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.

@Clarkel1 if you are really worried you could always make a cup of coffee/ similar food or drink you can’t stand due to sickness and I’m sure you’ll get a reassuring surge of revulsion! This was something I did when I once felt better for two days in a row and sure enough... only if you really want to test it tho! I understand though, and worry is normal! X

I find breast tenderness fluctuates massively for me. Some days nothing and others varied and some more constant.

Clarkel1 As others say, it is probably just a short reprieve - but that is the terrible things with this. You worry when you're not suffering horribly!
SnowWhite2020 I am so sorry you are still suffering at 17 weeks. I hope it continues to be better than in the first tri?
HereWeGoAgainX4 The best of luck with the photoshoot.
Incredible downpours here.

@LucindaE yes sadly still a bit sick but much better. Told the midwife today about blood in sick but she didn’t seem to concerned as it was only once... but I’m to keep an eye. I did hear the baby’s heartbeat for the first time today which was lovely 💓 Those little moments really help and remind you what it’s all for...

Hope everyone is having not too bad a day xx

Glad it's better than it was @Snowwhite2020 but sorry you're suffering still. Yay for hearing the heartbeat glad it's something to keep you going through the slog!

We made it through the photoshoot and although I was very sick this morning try to get up and out, I managed ok whilst we were out. We were by the coast, and tho it was incredibly misty - you could hardly see the sea! - it was a lovely cool temperature for me and the fresh air was quite pleasant. Am absolutely shattered now!

@Herewegoagainx4 well done on getting through the photo shoot! A sea breeze and temperature sounds ideal- I really struggled through some of the warmer weather recently but it’s been cool here the last few days too.

I’m sorry your sickness is ramping up already. Have you started vomiting? Love to you and so much respect for you going for a fourth! Xx

@Snowwhite2020 the heat is the worst in pregnancies. My 2 eldest are September babies and heavily pregnant in the summer is hard. That said we are up north so it doesn't normally get quite so hot up here.

Sadly the vomiting started full on this morning. I'm still only on cyclizine and omeprazole, but may need Ondanestron soon. At the moment I am just feeling really panicked and anxious. I don't want to do this again and I can't see a way through, especially with DH back at work on Thurs.

@Herewegiagainx4 it is so hard isn’t it? I’m sorry the vomiting has started already. If I was to have another baby I would be really really nervous about the sickness again.... the thing is tho, we just get on with it and get through it don’t we? I’m not saying we don’t suffer... we suffer terribly... it’s good you know about the drugs available and also what has worked for you before. I hope this helps to prevent it getting really bad and will lessen the suffering for you this time. I would certainly be much more clued up second time round. It was quite a shock this time and took me weeks to work out how to try and help,rather than make it all worse and I definitely should have started medication earlier and would not make that mistake again! Not that it stopped any of it of course but just made things slightly more manageable. Love to you. This thread has been my lifeline and we’re all here for you xx

Just typed a reply and mumsnet seems to have eaten it! Anyhow thanks for the virtual hand hold and pep talk @Snowwhite2020

Can I join?
I had HG with my daughter and came on here 3 years ago. Now 6 weeks with my second - sickness started at 3 weeks.
Like others the acid is really getting to me and after 3pm is just awful.
I'm managing to only be sick 3 times a day but the nausea and retching is unrelenting.
Have been signed off work as I work away from home. Work have been ok but a bit annoyed as things were just starting to get moving again and I'm off.
I'm just praying everything is ok as I can't face doing this again.

Hi @Arrowcat. I'm around 6 weeks too. It sounds like you're having a really rough time already with my second it started very early too. The acid is horrid, isn't it and I find not much helps. Have you been able to get meds from the dr?

Arrowcat Welcome back. Sorry that you are suffering again. It is brave of you to go for it again. There are other veterans here and as ever, everyone is really supportive. As you are one, you don't need my 'have you got kesostix to measure for dehydration as while not the best test of dehydration, hospitals do take them seriously' and 'A good anti acid can make all the difference' and 'Do you find that ice lollies, sips of full sugar flat coke and the juice of tinned fruit help' and 'Pre emptive meds are the best idea before things get reall bad'. What meds were you on three years ago and what meds are you on now?
SnowWhite2020 Congratulations on hearing baby's heartbeat. I am glad you are anyway a bit better.
Herewegoagainx4 I hope the sea air helped. Some who have been on a seaside holiday say it really helps.
Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked.

Herewegoagain I meant to say, much sympathy over two September babies and Hperemesis through the summmer. I had my daughter a long time ago - on 23 August 1994, but that was a record summer for heat and I still remember the unpleasantness of that.

Welcome @Arrowcat sorry to hear you are suffering already. You are brave going for another baby after your experience last time xx

I've got some metaclopramide which I've not used yet. Not got any omeprazole though which I think would be a good idea.
So thirsty all the time but cant keep enough fluid down.

@Snowwhite2020 so pleased you got to hear baby's heartbeat, I recorded dd and would listen to it on bad days to help me through.
How are you doing today?

@arrowcat welcome and congratulations :) poor you that's started so early! I had HG with my dd 4 years ago which ran from about 9 weeks to 38 when I had her, this time it started before I took a test at 3/4 weeks and ramped up week 5.
I'm only 13 and a bit now but found as with dd it got worse at 12 weeks and have had a little relief from ondansetron and cyclizine but nothing else touched the sides

They also have me Metoclopramide which I couldn't tolerate it with epilepsy but I hope it helps you. It knocked me out quite a bit so found that hard with dd at home

Hi to everyone else, sorry for not replying to others. Not functioning a whole lot just now!

My sickness has ramped up like mad since last week and really struggling now and severe headaches but no Paracetamol staying down, and not enough liquids either.
Drained from nights of no sleep and trying to entertain dd is not working and my mood is so low between anxiety and feeling disconnected waiting on the nipt results.
I feel so unattached to baby and struggling to get through these bad days when I don't even know if there will be this lovely healthy baby at the end of it all.

Finding the stabbing boob pain hard at night in particular but if I wear any kind of top or bra it irritates the nausea and wretching :(

I hope you ladies are as well as possible and sending love to all

Pygmyseahorse Poor you. All I can do is offer gentle cyber pats. That it is getting worse is really miserable. That the chances are on your side about the result makes no difference in this case, as all one can feel is anxiety, and on top of everything else you have a LO to protect from your anxiety and care for. Much sympathy.

@Arrowcat did you have metoclopramide last time round? I would definitely try getting some Omeprazole.

@Pygmyseahorse Sorry you're having such a tough time at the minute and that sickness is worse. I've had terrible headaches the last couple of days & they don't shift when you can't get enough fluid or keep paracetamol down Does your dd like playdough? I have found that a helpful activity for my older ones and they are happy without too much input so I can lie miserably on the sofa and watch (they do it on a tablecloth on the floor) That and lots of telly! Do you take anything for acid reflux?

Hope you're doing ok this morning @Snowwhite2020 x

@lucindae thank you for your kind words

@herewegoagainx4 thank you for your kind words too. I'm sorry you have been getting these headaches too, they are so awful aren't they.
How are you feeling today?

We do play doh which last a few minutes and baths too last a little while where I can sit and feel like crap!
She will spend a nice while doing waterplay in the sink but that's all I can think of that she stays doing for more than a few minutes :(
Shes not really interested in TV, she's never sat through a whole film and generally likes quite a lot of interaction and please play with me mummy or I need help for xyz sadly when I feel so bad

I've also just had some poor grades back so really concerned about my overall degree :(

Here's hoping naptime lasts a while today! I really need the rest!!

Oh I'm on ondansetron and cyclizine so it's better acid wise than it was, most of the time I'm just finding that I can't take enough cyclizine to prevent the nausea, wretching and sickness both day and night

The headaches are rubbish - as if there wasn't enough to deal with already! I'm feeling pretty awful with the nausea today but mentally a little better than yesterday.

My eldest was like that, so full on and ready to play, and didn't watch a whole film until much older. She's still very intense now. I was quite surprised by my son who would sit and play quietly even as a baby quite happily - mind you he has to be dragged away from screens so it probably isn't much better! Can't win How old is your little one?

What's your degree in and what year are you? Have you talked to them about the pregnancy/hyperemesis? They may be able to help and offer support for you...

I am thinking I need Ondanestron with the cyclizine now but not sure how to handle the acid with ranitidine being unavailable...might need to bite the bullet

Hi everyone,

@Pygmyseahorse lovely to hear from you. So sorry you are having such a hard time with sickness this week and last. I am sure the stress of waiting for the results will be exacerbating your symptoms. I hope you get news soon and then you can try to move forward. Sorry also you are not happy with some of your grades but I honestly think it’s amazing you have been trying to work through HG. It is so very hard to concentrate and the stress of exams must have been just awful. If you have passed I think that is a major win. How important is your grade? I find with professional qualifications the quality of the work you do is far more important to employers anyway so hopefully you can get your foot in somewhere once your baby is born and you are back to normal and no one will even think about the grade you got (if youre not happy with it.)

@Herewegoagainx4 I have had a bit of a slip today unfortunately. Feeling sick again and was sick upon getting up. I had a vaccination at the GP this morning for whooping cough (for the baby) and I got shouted at by a random lady in the waiting room because I had my mask down as I thought I was going to be sick again. The social distancing rule is 2m and she was about 15m away so it was really very annoying. I told her about my pregnancy and sickness after she shouted at me (coming over to me to do so) and she just said “oh you don’t look pregnant”. What an idiot! The gp staff were so apologetic but it was not their fault for goodness sake! Nurse said they have been having a lot of bother with members of the public being very rude and snappy. Must just be the pressure of the situation. I have to say HG takes most of my energy and focus and I’m not usually out the house much so I haven’t been too focused on it....

Hope everyone is ok xx

@herewegoagainx4 ahh bless them, yeah im not sure which would be better but it is hard when they need quite a lot when so ill!
Shes 3, 4 when baby arrives or just after and she is on stop chatting and a busy bee but has a couple of health issues and physical delay so she does need help and support doing certain things which restricts what we do at the moment

Poor you with acid, I don't know what to suggest other than try calling Dr's for something and in the meantime just chugging gaviscon if you can keep it down.

I've got bad acid at times but not constantly and I find it's less so when I have something in my stomach, so trying to nibble often so it's not just bile helps. I know from how bad acid was with dd that that wouldn't likely have helped though, so I don't know what else may do. Just really sorry to hear you are struggling with it and hope the Dr's prescribe something to help and it eases soon.

Oh and sorry I'm in my final year of a law degree so these were the last thing I'll do at uni (thank god!) I know I've passed my degree now but not the grade so it's hard with stressing about that.

I did tell them and out in EC about HG amongst other things but nobody who hasn't had it really thinks it's anything other than mild morning sickness which is infuriating
As I passed everything I cant do anything at all.. I just have to suck up the fact I've ruined my classification :( though the pandemic played a huge part with no childcare etc

@Snowwhite2020 sorry to hear you are having a rough time and what a hideous woman!!! I have definitely found some weird reactions and behaviour with c19
Poor you though, definitely didn't need that on top of everything!!

I am pleased to have the degree obviously it's just that I was on track for a 1st or 2.1 overall which is needed for a career in law.
I decided/reasons decided I won't have a career in law now but it's kind of frowned on if you get 2.2 or lower and uni enforced this constantly so it's just hard to see how much its had a huge impact on my grade and now my actual degree.
I've missed my dd first couple of years at times due to pnd, studies and childcare and uni is thousands of pounds student debt and risking my mental and physical health for what now seems like no reason if I do badly overall.

Has your blood in vomit stopped now?

I thought it was my gums bleeding as I get pregnancy gingivitis but I checked thoroughly and can't see the blood coming from there and my throat and oseophagus feel like they did when I had tears before so I'm wondering if it's from that instead.

Your 20 week scan must be coming up soon?

Sending love x

Hi everyone,

I’ve been following this thread for a couple of weeks now and finally admitting to myself that it’s time to reach out for support. Been telling myself that I just had bad morning sickness and I’m being a little unlucky but it’s looking more and more likely to be HG I think. I’m absolutely miserable and no one seems to understand at all what I’m going through.

I was feeling pretty rough for a good few days but last Monday it fully kicked in and barely managed to leave my bed since.
Been vomiting all day pretty much (5-15 times per day), every day and although I’ve been lucky enough to get Cyclizine from my GP it just doesn’t seem to touch the sides. GP and midwife just kept saying ‘it’ll pass’ but honestly struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel - I’m only 8 weeks!!! 😢Anytime I’ve been doing well, I seem to relapse pretty hard and looking at screens/TVs tips me over the edge. Only managing to write this out now as I’ve just spent the last 45 mins throwing up and have a little window of relief.

Sorry for all the whinging everyone, but feel like I need to vent to someone who understands!