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 everyone hope your all
Coping ok I’m 6 weeks 5 days today and as yet haven’t felt sick or thrown up, seriously concerned now about the viability of this pregnancy as previously had a MMC before my boys were born which was symptomless. I haven’t had any bleeding as yet and I’ve booked in for a reassurance scan to see what is going on next week. I’ve managed to eat meals and even walk so this is absolutely not normal for me xx

@HGwarrior that’s good you’re still feeling well, try to enjoy it! Good luck for your reassurance scan. I can understand why you feel worried but hopefully everything will be fine and you will just be having a lucky pregnancy without the dreaded HG! Xx

HGWarrior I do sympathise about your anxiety. I had an MMC, too, and it makes you very anxious about subsequent pregnancies. Of course, every pregnancy is different, and a lot of people who suffer from Hyperemesis don't feel ill until later than this quite often: but it is a very anxious time for you. A good idea to have booked that scan.
SnowWhite2020 Excellent advice as ever. I hope you are having one of your good days!
Mia22221 I hope the Ondansetron is helping, and you feel less miserable?
Waves to all.

@LucindaE

Hiya sorry I haven't been the best, it's helped a little but my nauseous is just constant. And at night my sickness is worse. Luckily I haven't thrown up as much as I was.

I hope these next few weeks aren't that brutal as I'm only 9 weeks and 3 days and feel like I have a life time of this 😞

Hope you are well and everyone else to x sending love

Never worry about Mother Hen - it is all long ago with me. It is very disappointing, but for some, Ondansetron doesn't stop the nausea. Some find it helps to add Cyclizine. Remember to stock up on laxatives, as that has caught many out.

@mia22221 sorry to read you are suffering so badly. I too was very ill at this stage- I think you are likely in the eye of the storm and even if it doesn’t go away completely it does get a whole lot better for many people. Love to you and just take it day at a time. I crossed off days on a calendar which really helped me at your stage xx

Mia22221 I so agree with Snowwhite2020 about your being in the eye of the storm, and it improving considerably for most people as time goes on. Crossing off days on a calandar seems a very good idea.

Hello,

Stumbled across this thread after seeing it recommended elsewhere. I’m 6+4 and spent two days in hospital last week for IV fluids. Never felt so ill in my life.

This is dc 2 for us, experienced sickness with ds 3 years ago but not the point of dehydration and seeing stars.

I’ve been prescribed cyclizine but it doesn’t appear to be doing a great deal. I can keep some food down but struggle to drink anything other than freezing cold carbonated drinks.

When in hospital that gave me some zofran(?) intravenously which made me feel a great deal more human, but gave me a spiel about potential cleft pallet risks and sent me home with cyclizine.

I’m going to phone tomorrow (hospital or gp, not even sure which) and beg for the zofran.

Currently on day 5 of laying in the dark wanting it to be over.

I'm at 6 weeks and have already spent a day in hospital going through 4 bags of fluids because I was so dehydrated. I just can't stop being sick. It's awful and debilitating and I seem to oscillate between being somewhat nauseous to throwing up. I haven't felt normal in about a week and the thought that I have potentially 6 more weeks of this if not more is so depressing it's making me question whether I actually want to be pregnant.

On top of that, I would love to know how people deal with this and juggling work. I have two weeks until school begins and as vice principal I have so much work to do re. orientation and our blended learning reopening but I can't even look at a laptop without being sick. I am terrified about trying to work feeling like this.

This is a very self-pitying post so I apologise but I really am at my wit's end. I am taking medication but it only dials down the nausea, it doesn't remove it.

@professionalnomad you don’t... you go to your doctor and you get better drugs and get signed off work. You’ll probably be able to manage it later on but for now look after yourself.

Just popped on this thread as no1 is now going to school so considering no2 and thought I’d remind myself of what I’m signing up for.

My solution was odansetron every 8 hours and cyclizine every 8 hours but staggered so I was taking something every 4 hours, even overnight.

I'm on 4 different types of pills a day. And I have a standby order at the health centre for IV so if I haven't managed to drink I can walk in and they fix me up.

I can't imagine asking to be signed off work. It's such a crucial time and I have this fear of letting everyone I work with down. We've all been working over the summer to get the school ready for opening and I have definitely contributed the least.

@professionalnomad I’m in the same line of work. I get the guilt, especially now, but the stress will make your sickness worse. You aren’t fit to work.

I've taken your advice and written to the doctor explaining the situation. Hopefully she will get back to me with some more solutions and we can discuss taking time off too

@professionalnomad good luck, I hope you find a solution. It’s OK not to be well, school will cope and this will pass

That's very kind. Thank you @ThenSheSaidMore

Doctor got back to me. Back in tomorrow for IV fluids and a top up of my prescriptions. Sigh.

Hey ladies., sorry to see so many are suffering. I’m currently 7+6 with baby no 3. I had really bad HG with my first for the whole pregnancy, a couple of hospital visits due to dehydration. We had to move out of our flat because I couldn’t stand the smell. I didn’t suffer with my 2nd pregnancy. But this one I’ve been suffering really badly for about 2 weeks now. Can just about keep down toast, salt and vinegar Pringles and small amounts of pasta but that isn’t until about 7pm. Up until that point I’m just throwing up all day. I’m exhausted and just can’t wait for this pregnancy to be over :( I’m going to phone the gp tomorrow to see if they can give me something to curb the nausea.

I’ve also found sipping on lime squash is helping.

I can take ice cubes but that's about it for me.
I feel your pain @KB13 and I hope the doctor is able to offer medication to make the nausea easier to handle

Sorry to hear of the new followers are feeling so bad @professionalnomad you need to be so careful working will make you tired and in my experience much sicker, when I had long days at work in my first PG i ended up hospitalised - If you can get signed off do it xx

Welcome to new ladies on the thread and sorry to read you are suffering so much.

I agree with what @HGwarrior says about working/ additional stress. It is unfortunately very difficult/ sometimes impossible to get simple things done with Hg... Approaching GP very sensible and I agree you need to put your health and your baby first, regardless of how much you may not be used to doing that. This causes many sufferers to have to tell their work about their pregnancy before the 12 week mark of course, which is not ideal and can be a source of further anxiety but often the only option when very ill.

@HGwarrior how have you been this weekend?

@Pygmyseahorse @KatieFTM I hope you are continuing to feel better.

Waves to everyone xx

@Snowwhite2020 I’m 7 weeks Tomorrow from
My last period and so not one single vomit finding the whole experience completely bizarre to be honest I was pretty much sick from 4 weeks, even my husband is questioning if I really am

• I am tired and have had diarrhoea a few times this week so I suppose that’s a symptom,

Will keep you all updated on week 7 x

Hi,

When I was discharged from hospital on Tuesday I was given contact info for gynae ward for out of hours or GAU for working hours if I need to go in for iv fluids.

Do you think I should approach them or my gp to get my prescription changed?

I can keep a bit of food and carbonated liquid down but I can’t move, tolerate light or shower/clean my teeth etc.

@FluffyPurpleSlippers I’m not sure but I think all prescriptions usually go through the GP. Obviously if you encountered any problems with the GP and getting the required meds, I’d get in touch with the hospital at that point. There should have been a report sent from the hospital to your GP since Tuesday with the details of what treatment you received, so that should help. Xx

I’m also really sorry you are suffering so badly. It is so grim.

@HGwarrior I’m glad you’re continuing to feel well. Fingers crossed it’s simply that you are not going to suffer this time 💖

Hi all

Sorry to hear so many feeling so bad
I remember having really awful early weeks, I had a better week last week but its come back with a vengeance now.. 19w and worse than its been for a while :(

Gums are really bad too, no services to get treatment until 2021 I'm told and so the stress of worrying how much worse it'll get before then scares me.
Trying to brush and floss and mouthwash is almost impossible with the sickness so much worse during these times and no dentist I have seen really understands hg and how hard that truly is.

Anyway, sending love to all
Fingers crossed for better weeks

Also, I agree re signing off work, I'm lucky to not work either times with hg but having finished my degree whilst with hg honestly.. The stress alone makes it worse and you aren't working at full or even half capacity when it gets to hg..

Hugs

Welcome to all the new sufferers. Oh dear, a lot of suffering going on.
FluffyPurpleSlippers I am glad you have found us. Asking for Ondansetron (Zofran) is a good idea. Many find the combination of that and Cyclizine the best. Here is my usual spiel, which I hope may be helpful.
Most sufferers find that they improve a lot at some point between weeks 14 and 20. A good anti acid can make a surprising difference to the sickness. Kesostix are worth buying online or from a chemists, as while they aren't they best test of dehydration, hospitals take them seriously. Some drinks that have helped others: full sugar flat coke, ice lollies, the juice of tinned fruit, Lucozade, apple juice, Dr Pepper, soda water, Elderflower water, tonic water, ice cubes, Iron Bru, lemonade, lemon squash, orange squash, orange juice (if not too acid), fizzy orange, 7Up, isotonic drinks, sips of chocolate milkshake (maybe soya), fizzy water and Robinson's fruit drinks. Foods of a sort include tinned fruit, cuppa soup, nibbles of crisps and chips, cheap ice cream, Scotch pancakes, slices of melon and mango, grated cheese, baked potatoes, grated cheese and biscuits.
Someone recommended a wonderful drink, recently, which I said I would add to the list and - stupid Mother Hen! - I've lost the reference!
ProfessionalNomad Welcome. I have to agree with others, you are too ill to work. It is unfortunate, but while many become well enough to resume a staggered return to work later on, it is impossible for severe cases during the earler weeks. I'm glad you've got a standing order for IV. As you are a veteran, you don't need the spiel I wrote above about kesostix and recommended fluids.
Welcome KB!3 That name rings a bell; were you on this thread with your first? Asking for meds is certainly the best thing.
HGWarrior It is likely enough, as you have other symptoms, that you are just lucky. I hope you get reassurance soon. Much sympathy.
SnowWhite2020 Great advice. I hope you are having a good day.
Pygmyseahorse I had wrongly assumed that dentists would treat pregnant women.
Good advice from everyone. Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked.