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.

Leobaby I hope they can offer a really good early treatment plan.
I so agree about Herewegoagainx4's courage!
KatieFTM I am really happy to hear that you feel much better and about the bump.
Great advice from everyone as ever.

Finally after constant sickness from when I found out until 17 weeks, the worst weeks beeing 13-15 weeks, tried 2 different antisickness tablets, travel sickness bands, you name it i tried it... doctors have said its acid reflux and have prescribed me anti acid tablets..... I've not been sick for 4 days! Hopefully this is the turning point!

That's great news @ebm20 - can I ask what your symptoms were? I'm experiencing a lot of acid vomit (sorry TMI everyone) in the evenings. Is that anything like what you have had?

@seeker2020 I had a sore/burning throat after eating and then would throw up and it allways burned the back of my throat, was worse in the evenings! At first I thought the sore/burning throat was heartburn so I took rennies but they would only soothe it for about half an hour!

Have the anti acids helped @EBM20? Still no sickness?

So nice to hear of others beginning to feel better. I am at that point of losing sight of the tunnel so it is encouraging to be reminded the other end will come. And whilst it might not be all rainbows and sunshine, it will be better than this!

The constant thirst is driving me mad. I just can't keep enough fluid down nor find something to drink that quenches it. I do wonder why water is harder to keep down and not as effective at relieving the thirst when it is the natural drink to have...

@Seeker2020 if you're not already on an anti acid I would definitely recommend trying it. They make a huge difference for me.

Thanks @Herewegoagainx4 - I'll definitely contact my doc. I've tried Tums, Rennie a d Gaviscon but they haven't done a thing for me. In fact, they are even worse coming up as they fizz (gross, I'm sorry). Is it Omeprazole you ladies have? I was told it isn't compatible with Ondansetron, which is what I'm on ?

It’s funny you’ve said that @EBM20 .. yesterday I got sent in by my midwife for dehydration and whilst I was at the hospital they prescribed me omprozole. Yesterday I was sick, but today my acid has been a million times better and I don’t want to speak too soon but so far so good 🤞🏼 hopefully it continues.
Glad to hear it seems to have helped you too. X

@Seeker2020 no sickness since taking the anti acid tablets! 5 days of no sickness! I dont take them until lunch time as then it stretches over and works for dinner time, I can keep weetabix down without them so it's not like I'm starving myself until lunch time! I find that they do wear off after 8 hours, eating after 8pm gives me the burning throat sensation and nausea. The doctor did say I can take a seccond one if I feel like I need to though

What doseage of Omeprazole do you recommended? My adult dd has Hg at just almost 8 weeks and has been prescribed cyclizine but not Omeprazole as he didn’t think her acid levels were high enough. I have some Omeprazole though...

Isadora20 I hope someone can advise about the dose of Omprazole. Do suggest this thread to her as everyone is very mutually supportive.
EBM20 I am really happy to hear that, and I so agree. I always put in my spiel how an anti acid can make a huge difference.
Seeker2020 Never worry about tmi on here. We have to discuss grim things! Herewegoagainx4 I hope the Omprazole helps.
Managed to break my reading glasses. I will have to get another pair from Boots.

Isadora2007 Sorry - I got your name wrong!

@Seeker2020 I don't know why they aren't prescribing omeprazole with Ondanestron now. I don't think that used to be the case so I don't know what had changed. I would push the dr on whether there is anything else you can have and if not then I would suggest trying a different anti emetic that you can take with omeprazole. And I don't suggest that lightly! But if acid is a problem and seems like the overriding issue and the sickness has started to settle then I would give that a try. If the sickness ramps up you can always switch back to Ondanestron and leave the omeprazole. This is my dilemma too. At the moment I need the Ondanestron as the sickness is still high level but may need to switch it up in a few weeks. I don't know whether the pregnancy sickness support people will be able to shed any light or suggest alternatives?

@Isadora2007 I would need to check what my dr prescribed with the omeprazole as I can't remember but the box is downstairs and I can't get it without being sick (my best bet for the evening is to be in bed and lying down as early as possible and minimise movement!) And DH has gone to the shop else I'd ask him to look. I'll look tomorrow tho if no one else can help in the meantime. An anti emetic with an anti acid is a widely used combination for tackling hg and I have always found I have needed an anti acid. I would suggest your daughter get a straight back onto the gp and insists on an anti acid being prescribed. She could try gaviscon but it may not help. Also how long has she been taking cyclizine? If she hasn't had noticeable improvement after 3 days then she should ring and ask for an additional anti emetic to be prescribed. Have a look at the pregnancy sickness support website, there's lots of helpful information on there.

Thank you guys she only got it today so will hopefully see an improvement in the 3 days. She feels awful and has a 21 month old who still breastfeeds as well. So it’s tough.

Ladies, really struggling with sickness and my mouth has cuts at the corners and my lips.. Can anyone suggest anything that may help!?

Obviously scent free if possible.. I tried vaseline but made me sick, tried sudocrem but smell made me sick, tried a scent free lipbalm but sick from greasy feel etc...

@Isadora2007 I was prescribed 1 x 20mg tablet of omeprazole and the gp did say that it could be increased to 2 a day as needed. I have never been told that my acid levels were not high enough nor would I know how to go about measuring that in any kind of absolute way. In my first pregnancy it was a dr who suggested I tried an anti acid when I was still struggling and I was surprised as I didn't feel like I was getting acid reflux at all but it really helped. I think it is then tackling the sickness too cold by reducing sickness and nausea in the brain and helping keeping the stomach settled and lessening reflux too.

@Pygmyseahorse sorry I can't think of anything to suggest, I would have tried vaseline as a first port of call. Normally I like a vanilla balm so not sure what is out there. Potentially something like nipple cream might help and wouldn't be scented but I don't know if the feel might be any better or not.

Second day no sickness with Omeprazole and not suffering with acid and heartburn anywhere near as bad. Feel frustrated I was never prescribed this earlier when I originally asked. Deffo worth trying for any ladies that aren’t already. Appears to have made a difference for me. X

Good news ladies- sickness and nausea is down to a 4/10 compared to a 8 or 9 out of 10 yesterday following a 20mg Omeprazole and three cyclizine Tablets...

Wonderful advice from Herewegoagainx4 and IGottaGetThroughThis about anti acids as a good way of reducing sickness and Omprazole. I do know that a few months ago, there was some business about Ranitidine being withdrawn because of some scare about contamination, or some such. I don't know if that trouble is over?

Pygmyseahorse Sory to hear about the bad sickness. I wonder about bio oil. It doesn't seem to be scented, but the problem is that everything smells strongly in Hyperemesis.
Isadora2007 I do hope Cyclizine helps your daughter. It is very difficlt when trying to b/f. Do let us kow how she is getting on.
My goodness, I do feel for everyone when it is so hot.
I hope SnowWhite2020 and everyone is coping.

I haven’t heard about that @LucindaE I may look into it. They didn’t mention ranitidine, they just went straight for Omeprazole. Interesting. But it’s deffo made a difference so far. Just the little things sometimes hey.

Hope everybody’s keeping as well as can be, particularly in this heat x

I was told that ranitidine isn't able to be supplied due to shortage caused by the coronavirus. I have always had that previously and wasn't sure if it was being used still because it was withdrawn not long after I had my youngest. So I don't know whether it will be possible to get it. Worth asking tho!

Hi all,
I'm currently 20+5 with twins and just want to share my experience of HG. This was my second time of suffering with HG (I didn't have it at all with my 1st child) and so much worse due to the fact i'm carrying twins. I was in the worst of it, right as lockdown kicked off, the supermarkets rarely had the foods that I thought I might stand some chance of keeping down. I lost over a stone and a half in weight. There was so many times I felt like giving up too and seriously considered a termination. I was prescribed Cyclizine but was still puking up to 10 times a day whilst on it, but the Dr's just wouldn't prescribe me anything else. Also, I found if i took the full dose of Cyclizine, I ended up with the runs and felt even worse!

Going through HG is probably the hardest thing I have ever done, it is an endurance test and so unfair that when you're at your lowest it feels that you have to fight so hard to get anyone to listen / take you seriously (esp when the GPs are shut and everything is a telephone consultation). All you can do is take it one day at a time (or one moment at a time!) Every day you get through is a success. Every sip of fluid you manage to keep down is a success. I am (hopefully) through the worst of it. I am still sick a couple of times a week, but mostly I feel fine. I have my energy back, I am out of bed and no longer have to be within half a metre of my sick bucket at all times! The things I felt able to keep down when I was at my worse were lemon squash with LOTS of ice and mashed potato with instant gravy. When I was in the midst of HG I was trawling the internet looking for suggestions of foods which might appeal, hopefully this might help someone. If you are able to stick with, it will get better. Things improved a lot for me round about 16 weeks, everyone is different and i know some people suffer for the duration but I hope you can hang in there if you can. You have all done so well to get this far and I hope that you can come through the other side and all this will soon seem like a horrible nightmare. Good luck to you all!

Hi everyone,

Sorry I have not been online- my phone broke and is just fixed. I wanted to reiterate what @dairylee1003 has just said. After suffering so badly (and it also being the hardest thing I have ever been through physically) I am feeling so much better now I am at 18 weeks. The bloodhound nose is down a notch and I have had less acid reflux. I have also not been sick this week and I am generally feeling more like eating. I do hope that time proves a healer for others on here who are suffering. I am more than aware that it could comeback at any time (still on the meds) but enjoying the reprieve.

@Pygmyseahorse so sorry you are still suffering so badly hun. My heart goes out to you. Have you tried an anti acid as others have suggested? I wish I had tried this and if I was ever pregnant again would ask for omeprazole.

Waves to @LucindaE and everyone else. Stay strong through this heat ladies and seek the shade... xx

Hello everyone, can I join? This is my third pregnancy and third time suffering with this sickness. In my last 2 pregnancies I had no idea there were medications for this. Any midwife or doctor I told just gave me all the usual old wives tales. My last pregnancy I ended up very depressed which carried on after the birth for a long time. I felt like I couldn't tell anyone because everyone kept telling me it would wear off, then when I got to 7 months and was still exactly the same people kept treating me as though I was exaggerating, and saying things like "you can't still be sick".
This time I am really struggling to cope, I'm only around 9 weeks and I feel so down all the time, that I'm seriously considering asking about a termination. It's not something I want to do, but I just can't live through this again.
I was prescribed medication for the first time ever on Monday (I had no idea there was medication for this) but it only helps slightly with the nausea for about 45 mins, and I can only take 3 a day, so it's pretty useless.
Have been reading through for advice, tried to phone the doctors again today but can't get an app. Hopefully get one tomorrow.

@Iminaglasscaseofemotion - Jeez sounds like you've suffered really badly in the past. As you can see from the posts here, there are a lot of medications that you can try, fingers crossed you will find the one that makes HG more manageable for you. As I said in my previous post, I was only ever prescribed Cyclizine which didn't do a great deal for me and they refused to prescribe me anything else. You might have to be persistent to get what you want, but it is definitely worth trying. Make sure you explain your history to them and explain that your mental health is suffering. My experience was that you do need to be extremely pushy (esp as no one is seeing you face to face these days).
Please don't try to think about how you're going to get through the duration of your pregnancy as it is just too awful to contemplate when you feel as bad as you currently do.. Just concentrate on getting to the end of each day.