron yet though, took a few days for the prescription to be ready and got a message this morning but didn’t fancy going out, so maybe once I start taking that I might feel a bit less lethargic (and hopefully not worse ).

Cross post Lucinda, my children join me in bed when sick, my cats join me on the sofa when I’m sick but aren’t allowed in bed with me as their hair makes DH sneeze if left on the bed! Instead they lie at the threshold of the door. It’s quite sweet having them sit right by the edge, just about complying with the ‘no cats in the bedroom’ rule

Before I’m very impressed you’re cats are trained enough to not enter the bedroom. How do you stop them? We have a very wilful elderly cat who has to be kept to the back of the house as if he’s allowed in the hall (which gains access to the rest of the house) he just goes to the loo by the front door on the mat. He’s also not suppose to go on the dining room table and he knows this but there are always cat hairs in the morning where he’s been up there. I can hear him jumping down from the table every morning when he hears me coming down so he knows he shouldn’t and thinks I must not realise! Dh says we can’t train him he just does what he wants. It’s annoying as the hall door has to be constantly shut and if we leave it even teeny bit open he makes a break for it through the door and goes to the loo inside the hall! It’s like he waits for that moment of opportunity. I don’t know what’s so good about our hall .

Lucinda hope you had a good time catching up with your daughter.

Anaethetist apt tomorrow morning. Very nervous as he holds the power to if I get the right drugs I want for section and if he will give me the anaesthetic I want as they now routinely just use spinal because it’s quicker but it also has more issues with dropping blood pressure which is what I had last time with the better anaesthetic option so the thought of it being worse this time just to save the nhs 7 minutes is pretty evil and harsh.

Reastie we adopted them nearly two years ago, and they were relatively young (1yo). At first they would always come into the bedrooms, especially first thing in the morning, so we kept the doors closed but if one was accidentally left open they would bolt in (and occasionally pee on the bed in protest 🤦‍♀️). So, we made it so they sleep in the kitchen/diner as it is a good size and has everything they need overnight (litter trays, water, beds, hiding spots etc) and means they can’t get near our rooms in the night/early morning, and during the day if they went into a bedroom because a door was accidentally open I would shake a bottle of water (think they might get sprayed so they run off). But now they’re just used to it so they just don’t go in the bedrooms anymore, and if the door is open they stay outside. It feels a bit more luck than judgement but growing up I had cats and they were never allowed in the bedrooms and also seemed to learn to stay out so this has always seemed normal to me.

Having said that, I’ve always had outdoor cats and never ever worried about them overnight if they weren’t in, but now I’m Mrs panicky estate wanderer

I forgot to add Reastie, I hope your appointment goes well tomorrow, I think I remember you said you had written down all of the things you want/need so hopefully that will help keep the discussion on track in getting it all agreed. Especially with the benefit to both your physical and mental health that it will bring - as you say not worth it and very harsh just for 7 minutes.