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.

Pygmyseahorse Sorry, I fogot to say; might this be the dreaded 20 week hormonal surge making things worse? With any luck it is; and you deserve some luck after a wearing time.

Thank you for the replies. Looking up kesostix now. I’m desperate to go to the loo (sorry) but it’s now been full 5 days and I’m so uncomfortable on top of everything else.
A previous poster suggested my gp would have my notes which rings a bell.
Any advice on persuading the gp to give me zofran most welcome. I’m not sure crying that I want to die in a hole will help.
Made progress with the juice from tinned pears this evening.
I don’t work but have had to arrange childcare for everyday for the foreseeable as I’m totally unable to care for ds.

Hi @FluffyPurpleSlippers it’s always good to point out that you want to avoid hospital stays I had many arguments with my GP about the costs of zofran and at that time I was clear a hospital stay would cost more And that was something I wanted to avoid. It’s the drug that worked for me and in my second pregnancy I got this prescribed without any issue. Obviously with covid that another reason to avoid hospital, good luck with advocating for yourself you a child and home and need to be able to be able
To function you can’t do that unelss you are able to hold down some fluid or food xx

@FluffyPurpleSlippers I forgot to say kesostixs can be bought online and so handy to have to have to
Check yourself if dehydrated, if you can manage to get anything in you , it’s so much easier to throw up something than nothing . I feel like I’m a professional at being sick 😬 try bland cuppa soups or even super noodle pots or pot noodles not much nutritional value but both contain liquids. I discovered in my last pregnancy I could f stomach water and started drinking fizzy water instead go with your gut whatever helps xx

Thank you for sharing your experience with requesting meds.
I’m waiting for a call back from my gp.
Tummy is bubbling mercilessly and I’m gagging trying to sip some fizzy water.
I can however nibble bread rolls. Everything hurts. Wish me luck, I really don’t want to go back to hospital.

Hi all, just wondering, for those who have been through an HG pregnancy before, did your symptoms fully go away at any point?

I'm 19 weeks now and while I'm about a million times better, I still feel nauseous most evenings and throw up sometimes, especially if I try and reduce meds. Don't get me wrong, I'm VERY grateful for the reduction in symptoms and can now work and go about my normal life pretty much, but just trying to manage my expectations for what's to come - will I be on meds the whole pregnancy?

Solidarity to all suffering xx

Hi @littledice my experience has been pretty much the same as yours. I’m now nearly 23 weeks. Never gone away completely with good days and bad days but so much better than early stages and am able to go about my life much more normally. I’m still working from home but reckon I could now probably manage to go back to work If I needed to in person, whereas this would have been impossible at various points earlier in the pregnancy.

@FluffyPurpleSlippers let us know how you get on with GP. Xx

Xx

@littledice I absolutely second what @Snowwhite2020 is Saying it never went away but I could see improvements or more regular sickness like at one point I was really pleased to
Vomit only twice per day in morning at an after lunch sorry if this TMI xx

@HGwarrior no such thing as TMI on this thread! 😂 xx

Hi all. I'm new to this thread. I hesitated about joining cause I'm not vomiting but I feel intense nausea and lethargy all day long. I'm 7+4 and symptoms started from 4 weeks. I had nothing with first pregnancy! I'm slim already but finding it soooo hard to eat anything. I shudder with every bite of anything I try in the morning. I don't even want things I love like chocolate and ice-cream. I realise it's not HG but I just feel soooo down about it it makes me tearful. When I eat it makes my stomach churn loudly. I feel bad I can't do much to look after our 2 year old so my DH (who WFH) is pitching in quite a bit. I do sympathise with all of you true HG sufferers because it must be worse and I know my sister suffered during all three of her pregnancies

Hello,

Spoke to the gp who said she couldn’t prescribe anything stronger in the community so for me to be seen in hospital.
Hospital clinic very lovely. Ondansetron given as an injection in the bum and as a prescription to use with cyclizine.
Any tips on best time of day to take welcome.
Home and resting dreaming of tinned pear juice.

Hey,

Can anyone give me advice (or just hold my hand?)

I had HG in my first pregnancy, which settled a little around 20 weeks, and was sick at every opertunity from brushing my teeth to sitting in traffic. I thought I was miserable then...

... Roll forward a few years and here I am pregnant with number 2, 11 weeks in and only been sick a few times but I swear my stomach feels like it at sea from the moment I get out of bed to the moment I finally fall asleep (thanks to heartburn, indigestion and acid reflex it takes a while to nod off!) I constantly feel green, my mouth has a funny taste in it 90% of my day and is usually filled with that pre sick extra saliva which never helps. My gag reflex is beyond crazy, sights, smells, thoughts and movement sets it off - apparently stripping the bed this morning was enough to have me hovering over the loo for 10 minutes this morning.

The nausea is constant, but when the gag reflex goes my stomach flips and I retch but nothing comes up (I've usually got a pretty strong stomach anyway) It's like my body fights the sick. I actually wish I could just be sick.

So far this pregnancy is making my 1st one seem plain sailing - could it be that I'm suffering a slightly different form of HG? Could anyone, or anything, help?

@littledice with my first I was sick until the day I had her from 5 or 6 weeks if I remember.. I went down to 1 tablet a day but still needed it definitely

I'm also 19 weeks now, and while I will have maybe 1 good day a week with little vomiting it is still every day, wretching all day, nausea all day etc even if I'm not throwing up every hour any more so still on full dose

@FluffyPurpleSlippers poor you. I'm on ondansetron with cyclizine too. I take ondansetron first thing to take thyroxine, wait about 3 or 4 hrs take cyclizine take other meds, and similar later on so take cyclizine before dinner to help cook and eat and take night meds and ondansetron at bedtime to help get me through the night. On v bad days I'll take cyclizine in the middle of the night at around 2 or 3am

It's easier to manage when you've got a pattern to sickness like I'm worse as soon as 4pm hits through til maybe 4am. But I have to take meds so try to spread out to keep them down
Try to divide up by hours in the day if not affected through the night and switch up if you find you need it? How far along are you now?

@Snowwhite2020 how are you doing?
Thinking of you @katieFTM and @seeker2020.. Hope you are doing 'ok'

@LucindaE I hadn't thought much about these waves or peaks but could well be, I just find every single Friday I turn the next week I spend the day on my hands and knees in the bathroom throwing up 24/7

Scan next week then a tonne of appointments in September onwards but nice quiet week for me atm luckily.

Tried cleaning 1 window today, baby didn't appreciate it. Been sick non stop since :( this really sucks

Also, anyone else experiencing or experienced v bad low pains, kind of pelvic kind of around sides of bump at 19 weeks ish? I can barely move!

Thanks all, seems like it's unlikely to fully resolve so I'll just practice feeling grateful for the improvement that I've already seen! Sorry you're suffering so severely still @Pygmyseahorse

@OnNaturesCourse you have my sympathy - the nausea IMO is far worse than the actual vomiting

Chilled melon has been a revelation for me. Another day on iv fluids today with another lined up for tomorrow. I'm just exhausted and i want it to stop. I can't believe this is just 6 weeks in.

@FluffyPurpleSlippers I’m glad you managed to get what you needed and at least you now know who to go to for meds. I really hope the treatment helps you.

@ChatWithMe @Onnaturescourse I’m sure the intense nausea you describe is known to all of us on here.... I agree with @littledice that the nausea is worse than actually being sick. My vomiting accelerated with time and I actually found it slightly easier to deal with, as it did provide momentary relief before building again. It really is so grim. You very much have my sympathy.

@Pygmyseahorse I did have this pelvic pain which has come and gone in time with big tummy growth. I am also now getting back pain but honestly feel like this is all very manageable compared to hg but still not nice. I do hope things continue to improve for you. Much love.

Xx

@professionalnomad sorry to read you are suffering so badly. Chilled melon is helpful and I am a fan of frozen grapes and blueberries. Keep experimenting with things you can tolerate. I found that it changed for me very frequently what I could and could not manage (probably due to what I then threw up.... so grim) but frozen fruit always a winner. Salt and vinegar crisps or Pom bear crisps usually manageable for me too, though admittedly the tolerance for salt and vinegar came later whereas the plain crisps better earlier on xx

Thanks for your understanding Snowwhite2020. Yes I've heard others say the nausea is worse than the vomitting. How far along are you and what helps you feel better? (Sorry Im sure you've been through this before this thread)

I found ready salted crisps, orange juice and tinned pear juice quite tolerable.

Welcome to OnNature'sCourse and ChatWithMe. I so agree with everyone, the nausea is worse than the vomiting and some do have Hyperemesis without vomiting. I think unfortunately Hyperemesis has many forms. It is worth seeing if the doctor can recommend anything for the nausea, as while the meds don't reduce the nausea for some, they do for others. A good anti acid can make a big difference to it, such as Omprazole (I am not sure if Ranitidine is out of circulation still). I include my normal spiel in case some of it helps.
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!

I wanted to add that don't feel too bad about this period of comparative neglect of the LO's - they will forget all about it very soon and a sibling is the best present. I didn't go for it again, but do regret that.
FluffyPurpleSlippers I am so glad you got that combination and they were helpful. Sorry to harp on about this, but did they prescribe a laxative? That is necessary for most people with Ondansetron. I so agree about tinned pears and pear juice.
HGWarrior Never fret over tmi on here. I think you definitely need a laxative too! And I so agree about cuppa soup!
Pygmyseahorse Oh dear. I am sorry it is still that bad.
SnowWhite2020 Congratulations on 23 weeks. I am glad that things are better for you and HGWarrior but I hope it gets better still.
Great advice from everyone.
littledice I am glad it is a lot better. I hope it gets better still. It does vary very much between sufferers. I'don't think anyone ever feels exactly normal. Are you taking an anti acid, as that can help a lot?
Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked.

I am on omeprazole already, have been for a about 2 weeks now and its helped with the reflux but definitely not the nausea.

Im at that stage of not knowing how I'm going to get through the next 30 weeks.

Thanks LucindaE. That's helpful. I will be trying some fizzy lemonade soon to see if it helps. Worried about all these sugary things I'm eating and their effect on my teeth but I have to eat and drink! Making sure to brush and floss regularly. I made banana bread for breakfast so let's see if I can swallow any today!

Thank you for the reminder about the laxative. I’m back at the clinic this morning as they want to keep an eye on my bp doing funny things.
I need it just for the cyclizine so definitely now I’m on both.
Two doses of Ondansetron and I managed a toasted bagel last night.
Well meaning friends have sent a beautiful bunch of flowers that I can’t be anywhere near.
I bought some lemonade ice lollies last night, hoping they’ll help in low patches.
Sorry to everyone else going through this shit. I’m only 7 weeks. I ended up breaking down yesterday and explaining to the nurse I couldn’t face continuing the pregnancy without more help.

Hello ladies,

Just after some advice really for anybody who has been through the struggle of getting meds from the GP.

I was hospitalised with HG a little under a month ago (at 10+4, now I am 14+4) and after an overnight stay on IV fluids and anti-emetics I was prescribed 3 lots of medication by the doctor at the hospital: Cyclizine, Metoclopramide and Prochlorperazine. They didn't give much instruction just that I could take each of them 3 times a day but to take as and when I needed. I didn't take as much as that, but still took each one about twice a day. The difference was unbelieveable and I felt like a new person! I could eat pretty much anything, although some smells still turned my stomach, and I didn't vomit at all.

When I started to run out of meds I phoned the GP and she told me to try and start cutting down on them to see how many I actually need to stop me vomiting. Her advice was basically cut down one a day until I vomit and then whatever the last dose was before I started vomiting would be my new recommended dose.

The problem is that I have managed that, and cut it down to 2x cyclizine, 1x prochlorperazine, before I started vomiting. I have tried to stick to the low dose and I am not being sick any more but I am far more nauseous and struggling to eat most meals now, compared to when I was on the higher dose.

I have a phone appt with the GP tomorrow to talk about how I have been getting on and hopefully get some more prescribed, but I am worried that they will prescribe me the lower dose and I will end up just feeling rough the whole time. What would you say is reasonable to ask for - to not vomit, or to not feel so nauseous?

My hospital stay was because of dehydration due to HG, but actually the reason I was vomiting so much was because I was so nauseous I hadn't eaten anything for 3 days.

I just hate talking to doctors, and especially hate asking for medication!

Argh. I typed a massive reply and it didn't post.

HOPEWISH I would be telling your GP that you are sick on the lower dose and need the higher one. From my experience they don't tend to increase/give prescriptions for nausea so long as your not sick, but I feel the nausea is as bad if not worse at times as you don't eat or drink plus your mental health takes a whack.

I'm battling "just" nausea and it's making life as living hell but I don't get anything for it as its "only nausea". I go from starving and dizzy feeling, to eating a tiny amount and feeling OK for half hour, to getting heartburn/reflux and nausea all at once for 3-4 hours, to back to absolutely starving. It's never bloody ending and if I'm honest if I didn't already have a little one at home I'd spend all day in bed trying to sleep as it's my only break from it.

Definitely tell the GP you need the higher dose.