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.

Hi all, I ended up in hospital yesterday for fluids, and they’ve changed me to cyclizine.

Has anyone got any recommendations for anything to help my over sensitive sense of smell? I can smell something downstairs in my house that make me wretch every time I go down, so I’m spending all my time in the bedroom. I don’t know what the smell is and I can’t even describe it but I’ve only smelled it when I’ve got HG?

Have no advice for the sense of smell but I've been exactly the same and haven't found anything yet to help. DP was kindly eating KFC in front of me a few days ago and I told him I could smell and hear the grease, which was making me want to be sick.

Hope it gets better for you and hopefully someone has advice xx

Also, forgot to say sorry that you ended up on the fluids. How are you feeling today? Cyclizine is the only med so far that helps on some days. The days it works i'm so grateful for x

Thanks @ConstantlyPanicking, I know what you mean, when DH picked me up from hospital yesterday he’d eaten something with onions for lunch and I had to have the car window open all the way home 🤢

Today on cyclizine I have a vague feeling of nausea but at least I can eat and drink a little, I’ve no doubt I’ll be back up there for more fluids soon.

@Babybel90 people just keep on telling me that on days like today where you can try and make the most of it but without overdoing it. I'm glad they've helped ease it x

@LucindaE 14 weeks now and still feeling awful. I’ve not been sick on the drugs but still feel nauseous. I just want it to end I’m so, so down. DD (age 6) hasn’t had a school place since we moved here at the end of jan, it’s been a bit of a blessing really. Just found out today that a school a mile away has a place, waiting for council admissions to sort her out. But that will mean an hours round trip walk twice a day, no bus route. I’m dreading it.

@Babybel90 oh god, smells!

I’ve never had this before in either of my previous HG pregnancies. It’s settled a little now but weeks 9-12 I couldn’t go near the kitchen. Even now certain shampoos/body washes make me wretch.

Also, I can stand the smell of myself. I keep asking Dh if I suddenly stink, he says I smell no different but I
Swear to god I smell awful all the time.

I’ve been using the same washing powder for years, could never smell it before but now it’s overpoweringly horrid.

Hello all,
Just checking in as my second HG pregnancy is so nearly over!
@LucindaE your support and the work you do is just invaluable. These threads totally got me through the long summer and autumn when I honestly thought the nausea and sickness would never end.
Thankfully, it did! By about 20 weeks it was down to just mornings and by 24 weeks I had complete respite. I have been on 50mg of cyclizine and 4mg of ondansetron three times a day throughout. Tried to lower dosage around Christmas but it wasn't worth it.
The nausea returned the week before last but thankfully no sickness and the end is finally in sight, my due date was the 17th but I'm actually being induced next week!!
@Bol I remember we had similar due dates, hope you are doing alright too.

To all the other girls in here, have you tried a ginger biscuit???
Kidding!!!!!! Lucinda's advice is amazing and don't take anything from your GP, if you want to take the meds fight to take the meds! The @pregnancysicknesssupport Instagram and Facebook pages are great too.

All the best everyone (until next time, unless I am third time lucky ha ! Won't hold my breath)

Hi everyone!
I'm not sure if anyone from December is still here, but I was active in the chat reporting o symptoms of HG having had 2 prior HG pregnancies.
As I suspected I ended up miscarrying.
BUT somehow I got pregnant again almost immediately, and am now 8 weeks pregnant with a non HG pregnancy!!
This is a f*&€#ing miracle! I mean I'm still nauseas and I've vomited a few times, but I guess this is what a normal pregnancy feels like.
I wanted to post this for all the people who might take some comfort in knowing that future pregnancies don't always have to be HG pregnancies..
P. A I've already had a scan and seen the heartbeat. So although it's so early, I have some level of confidence that this one will stick.

@yellow25 wishing you all the best for your labour and birth hun! I'm due 1st of April so not too much longer after you but seeing the consultant next week to talk possible induction.
This page has been a life saver for me too and would have struggled to get through the last 9 months without it. Hope all goes well while you wait the arrival of your little one.

@yellow25 - I do! 👋🏼 I’m having a section next Friday so very similar dates I imagine! Look forwards to hearing your news! It’s so nearly over .. I agree, this board has been a real lifeline!!

@GinnyOz - congratulations! And so pleased to hear you are having a none HG pregnancy! It must be such a relief!

Yellow25 Thank you so much. I am so glad that this thread helped you a lot. It is so nice of you to come back and encourage current sufferers.
All good luck for your induction. Photos of baby always appreciated - hint hint...
abbs1 and Bol97 and good luck for induction and possible induction. I am happy the thread has helped you.
GinnyOz I am sorry to hear of your previous miscarriage, but it is great news that you are having a pregnancy with normal pregnancy sickeness and all looking well. Thank you for your encouraging post.
Babybel90 I am sorry to hear that you had to go into hospital. It's good that the Cyclizine is helping. Some sufferers find it excellent.
On that awful sense of smell, can you stand the smell of lavender? I went round with a lavender satchet pressed to my nose.
Connie222 Sorry that the nausea persists. Hopefully it will ease in the next few weeks. Might a lavender satchet help you too?
Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked.

Morning all, I'm back in hospital too 🤣 had my routine 28 week appt with the midwife and she tested my urine & my ketones were 3+ and I wasnt keeping anything down so I got sent straight in. I'm hoping I'll be able to go home today, I hate sleeping here i get very little sleep which makes me vomit more!

Hello everyone. I’m new and confused as to if I have HG. In my first pregnancy I had ‘extreme NVP’ according to GP but not HG. I went entirely off food and had certain windows in which I could eat very specific things. Often salty snackajacks or tuna sandwiches for some reason. I survived on lucozade sport. I was probably only sick about 10-20 times in 14 weeks but I felt like that was because I was essentially not eating barely anything. I lost 5kg (just below the % threshold). I had bad days and good days but mainly went to work I think with about 2-3 weeks wfh or off with bedrest in total. I couldn’t take tablets and TBH (to be honest) my GP back then didn’t discuss HG. They said as long as I could keep fluids down then it was just VF sickness and I sort of had to get on with it. It cleared up after 14weeks.

This time around it’s been similar but different. I’ve been wfh 10.5 days out of 5 weeks at home and the rest has been off. There are so many bad days where I have to lie in a dark room and can’t move and snacks/meals have to be brought to me when a windows comes on (luckily OH (other half) works from home. Not lucky for him). I’ve been chronically dehydrated, urinating once per day, always dark yellow and sometimes dark orange. But my experience in first pregnancy made me averse to GP, I was so sick I couldn’t bare to go and just be told it to just carry on. I’ve lost 4kg this time around (but I’m heavier to start with) and weirdly although I feel a HUGE amount more nausea and motion sickness (leaving the house has felt impossible for 4-5 weeks, often leaving bed feels that way), I am definitely eating more and keeping more down that last time. But I’m totally off drinks. The ‘usual HG drinks’ that get people through like sugar and pop is the exact opposite of what I want. I can just get by in sips of water and occasionally sugar free squash through a straw. Eventually went on Tuesday they found 2++ ketones and prescribed cyclixine. She didn’t discuss it with me, but once home I’ve seen HG on my online record.

I’m confused. Is it HG? I’m eating and keeping food down. I only throw up 1-2 per day. But that is because I stay in bed and basically don’t move. Is it possible to have HG that is triggered by motion rather than food so much? Things like standing up too fast or for too long, brushing my teeth, having a bath, picking up my 2yr old daughter, walking too fast, the wrong noises or TV, or crying make me puke. I get sudden onset puking. And then I have better days and I feel okay and think I’m coming out of it and then wham I get hit by nausea or sudden vomiting.

It felt like there was a logic to it last time. Like I’d wake up and now if it was a good day or a bad day and if I could work or not. And it was consistent. I knew on the whole I basically couldn’t eat but I always had the certain few things I knew I would crave and when the window came I ate them and the rest of the time I was on rehydration and sports drinks. This time it’s like I can eat 4 times a day and generally speaking the food isn’t the issue but I find it hard to drink and any kind of physical exertion beyond staying in bed (on a bad day) or in the house (on a good day) feels like puke central. Is this HG? It’s so hard to process it or communicate it to people. It’s like I’m fine to wfh on a good day as long as I’m in bed in PJs and my husband brings me food. But as soon as I then try to wake up and get dressed and go to work I’ll puke 3 times before leaving the house.

The Cyclixine started Tuesday and I didn’t throw up wed-thurs so thought I was on to something but had awful sickness twice last night after going downstairs and picking up daughter for a cuddle.

I just don’t understand what’s wrong with me or what I can do. I’m freelance and if I don’t work I don’t get paid. I struggled to do 10.5 days from home last month and so far this month I’ve done 0. I think my boss has run out of understanding for wfh and thinks if you can wfh you can work here. How do I explain I have HG triggered by activity. Is that even a thing??

Any help welcome. I’m so confused

Oh sorry i forgot to add to my first post!
as soon as I got the positive test i went to the GP and got Emesafene (meclozine en pyridoxine) which i started taking immediately, combined with some Primperan I had left from my last pregnancy.
WHen i told the GP I'd been combining she told me to stop the Primperan as it can cause neurological issue???
Anway i stopped the primperan but im still on 2 doses of Emesafene per day as I'm too afraid to stop that.
So not totally medication free... but still a big change as Emesafene and Primperan have done nothing for me in the past.

Hi @Shereendoc - sorry to hear you are really struggling. The best thing you can do is to not worry about the diagnosis as such. It doesn’t matter if your sickness is classified as HG or ‘just’ severe pregnancy sickness. I was never ‘officially’ diagnosed in my first pregnancy despite vomiting 14+ times a day.. my medical notes don’t say HG. But I was treated the same, worked my way up through the anti-sickness meds until one worked, was in hospital dehydrated a couple times, was signed off work for several weeks.. this pregnancy, I was instantly diagnosed but my treatment has been exactly the same.

So please don’t get hung up on it. What matters is getting through these very difficult early weeks. There are numerous meds you can take, if cyclizine isn’t working, ask for another. If you are badly dehydrated, go to hospital & get some fluids. I cannot emphasise how much better they make you feel! 2+ ketones is probably a point your doctor should be considering it. Dehydration is dangerous to you & baby. Always take it seriously.

It’s totally normally for sickness to be triggered by movement, mine def was! I laid on the sofa barely moving for weeks! My poor toddler watched a lot of TV.. she seems totally unaffected Get a doctors note for your HG/Sickness so you can ‘prove’ you are ill & there’s a reason you need to WFH. It must be very difficult if you don’t get sick pay

Check out the charity Pregnancy Sickness Support. They have so much info on there & also some great advice on medication you can print & take to your doctor.

Hope you can get more support from work/GP etc, sending love 🧡

Thank you @Bol87 I didn’t realise that the definition wasn’t important. During my last pregnancy (when we lived elsewhere and had a different GP) they kept emphasising j didn’t have HG as I could keep fluids down and that it was ‘just’ sickness, which was infuriating given how bloody awful it was. Thank you for the advice. I bought ketone testing strips and I’m 2+ so I will try to focus on getting some more drink down me as I’ve eaten well so far today. I’m worried about how long it will last and what I’ll do financially (I also don’t get maternity pay as a freelancer other than statutory so ideally I’d be working hard and saving as much as possible right now), but if I can’t get out of bed there isn’t much choice but to listen to my body. It sucks there is not more awareness and help around this. My last GP was so crap I didn’t do anything for weeks this time around when I actually probably should have been hospitalised a few times by now. I was shocked when this GP immediately said she ‘needed urine, yep you’ve got ketones, I’m prescribing an anti-sickness’. I barely said anything. The last Gp I’d explain exactly how awful it was for ages in lots of details and they’d just go ‘yeah pregnancy If you’re drinking you’re fine’. I wasn’t asked for urine once despite going 5x in the first trimester of my last pregnancy. Shocking now I have had such radically different treatment this time around just going once.

Hi all I’m 6 weeks pregnant and have been suffering terribly with nausea and heartburn.

I haven’t been sick yet but this morning cane very close and was wrenching.

I can not shake the feeling of nausea which persists all day long followed by heart burn too :(

The only way I can seem to calm the nausea (temporarily) is by eating but within an hour I am starving hungry and as soon as I’m hungry I start to feel nausea :(

I know I’ve got it easy compared to some but I’m seriously concerned about my weight as I am needing to eat double what I ate before :( it’s getting me down.

Does anyone have any tips for the nausea? Would anti-sickness work for nausea or has anyone any suggestions of what might help without me gaining too much extra weight (I’m already 1 stone overweight so really could do worh not gaining too much extra so early on!)

Thank you in advance x

Luckyme30 Welcome. Defiintely ask for some meds. They help some sufferers with nausea, but not others, unfortunately. A good anti acid can really help with the nausea, too. Omprazole is one; do ask for that. Rest is as effective as meds for a lot of women.
Here is my normal spiel, though I don't know if it will be useful. Things do get a lot better for most people at some point between weeks 15-21. Even the unlucky minroity who suffer throughout almost never feel as bad as in the first tri. Have you got kesostix to check for the early stages of dehydration as even though they are not the best test of it, hospitals do take the presence of ketones seriously? You can get them from a chemists. An anti acid can make a surprising difference. ere are some drinks that have helped others. Full sugar flat coke, ice lollies, the juice of tinned fruit, Elderflower water, tonic water and Elderflower cordial (eallison's tipple), Lucozade, soda water, lemonade, fizzy orange, orange squash, Iron Bru, orange juice if not too acid, ice cubes, Dr Pepper, Chocolate milkshakes (maybe soya), 7Up, isotonic drinks frozen into cubes, flat full sugar coke frozen into cubes and fizzy water. Some foods of a sort: nibbles of crisps and chips, tinned fruit, slices of melon and mango, baked potato, toasted bagel with butter, grated cheese, cheese puffs, Scotch pancakes, cuppa soup, biscuits and cheap ice cream.

Sheerendoc Welcome. You have already had great advice from Bol 87 As you a a veteran, you certainly don't need my normal spiel about kesostix etc, and you are unusual in that sweet drinks don't help in this pregnancy. I am glad that it went at fourteen weeks for you in the other one. I hope it follows the same pattern this time. It can be very tough with a toddler. Have you got relatives or friends in the area who can help as well? It is very awkward about being self employed. I hope that as it eases you will be able to work more. If the Cyclizine is not helping in a day or so, do ask for other meds. There are a variety they can try. A good anti acid like Omprazole can make a big difference to the nausea.
BeautyandtheBump I am so sorry you have been hospitalised at 28 weeks. I hope you have esaped by now to get a good sleep. Have they prescribed other meds?
GinnyOz and Bol87 Great advice.
Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked.

Congratulations @GinnyOz - I remember you from the end of last year :)

Hi everyone, glad to hear some people are doing well and sorry that others aren't. I'm at 12 weeks now and I'm having a terrible day, vomiting all evening on and off. The last few days haven't been great either but today is particularly bad.

However, I remember last time feeling especially terrible at 12 weeks and being so upset because my doctors and other people were telling me that I would be better by 12 weeks. Last time I dramatically improved at 14 weeks so hopefully it's the same this time and I just need to ride it out for another few weeks.

Right now my dilemma is what to drink as nothing is staying down but I'm so thirsty. Even my saliva makes me want to throw up. The curse of HG!

(I'm also bizarrely anxious about Covid-19 during pregnancy but I guess that's a whole other thread )

Thank you so much @LucindaE for the tips!

I will call the doctors tomorrow and see if I can get started on medication as this nausea is really getting me down - as I say I know I’ve got it easy compared to some though, as no sickness.... yet!!

I’ve been eating rice crackers which I’ve found have really worked and are not too high in calories either but I’m going to try some of your suggestions especially drink wise

Will keep checking back on this post and thank you for your help x

Hi everyone, I just need somewhere to talk about how crap I feel. Don’t want to keep annoying my friends and family and poor husband by going on and on and on about how sick I feel. This is my second HG pregnancy and I am definitely over the very worst of it at 17 weeks, was admitted to hospital 3 times in the first trimester for dehydration and was really really sick but the vomiting has ceased to maybe 3-5 times a day but I have a 3 year old to look after and I just can’t get out of bed I feel so sick all day long. I have great support from my mum and mother in law but I feel so guilty not being able to look after my daughter. I’m on ondansetron and metoclopramide, just praying once I make it to halfway it starts to lift a bit like my first pregnancy.

So fed up

@Calliope87 I really feel for you hun. Definitely use this page for support as weve all been through or going through it. I take my hat off to you for going through it a second time. I'm nearly done with my first hg pregnancy and it's been the toughest thing I've faced. I would look into seeking steroids if you're struggling. I was on both meds you are on now and needed the steroids as well from 12-20 weeks. I did find after 20 weeks I started to improve still on full meds but didn't feel as sick. Are you taking 3 of each tablet across 24 hours to have the best chance of keeping the nausea away? I really hope you feel better soon hun.

Calliope87 Welcome. I am sorry youare suffering. As you are a veteran, you don't need my 'have you got kesostix as though they are not the best test of dehydration hospitals do take them seriously.' and 'do you find ice lolies, ice cubes, the juice of tinned fruit or flat full sugar coke any good' or 'a good anti acid can make all the differnce' spiel. I am glad that you have got help from family; your daughter will qucikly forget this period of comparative neglect if what everyone says on these threads are true and a sibling is an invaluable prize. I do hope you get relief again at twenty weeks. Everyone is very supportive on here.
PippinStar From anecdotal evidence, even with normal levels of pregnancy sickness, it often goes on beyond 12 weeks, very often to 14 weeks or even 15 weeks. Most people do get relief from this at some point between 14-21 weeks, and I do hope you take a turn for the better soon.
GinnyOz Would Primperine be the same type of drug as Metaclopramide? Occasionally, Metaclopramise makes the mother (not the baby) twitchy. It is for that reason that some doctors are cautious about prescribing it for extended periods. But many sufferers on here have been on a cocktail of meds including Metaclopramide for months.
LuckyMe30 I am glad that you found the suggestions helpful and that you are going for meds.
boulevardofbrokendreams How are things?
abbs1 W are going to miss you on here,though you will be so glad to escape.
Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked.