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.

Picked up a prescription for stemetil , so have that on standby , waiting for the first hint of sickness , expecting it 5 weeks on the dot again, the pharmacist said not to drive though cause it makes you very drowsy!

composed Sorry to hear about the migraine. I found that up to about 15 weeks I had them dreadfully. Yes, suffering in a heatwave is not fun at all. My brain isn't working today (when does it?) ; I misread your message as 'struggling with screams' but this scourge is so debilitating that screaming requires too much energy, even when people recommend ginger biscuits.
surreymum Stemetil has helped many on here. I take it myself for the vomiting with bad migraines. But with that, it is hard to tell how far it is the drug making you sleepy and not the migraine.

Hi all,
I thought I would check in and hopefully get some advice.
I'm 22 weeks now, was taking cyclizine and ondanseton but have recently stopped the ondanseton - I haven't been sick but without it I am still very nauseous a lot. I'm still taking cyclizine but don't think it's doing anything!
Should I push to keep taking the ondanseton? (ie battle the dr for it!) or is nausea something I should be able
To deal with? Am I being too soft?! Honestly not sure what to do x

bunhead34 If you are really debilitated without it, it's probably too early to give up the Ondansetron completely. How about trying a reduced dose?

@LucindaE the migraine has finally gone after 2 days thankfully, as for the screaming if only I had the energy I’d tell all those telling me little and often where to go.

@bunhead34 I don’t think you’re being soft at all as @LucindaE said maybe try to reduce the tabs instead of stopping completely? In my last pregnancy I continued to take it at a reduced dose even at 30 weeks I remember.

Hope everyone else is doing ok x

@composed @LucindaE thank you for the replies.
I have reduced the dose to half a tablet a day, so 2mg. I'm wondering if 2mg could even do anything but I do feel better when I take it!
I'm so anxious about calling the gp
About it, they shouldn't make you feel
Like this should they!

@bunhead34 bless you, I too get so worried sometimes about speaking to the gp so I write things down to remind me what I need to say, would that help you at all? Do you have a nice gp you can talk to or one that has a special interest in women’s health who may be more helpful?

I really hope things get better or if you speak to a gp they help!

Hi,

I'm here for advice too! Am nearly 7 weeks, and last week was an utter pukey mess, by Friday I was struggling even keeping water down, let alone food. Called the Dr who gave me promethezine, which just made me feel like I was sleepwalking through the last few days (and that was on half a pill twice a.day). Are there any drugs which don't have this side effect? I did a Google and got really discouraged hut thought this would be the place to ask!

@Bellaphant im so sorry you feel rubbish! it could be that you need to get used to the side effects? Are you ok with half a pill twice a day or could you go even lower in dosage? Interestingly I started with cyclizine which made me very sleepy but not promethisine. It could be that you might need to get use to it!

@LucindaE and all the ladies suffering here..... I am writing to report the safe birth of my baby girl last week!! I finally made it to the pink castle and oh my is she worth it! 8lb 10 and absolutely beautiful!

Right up until the morning of her birth I was nauseous and still sick- notably throwing up on the way to the hospital via the kitchen floor... but once she was out- literally as soon as she was out- I felt my taste buds start to shift back to normal. I had an Alpen bar immediately after she was born and it was the most beautiful tasting thing I think I’ve ever had!

It took a few days for all my sickness to totally disappear but it is now GONE! The unthinkable is possible ladies! I now have my gorgeous newborn and feel like myself again and all the sickness and pain... dare I say it... is receding scarily quickly in my memory (though a quick glance through recent messages on the thread brings it back pretty fast!)

Lucinda I wanted to say thank you to you personally. This thread got me through some extremely difficult and dark moments with hyperemesis and there were days where I felt like you and the ladies here were the only ones who understood my torment. It made all the difference in the world to me to be able to log on each day and check in with you and the others going through the same torment. I also received excellent advice here from you and from many others (and I would like to reiterate the importance of a good anti acid ladies on top of your other meds! Made a huge difference to me, especially nearer the end but I wish I had started much sooner!)

Hyperemesis is so so hard and I dread the thought of ever having to go through it again (thought for another day perhaps) but I am so grateful to you Lucinda for running this thread. It was an absolute lifeline for me.

All my love from me and my baby girl.

Ladies, the view from the castle is simply beautiful....

Stay strong and much love to all xxxxxxxxxx

@Snowwhite2020 that is wonderful news, congratulations, I was only thinking about you the other day as you had been quiet.
Enjoy ALL the food and every cuddle from your daughter! 💗
A huge thank you to you as well as your advice and sympathy was invaluable xx

@KatieFTM so nice to hear from you! How are you getting on? How far along are you now? Xxx

@Snowwhite2020 I’m now 38+2 and aside from a little puke earlier (I think brought on by the intense hunger I have been feeling the past week or so) I feel I have gotten off pretty lightly in this last trimester! Trying not to read into all of the signs and symptoms too much over these next few weeks, baby will arrive when he is good and ready ☺️ x

@KatieFTM the pink castle is in sight!!

Hi everyone,

Looking for a bit of advice, I'm around 7 weeks and think I have HG. I've been nauseous constantly with occasional sickness for around a week and a half, but I've not managed to keep anything down at all since Sunday. Does this sound like HG or am I being a wimp?

I'm waking through the night to be sick too and having to really try force myself not to bring water back up for as long as possible in the hope of staying hydrated.

Reading through some posts in this thread and it sounds like you've all had a pretty horrendous time with it, I hope for some relief for you all soon!

@Snowwhite2020 congratulations! Enjoy all those well earned cuddles, and eating all the delicious food!

I've got some more ondansetron from
The dr's, they've only given me 5 (🙄) but if I can get by on half a day at least it will last ten days.
It seems to be a different gp everytime I call (locums (right word?) too so you can't even ask for a specific person). I often end up just talking to the pharmacist who is the worst for pushing me to stop!
The pharmacist at the chemist I collect the medicine told my husband my diet needed to be 'on point' which made me lol and also filled me with rage 🙈 like its so easy! Salad and a ginger biscuit will sort me right out 🙄

@Neurotic90 sounds like me at that stage... I’d phone the GP. Love to you. Try to stay hydrated- ice cubes, peach juice... whatever you can stomach. Emphasise the sickness episodes and the lack of food and the through the night with the GP. Good luck xx

Thank you so much @Snowwhite2020, I'll give them a call.

I hope you and your little one are doing well, congratulations ❤

@Snowwhite2020 congratulations!  I'm so happy for you! I'm glad the sickness has gone too. Enjoy all the cuddles and thanks for the advice you've gave me on this thread.

@Neurotic90 definitely ensure you get your point across to the doctor of how bad it is. They'll likely ask you how many times you are being sick/how many times you are wrenching etc. Make sure you tell them how little/anything you are keeping down and can't continue like this. They may ask if you've lost weight too. Hopefully they will prescribe you something. It does get better though I can assure you.

Hope everyone else is coping as best as they can!

Thank you @Anyat212.

There's no availability for a GP to speak to me today so I'll phone again first thing tomorrow. I weighed myself out of curiosity a couple of hours ago and have already lost 9 pounds since the day I found out I was pregnant. Thanks for the reassurance too, I had a bit of a cry earlier and I just felt like I was being so melodramatic so it's comforting to know people understand.

@Neurotic90 if you have the number of a midwife yet I would call them. Might be easier that way anyway- my midwife took me much more seriously than the GP in the early stages... if not, try the GP again and I would say it’s an “emergency” as I know that’s a covid term for prioritisation. Pregnant women should be prioritised... xx

@Snowwhite2020 congratulations so lovely to hear you’ve come through the otherside and I hope you enjoy all the cuddles with your LO and the normal taste of food!

@Neurotic90 sorry to hear you’re going through a hard time, the early days are the worst. Hopefully speaking to a gp and getting meds will help, also keep in mind if the first lot of meds dont work go back and ask to try something else as there are a few meds to try.

@bunhead34 glad to hear you got the meds but 5 seems incredibly stingy of them!

Hope everyone else is doing ok today

Bellaphont Definitely ask for something else, there is for instance, Xonvea, the new super safe medication for vomiting in pregnancy. It has helped a few on here. Also, do try and anti acid. Are you new on the thread? Sorry if you aren't; I seem to be very vague at the moment. If you are, the advice below might be useul for Neurotic90.
Neurotic90 Welcome. Sorry to hear things are so bad. Definitely that sounds like Hyperemesis. Do ask the doctor for meds and mention each heave as they sometimes cound individual heaves as vomits, and also how you can't retain water. Here's my normal spiel which I hope might help.
Most sufferers find that they improve a lot at some point between weeks 14 and 20. Even those who are unlucky enough to suffer throughout generally are not as ill later on as they are in the first part. 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 (if you don't find it too acid), ice lollies, the juice of tinned fruit, Lucozade, apple juice, Ribina, 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, apple juice, Robinson's fruit drinks, Rubicon sparkling mango drink , raspberry Lucozade sport and frozen ice cubes of flat Lucozade sport . Foods of a sort include tinned fruit, cuppa soup, nibbles of crisps and chips, cheap ice cream, Scotch pancakes, bagels and biscuits.
SnowWhite2020 How lovely to hear from you! [ brew] Congratulations on your baby girl. What a fine weight. Thank you so much for your lovely message of encouragement and kind words. I am so glad that the sickness has now gone - with some people it does linger a little but it always goes! Enjoy your arrival at the fabled Pink Castle in the clouds at the end of the horrors of Hyperemesis.
Waves to KatlieFTM Anya212 - great advice from you and Dutchess, composed and everyone. Bunhead34 What an infuriating pharmacist! So judgemental. Humph!
Apologies to anyone I have rudely overlooked.

Congratulations @snowwhite2020!
Sorry to those struggling to get medications, I think I may have been fairly lucky with my gp.

But ladies I have new issue that's causing me great stress. Constipation! How with HG can you eat the right foods and more importantly drink enough?! I'm trying my very best to get enough fluids but it's not enough. I cant bare the thought of prunes or such else I have a limited menu I can eat from.

Can I take laxatives? Anyone have any advice? Seems such a cruel side effect to HG.

@Blissfulignorance I’m on lactulose for the constipation! I believe there is also movicol but that needs to be mixed with water which may be an issue if you struggle with water.

Lactulose can be bought over the counter but they may refuse to sell it to you if you’re obviously pregnant even though gp’s prescribe it as mine did for me so may be useful getting someone else to get it for you.