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.

Hello fellow comrades 👋🏻,

Just wondering if anyone here is on their second (or third or fourth?!) hg pregnancy and has any advice for a crazy lady who is thinking of ttc #2?

My little girl just turned one and my husband and I have decided we want a second. Slight problem is that I had raging hg last time which landed me in hospital needing rehydrating a fair few times. I did eventually end up on ondansetron 3 times a day (weaned down to once a day across the pregnancy) which helped massively.

I’m hoping that this time I can get in early and demand ondansetron as soon as any sickness starts to kick in... does anyone have any experience of this?
I’m also taking the opportunity to eat like a Russian weightlifter at the moment to hopefully give myself a bit of a reserve —Sod’s law I don’t get hg this time— and I’m taking the pregnacare that I couldn’t keep down in my previous pregnancy.

I’m mainly worried about the affect on my parenting. I’m still breastfeeding and cosleeping and I would hate for that to end abruptly and —scar— have a detrimental effect on my baby. Conversely I have seen some research which suggests that bf can have a protective quality against morning sickness. (Obviously hg is a different kettle of fish to morning sickness but a lady can hope). I’m also hoping that maybe my shitty parenting will be less scarring on a 15 month old than an older child because she’ll forget? Or will the fact that she’s so much more reliant on me make it worse?!
Covid means my husband is working from home and will be for the foreseeable which would also be a massive help if I’m out of action.

Am I mad? If you are going to ‘go for it’ is there a better or worse time? During the days I think I want to but I keep waking up in the night in a cold sweat thinking I must be some sort of sadistic nutcase.

Has hg in my first pregnancy and was hospitalized. I seemed to just try and middle through last time but I just can't do it this time with another child. Nausea has really kicked in this week and I'm hardly eating as I feel so ill and have no appetite. I've been sick this evening too. I just don't want it to get like before. I'm going to speak to my dr but has anyone been prescribed anything this earlier and mainly for the nausea rather than actual sickness?

Welcome to doritovita and FightMilkTM. As you are veterans, you don't need my spiel about 'do you find flat full sugar coke, ice lollies and the juice of tinned fruit any good' and 'a good anti acid can make all the difference to the nausea and vomiting' and 'have you got kesostix, as while not the best test of dehydration, hospitals do take their measurements seriously'.
dorovita Recently, most specialists seem to agree that early treatment is defintely the best thing. As you were hospitalised last time, it's awful if they didn't give you any meds - or did I misunderstand that? As you suffered badly enough to be hospitalised before, they are much more likely to prescribe effective meds. It might be a good idea to phone Pregnancy Sickness Support on 024 7638 2020 for advice about obtaining effective meds.
FightMilkTM Lots of sufferers on here are going for it the second or third time! Brave souls. I am sure they could advise better than me, but I think it is very hard to keep breast feeding with Hyperemesis because it is a struggle enough to keep hydrated witout that extra drain on your fluids, so it might be an idea to have your LO weaned before you start another? Others may disagree, and there are certainly women on here who have managed to keep breast feeding.
Anya212 Ah, I shoudl have remembered about the 'lazy bowel.' The expensive certainly puts off some doctors. I am sure they could work out a more effective regime of meds without Ondansetron, though.
Mia22221 Sorry you are feeling so bad. It is very hard, particularly in the early stages.
Puddlelane123 and Anya212. This must be very heartbreaking about the poor LO's. While it is true from what I have seen on these threads that they soon forget the period of comparative neglect, it must be very distressing at the time. Is there a scent you could stand inhaling which might make the scent of the LO's less if you could sniff at that, herbs, essential oils or some such thing? Much sympathy.
Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked.

@mia22221 I’m sorry you are having relapses. I do think it’s a good thing that you are having good days and this really is often a sign that things will get better. Hang in there!

@Puddlelane123 I’m sorry you are feeling so bad. As others have said, I’m sure we can all relate to the issues regarding the smells of loved ones. You’re so right- this is one of the most difficult and emotionally challenging aspects of HG. I do hope it passes soon. As @LucindaE says- are there any smells you can tolerate that could help? For example, cuddles immediately after bath time with LOs?

@Anyat212 I’m so glad you found the link useful and have shared that with your DP and MIL. I hope that helps to generate some understanding for you. Much love.

@FightMilkTM welcome and it sounds like you are prepping like a champ :) all very sensible and also brave, as Lucinda says. I have heard that breastfeeding with Hg is very challenging and can affect the meds which you can take (if at all- I’m not sure if they’re comparable with bf) so that is a consideration I suppose. Depending on how bad you are, the meds may need to take priority. I know there are many of us who simply couldn’t eat or sleep without them though a totally tough thing to consider, much sympathy. Maybe you would be lucky and not be hit by the dreaded hg next time around!

@dorovita welcome and sorry you are suffering. Congratulations on your pregnancy! As Lucinda says, I think early treatment is strongly advisable to avoid symptoms gay hearing pace as quickly as they might without them. Definitely worth phoning GP and also checking out the online chat on PSS as others have done so successfully.

As for me, I’m struggling to sleep as I am now getting rather large with a baby bump and this is bringing on the vomiting. Rather unpleasant vomiting this afternoon/ this evening. I am hoping this isn’t the start of the return of it.....

Love to all and waves to @LucindaE. Xxx

*not gay hearing... that should read gathering. Sigh. I need to learn to proof read my messages before posting. Silly me... xx

Thanks all for your replies. Spoke to dr today and they have prescribed me something beginning with s? Would like to stop being sick now. This is definitely worse than last time.

So sorry so many of you are suffering. I am really hoping the medication you've been given helps in some way.

Sending so much love to you all.

P.s. I found out the gender of my little one yesterday and it's a boy.....so that puts to rest the theory that girls cause more morning sickness/HG.

@doritodiva well done for phoning the GP. Let us know what the med is once you see the bottle. I do hope it helps. Remember it can take 3 days or so to build up in your system so don’t fret if impact is not immediate- tho I hope for you it is!

@Seeker2020 A boy- how precious! Congratulations! And yes, there doesn’t appear to be too much of a pattern re: gender of baby and HG. My mum was actually worse with my brother... xx

@doritodiva is it stemetil? Big hug

Yes stemitil. Hoping it works. Dr said that it should start to work in a few hours and asked me to let him know how I'm getting on.

@Seeker2020 congratulations! X

@Snowwhite2020 @LucindaE
Thank you
I ended up going hospital last night as I have been quite bad these past few days. They ended up giving me a injection of cyclizine and may increase my dosage as I'm on the lowest dosage but waiting on a call from my doctor today as I had explained that I am having good days to.
I haven't taken anything today as I'm waiting on the doctor to send me out a prescription and have none left, but feel fine and no sickness/nauseous which is really weird
I guess this may be a good sign

Thanks for ur replies
Hope u all are keeping well sending all my well wishes to u all ❤️

Just wanted to pop back in and see how others are and update on progress.

I’ve been taking cyclizine and Ondansetron together for a month now and it’s improved my ability to function no end. I still heave and have hot and dizzy spells, food aversions and nausea. But it’s manageable!

Orange juice is my main fluid, apples and strawberries stay in and bagels and wonderful.

When needing a quick fix haribo tangfastics and chewits really help.

Drinking with a straw is useful on bad days and I can tolerate hot chocolate and coffee without milk. After 6 weeks without a hot drink I maybe have one every two days.

If my waffle there can help anyone I’m glad. Huge sympathy to all those struggling.

@doritodiva @Snowwhite2020
I hope you feel much better soon.

Stemetil sent me to sleep- which was a huge problem for me as I'm currently working full time so I stopped taking it and they gave me cyclizine which worked more effectively.

With cyclizine I felt drowsy but I did not feel the urgent need to lie down and sleep.

@FluffyPurpleSlippers wow that does sound like progress indeed- congratulations! I can understand most of those foods which you are able to keep down except for me coffee was like devil spawn until week 20. Probably my number one aversion!! Good for you. I am so glad you have seen improvements. Much love to you and it does sound like the Cyclizine and ondansetron combo is a winner for many Hg sufferers xxx

@MrsSmith2020 thanks ❤️ Today has been better so far... xxx

@MrsSmith2020 I've just taken my second one. Seems ok at the moment. I did ask dr about a non drowsy one but he said there wasn't any. Which sucks. I had cyclizine last time which made me drowsy. I'm sure I've read that folic acid has made some people feel sick to? Anyone heard about it.
So grateful for this thread and you ladies to talk to. No one in real life knows I'm pregnant. I think I'm going to have to say something soon though as I'm so poorly all the time.

doritodiva I do hope the Stemetil helps. It has helped many. I'm glad they're monitoring it.
FluffyPurpleSlippers That is happy news. Ondansetron and Cyclizine are considered a really good combination. **
Seeker2020 Congratulations on your boy. I do hope you soon get an improvement. I am sure the scan at least gave you a boost.
MrsSmith2020 Good guess about Stemetil. You are very brave to be working full time.
Mia22221 Sorry you were admitted. I hope the treatment helps.
Snowwhite2020 I hope the relapse is short lived, and hopefuly one of the many hormonal surges one has...Much sympathy and great advice, as ever.
Waves to all. Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked.

Snowwhite2020 Cross posted; that's good news, then.

Hi everyone

Sending you all my love

I was admitted to hospital yesterday afternoon, my keytones were high and I ended up being a drip all night (still hooked up now). Silly but I forgot how much better you feel after this, I ended up eating the nicest cheese and tomato sandwich I've ever had in my life 🤣 it was very bog standard but after eating very little it felt so good to be able to enjoy something. I'm just waiting on seeing the doctor and being prescribed some other medication. Hopefully I'll be home soon.

Also fluffypurpleslippers thank you for recommending chewits, my DP got me some last night and they are helping too.

@Anyat212 glad you're being sorted out. I remember leaving the hospital after being on a drip for three days and feeling so good that I went straight to Pizza Hut!

So I took two stemitil yesterday. I felt better on the evening and even managed a bag of crisps! I've woke up this morning and took another one. I took it in bed and then lay in bed for half an hour. I really fancied some orange squash so had some which I'm still having little sips of. Can't face any food. I'm still feeling sick and keep heaving but not actually being sick. How long should I give stemitil? Over the weekend?

@Anyat212 congratulations on that cheese and tomato sandwich! Wonderful news.

@doritodiva sorry you are still feeling so rotten. You could phone GP and ask or try the online chat with PSS for advice. I’d personally be inclined to give it over the weekend just so that if you called on Monday you have given that med a fair shot but that is not based on medical evidence/ partly based on my experience of reasoning with medical professionals- which obviously differs from place to place. Obviously if you can’t eat at all then that is a sign perhaps to phone up sooner as you can’t go until Monday without eating. Much love xx

@Anyat212 I’m glad the chewits are helping.

Sicky morning here on the day I have no childcare. However I’m feeling heroic after a morning of messy play and a sleeping toddler.

The constipation is back so I’m off to get a pint of orange juice. I’ve found innocent orange less acidic tasting than Tropicana.

I had quite a good day yesterday. I had my booking appointment so had to get out of bed, for the first time in a month! But after the appointment and having bloods taken I felt a bit weak again so went home to bed to rest.

Today I feel like crap, been sick every time I’ve tried to eat anything. I just really don’t know if I can cope any longer with this. I’m on cyclizine but I’m still feeling sick constantly and being sick at least once a day. Should I be asking for something else? Can people actually get up and function? I’m stuck in bed because as soon as I get up I’m sick or I’m just too weak to even get up.