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.

@BeautyAndTheBump1 Lovely news, congratulations 💙

@Pygmyseahorse I hope everything goes ok today. Thinking of you. 💛

Hope everybody else I doing ok. Haven’t been on much as I’ve had a couple of rough weeks. Still very little I fancy food wise and teeth brushing at night has become worse than ever! Crazy considering I’m over 14 weeks now & it didn’t affect me like this in my earlier sicker days? Funny what our body does hey!

Lots of support to all 💗

@Pygmyseahorse thinking of you and hoping your appointment went well xx

Wonderful news @BeautyAndTheBump1,so happy for you! I remember that feeling well.

I am not so good @snowwhite2020. Just been admitted to hospital. Not dehydrated enough for fluids, only +1 but after a complete break down over the nausea (which is debilitating at the moment) they are admitting me for iv ondansetron. It was a life saver in my previous pregnancy so hoping to get some relief.

How are you?

Just rushing on to congratulate BeautyandtheBump. My goodness, what a long labour. How agonising. I wonder they discharged you, my goodness - and getting to 10cm dilated without pain relief is amazingly brave. I am so happy you felt better at once. .
Pygmyseahorse A 1 in 33 chance is what they gave me. All was well, and that is only 3 chances in 100. I told myself this, but of course, it doesn't help. Thinking of you at this tense time.
Waves to all. Back later...

@FilthyforFirth I am so sorry to hear you are suffering so badly. I had hoped since we hadn’t heard from you in a while that the opposite may be true. I have never been admitted to hospital with HG I have heard from many that it provides temporary improvements. I do hope it helps you. Love to you fellow warrior woman xx

Thank you @snowwhite2020 that was so kind.

I only had iv ondansetron once, at 38 weeks whilst I was having my section. I kept being sick and they were worried as I was obviously lying down and unable to move. It was instantly amazing and I thought where the hell has this been for the past 38 weeks. Am hoping for a similar reaction today. I havent eaten in over a day or had a drink since yesterday evening.

It is annoying that they only relented once they saw how distressed I was. My trust will only admit for fluids at +3! So even though I was +1 they just wanted to send me home.

I have a severe needle phobia so not looking forward to them attempting to put the cannela in...

Has your improved? I certainly hope so. When do you have your 20 week scan?

Beautyandthebump Congratulations! What brilliant news. And welcome to Oscar! 😀

Glad you also are now free from HG.

I remember loving the toast after my girls too... it tastes like heaven after so many months of enjoying nothing at all.

Enjoy your snuggles x

Flithyforfirth sorry you continue to feel so rotten. Glad you are finally getting some help. I always found the fluids so helpful. X

@FilthyforFirth my scan is around mid July I think. I will be a bit over 20 weeks I think. I am looking forward to that but in general each milestone with this pregnancy is greatly received as it has not been the easiest journey in terms of my health, I’m sure you understand!

I am still on medication and I find that if I stop taking it I get ill quite quickly. I have had some improvements in the last week or so, though a bad relapse yesterday. It does always seem to be one step forward, two steps back. I am so sorry that your HG has taken a turn for the worse and that you are having to take a trip to the hospital. It is very frustrating to hear of a postcode lottery with medical professionals- some seem very open to medication and treatment for extreme sickness, others quite resistant. I have also experienced both just within my GP practice but thankfully have a midwife who fought my corner a bit! Love to you xx

Feels comforting reading all the posts on here and knowing I’m not alone. I am so I’ll 12+6 and on cyclizine but continuously being sick. How can I be sick when it’s impossible to keep food down?! I’m still working which is torture. So unhappy right now ... I thought sickness was meant to dissipate moving closer to the second trimester 🤢

@zhivagodr I think the idea that sickness is supposed to lift after 12 weeks can be one of the hardest things for long term sufferers to accept... you attach yourself to that milestone because it’s so rough and difficult and it’s very disappointing when it whooshes past... everyone here understands! If cyclizine is not stopping you from being sick and you are not able to eat I would go back to the GP and ask to try a different drug. Others on here will be able to give you some names. I take cyclizine myself and it has just about kept my sickness at a manageable level but a lot of people move on to other drugs xx

So true @Snowwhite2020 thank you I had nausea all the way from around 6 weeks but has kept the 12 week mark in my head as the date I would suddenly get a burst of energy and stop feeling constantly hungover and being sick. But it seems to have accelerated in the past week and the actually vomiting has intensified! It seems like terrible luck especially since alll the pregnancy materials talk about how your morning sickness symptoms should be waning right now 🤔 I wish that was the case. Will find doctor tomorrow and ask for another anti sickness prescription, hopefully it will take the edge off. Thank you for taking the time to comment x

My annoying PC is really dragging and making infuriating churning noises...
FilthyforFirth I am so sorry that you are suffering badly and that the hospital were reluctant to admit you for fluids. I am glad they did. How far along are you?
Zihvgodr and others, much sympathy about that disappointment. I am always surprised that so many medics insisting that pregnancy sickness always gets better at 12 weeks, because anecdotally I have known many with normal pregnancy sickness suffering until 14 or even 16 weeks! Hyperemesis typically lasts longer, unfortunately, but most see an improvement at some time between 15-20 weeks. Even the unlucky ones who suffer throughout, don't generally feel as bad later on as they do in the first weeks. From what I have seen in ten years of these threads, the great majority of women who suffer from Hyperemesis find the sickness goes within hours of the birth. A handful of unlucky ones do suffer from continuing sickness after the birth (trust me to be one), but that is connected with the breast feeding hormones, and always goes when breast feeding stops. I have known about six on these theads, so it is very rare. However, I think it would be irresponsible of me if I didn't warn sufferers, as I didn't in the past as it is so very rare, but then they were distraught at still having symptoms.
Waves to SnowWhite2020 IAmSeriousAndDon'tCallMeShirely and everyone.

Congratulations @BeautyAndTheBump1!!!!

@zhivagodr I became more physically sick after twelve weeks also...... if you find any consolation in knowing you have chums with the same sickness pattern!

Hope all get as restful a night’s sleep as possible xx

Morning ladies!
I had my scan yesterday, due date of 20th December eeek. Improvement of one day, but will take that as it means one less day of sickness!
Yesterday wasn’t a great day for sickness, the nerves didn’t help :(
How is everyone today?

Goodness a lot has been happening on here! Huge congratulations @BeautyAndTheBump1 you have done amazingly well to get through HG and that labour too! So lovely to have baby news to encourage us all and your kind words too

Thanks for the welcome @LucindaE Certainly I have a few tricks in the bag to try from experience. Stocked up on tinned peaches as they have served me well before and will get some lucozade sport as I find it helps dehydration and often water does not stay down. In other pregnancies I have been sick all the way through but found around 20 weeks I was able to begin to function a bit more, especially mentally. I finally managed to get through to the drs yesterday afternoon so hopefully someone will ring this morning and be happy to prescribe given my history!

Hi @IAmSeriousAndDontCallMeShirley number 4 is a surprise pregnancy but at least you know I somehow survived 3! More luck than judgement I am sure! Mine are 6, 2 and just turned 1. How far along are you? How are you managing with your girls?

@Pygmyseahorse thinking of you as you process and work out what comes next. I hope the appointment was helpful.

With booking in appointments, have others had them over the phone recently? When do they do bloods?

Also in all my other pregnancies I have used ranitidine as an anti acid all the way through and it massively helps. I saw just after my youngest that they had suspended use of it. What else is there I can try?

Oh and hi @KatieFTM a date is a nice thing to have. And a Christmas baby to look forward to - and Christmas dinner! Better tell baby to be on time

Hi ladies, it's so comforting to hear (read) your updates. I really hope you are all keeping well. Thinking of you all.

A specific question from me : is it normal to 'feel' hormonal flashes, like a heightened sense of something going on in the body? I feel very alert in my blood, almost like adrenaline rushes. Anyone else?

Herewegoagain4
I'm nearly 17 weeks now, it's felt like a long time already! Lockdown hasn't helped that.

Hoping for slightly smoother sailing from 25 weeks ish, it's seems to be the first shift for me.

Girls had to do a lot of games around me before I got my drugs right. I did a lot of lying on the sofa with my bright orange bucket and supervised them but couldn't really play. Meal times and wiping bottoms has been hard going, but managed to keep cooking them proper meals which felt like a real achievement. Able to do more now than then, but still not exactly supermum! The mum guilt is strong in me...

Re: Booking appointment I had an appointment over the phone, then a separate one to come in and have bloods and BP, weight recorded etc. I think to minimise the amount of time you spend in the surgery. I had to wait outside in the car until I was called to come in. All very strange.
Then scan have to attend alone, saw the consultant then too. Nothing since. 16 week appt should have been via phone but was cancelled. Nothing on the horizon. All feels very strange as I'm height risk so spent my last 2 pregnancies seeing a consultant fortnightly from 16 weeks.

@Herewegoagainx4 I know, let’s hope I get to enjoy it 😀
My booking in appointment was on the phone, they did bloods and urine at my appointment yesterday, but haven’t met a midwife yet. Found that very odd and had lots of questions to ask as a FTM 🤷🏻‍♀️

@BeautyandTheBump1 huge congratulations, what a lovely name and you are incredible for that labour too. Enjoy your life together with your son and being able to put HG behind you. So happy for you

@KatieFTM so happy to hear your scan went well, so close to my edd too
I found sickness worsened after the scan but I hope yours eases soon

To the ladies suffering I'm so sorry, I hope you have a better day today. Its a bit nuts that everyone says the magic 12 weeks and then you'll be better.. Infuriating if you have HG and it doesn't. I was the same with dd and seemingly now, I feel your pain and send my love

As for my update...

1:33 but that's 97% chance it doesn't which they don't tell you at the time.

Appointment pretty useless, only 2 options wait til 16 weeks for amnio or pay for private iona test

We are doing the iona, can't get hold of them to book in so hopefully that will be sooner rather than later
Then depending how results are and we feel will consider amnio

I've felt all the feels, currently very detached from baby. Don't want to feel pregnant can't stand the HG associated and just feel numb

I spoke to Dr who's giving me cyclizine to try, hopefully it'll help because I just can't stand feeling like this in addition to what we are going through.
He was patronising, surprised I worsened at 12 weeks, suggested plain toast and ginger before I started crying at him.

I'm not sure if I'll be on much, I don't really want to associate myself with being pregnant which ashames me to admit. I think it's just shock..

I'm sorry to not reply to all individually but sending love

They also said they won't offer detailed or more scans to see for markers and that no scan will reliably show things like heart defects. She said its 50/50 on what you find being the outcome.. That really surprised me

@pygmyhorse
Reading your post I just wanted to drop you a line to say I know how you are feeling and I hope you are ok.

I have suffered with HG from about 7 weeks and was hospitalised a few times in the first trimester. At our 12 week scan we got the shocking results of 1:4 for downs and 1:21 for Edwards and Patteau. We have had four previous miscarriages and I was only focussed on seeing a heartbeat so the screening results at the end really caught me off guard.

We opted for CVS and the wait for the results was hell. I was already taking ondansetron for sickness but I feel like with all the emotional stress my sickness accelerated. I was so so so sick. I had no connection with the pregnancy what so ever. I was being sick 20 + times a day but I had no energy for it because I felt like there was a possibility that I was doing it all for nothing. HG is hell bur at least you can keep your eye on the prize of a baby at the end. When you don't have that certainty it is almost impossible to cope with.

We got the first results of the CVS in 5 days and another 7 for the full genetic array. Luckily that was all clear. We also had a detailed heart scan at 16 weeks which was also clear. The specialist consultant then told us to relax and enjoy the pregnancy. As soon we had that final all clear a switch flicked and we have been able to get excited and I am not sure if it is a coincidence but sickness has eased a lot too. Perhaps just being sick a couple of times a day now.

My advice would be if you go for the Amnio or even if you wait for a detailed scan to find out the gender. I know it's nice to have the surprise especially if it is your first baby but I have been able to connect a lot more with the pregnancy after we found out it was a little girl.

Please just shout if you want to talk or vent!

Best of luck