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.

That should be [glitterball} !

...And it STILL didn't come out. Well, my ineptitude will provide a bit of comedy, at least.

I just wanted to say happy christmas to all even if it won’t be the one we were hoping for, fingers crossed next year will be better.

@LucindaE merry christmas and thank you so much for keeping this thread going and all your support x

composed Thank you so much for your wonderful support. Do keep it up! Merry Christmas to you. The next one will be a bit more like it for everyone on this thread, with a baby to enjoy it.

I hope everyone survived Christmas Day. As well as feeling sorry for everyone else, I also feel sorry for myself today, as my head is throbbing - not with a hangover, but due to the atmospheric pressure with Storm Bella.

Hi ladies I hope you all managed to enjoy some of your day on Christmas.
I'm just marking my place and going to be following the thread again as my husband and I have decided to try for number 2. I still can't work out if I'm crazy or not!
Started my vitamin b6 already and calling the dr on Tuesday to get a prescription in place for when we conceive. Praying I won't need it this time but prepping for the worst and hoping for the best!
Sending love and strength to you all

Hi all, Merry Christmas and hope everyone managed their way through! It wasn’t the best couple of days for me sickness wise but trying so hard not to end up back in hospital... anyone else thinking how much they want these babies to come out now?!

Hi everyone,
How was Christmas? I got out of hospital on Christmas Eve (yeah). I'm feeling a bit better today than yesterday. I've already lost twelve pounds and I'm 6 weeks today. I was overweight so not overly worried other than it reflects I'm really not able to keep food down. How often do you go into hospital and how do you decide when? My instinct is to wait until I absolutely have to as I'm so dehydrated. Do you find if you go in more often you get less sick? Trying to manage the HG better this pregnancy.

wwwwwwwwwwwwww So glad you are released. As you are a veteran, I am sure you are more knowledgeable about levels of dehydration. These days hospitals seem mostly to admit when kesostix give a measurement of 3+ . Of course, they aren't the best test of dehydration even though hospitals take their measurements seriously. That is a lot of weight to lose by 6 weeks. I hope that they have sorted out a good regime of meds for you.
BuffyFanForever I am glad you managed to stay out of hospital. I am sure you are joined by everyone suffering on this thread in counting the days until baby can safely enter the world!
RockinRobinn All luck with TTC. It looks as if you have done some excellent groundwork with the prescription etc.
Waves to all.

@kingfisher657 just had a read through your comment.
I found I bonded with the pregnancy when we had a gender scan at 16 weeks and I was actually able to move without vomiting! At your point I remember crying daily and calling my baby a parasite, I'd lost a stone by that point, couldn't work and had been in a&e once on a drip. But it did get better gradually, fortunately.
I like you "only" vomited 1-3 times a day usually as I learnt by doing nothing I could avoid being sick too much however intense nausea prevented me from eating or drinking enough. It's all a sliding scale.
Focus on this pregnancy would be my advice. I have a 28 month old daughter and we've just found the courage to try again but it's different this time. I'm terrified but I have set up a support network and done my research regarding medication and treatment plans. We want another so strongly and I think time has quelled some of the trauma.
I had prenatal and postnatal depression because of the trauma but I have the most amazing bond with my daughter. Take it one day at a time otherwise it's too overwhelming.

How are you feeling now Lucinda? It sounds terrible this storm! Im in the NE so we've luckily dodged it so far.

I had the worst night of my life with constipation yesterday/early hours, not been for 9 days. I've been up all night on the toilet, I'll spare the details but I did manage to go at 7am just as DD woke up. I'm so tired it's ridiculous. I took lactulose and docusate sodium together as I ran out of movicol and only managed to get it yesterday. What a terrible combination I don't recommend anyone taking them together. I thought they'd be fine as I've taken docusate sodium and movicol together (lesson learnt). Pregnancy constipation really is on another level. I feel dreadful and of course the nausea is on top form today I think it's a mix of the HG and meds though.

My gums are becoming inflamed too, has anyone got any recommendations on tooth paste / mouth waste what isn't minty? I've got the kids paste but sometimes I find it too sweet.

Hope everyone is coping & had a nice Christmas x

Hey ladies, I hope everyone had a safe Christmas! I just wanted to check in, im 11+2 and taking stemetil twice a day for a month which has worked wonders. I even managed to go back to work for a week before the xmas break/lockdown number 3.
My question is for anyone who has taken prochlorperazine for any lenght of time: did you fing it was easy to get off it? When do you know it’s ok to stop taking it? I find myself feeling like a druggie, and wondering how good this is for the baby...
by the way we lost a baby at 21+1 3 years ago, a missef miscarriage a year ago, this is attempt n.3 and I have factor V Leiden so I inject myself twice a day with heparin (a druggie I tell you!!)

RockinRobin Great advice for kingfisher567 All luck.
Anya212 Thank you so much for asking, I'm fine now. Storms always give me a migraine. Yes, it was a severe storm, but I remember worse - I am so old I remember the hurricane of 1987! Having bowels locked for nine days, and having to take drastic measures and being chained to the loo all night sounds truly awful. I hope you have a good night tonight, my goodness. Strawberry kids' toothpaste (I mean, strawberry toothpaste for kids, not toothpaste for kids made of strawberries ) is one I always found useful myself and recommend. You can get non mint ones in health food shops, too, but I don't know how many of those are open at the moment.
Dutchess75013 I am sorry to hear of your losses. A late loss like that must be awful, and having an mmc after it must make you feel nervous. I was nervous enough after only one mmc. I think everyone tends to say that if you want to come of the meds, try reducing the dose slowly and see how you go. I am sure Stemitil is considered one of the safer ones as it is one of the ones which is recommended as a first form of treatment, but obviously nobody wants to take drugs in pregnancy if they don't have to. When I last heard, there was no evidence that it had significant risks when taken in pregnancy. I have just found out what Factor V Leiden is. Congratulations on handling it so well.

Ah, and Dutchess75013 There have been many on here who have been on Stemitil for many months. As like as not, one will come on now to advise you.

Hi everyone! I hope I can join here.... all the way from South Africa. There aren't many online support groups for HG and I stumbled across this thread and it looks like a really supportive group to be a part of. I know our health systems are organized a bit differently, I'm mostly seeking some emotional support as feeling really lonely suffering through this... (sorry if this is going to be a long and depressing post).

This is my first pregnancy (ever), I'm 11w 6d. I started feeling sick from week 6 (my first trip to hospital for dehydration) and then I was in hospital again in week 8. My gynae prescribed me ondansetron, I take 4mg x2 a day. It helped to ease up the throwing up and I could finally eat some limited things (although nausea was still present). But since week 10, things have taken a turn... had a good few days throwing up (I found I especially am unable to tolerate most fruits) with some days between where I could eat. It seems this week that trend is continuing. I am exhausted from feeling sick and trying to figure out things I can actually keep down and trying to eat enough to avoid nausea worsening. My poor husband is doing his best to try and support me and take care of me but also works a demanding job. I am really struggling to feel like myself - going from being a busy, active person to bed-bound and unable to even step into the shower some days... At the moment, there are very limited foods I can eat (I am desperate for fruit and veg but cannot stomach it) and can only sip water and sports drinks - I feel like I'm eating so much (to keep nausea at bay) but still feeling sick regardless. I feel like I don't know how I can cope with weeks (or months?!) of this continuing - it's really hard and I take my hat off to women who have managed to get through to the end - I can only pray for that emotional, mental and physical strength.

I hope it will be okay for me to stick around! Thank you for taking the time to read . Wishing you all luck with your pregnancies!

Hi @kulzeee and welcome! Of course you can stick around, this group is for every woman who needs support!
First of all, we are having babies at the same time! July babies, woop! Second of all, I am so sorry that you are having a difficult time. HG is incredibly hard, and especially mentally and emotionally.
At the worst of it, I also found myself just like you resenting the fact that I couldnt do my day to day activities anymore. I felt like such a failure, cried myself to sleep every night. I even considered termination, luckily my husband still had his wits about him and was very supportive!
Is there anything else that you gynae can prescribe you?
We are all here with you and rooting for you, don’t hesitate to talk!

@LucindaE you are such a hero! Always ready to answer everyone’s questions with such care and compassion. Thank you so much.
I have a call with my GP this afternoon to discuss renewing my prescription, as I am nearly run out.
I think I will carry on taking it as long as I feel like taking it, it’s been such a live saving thing and has worked really well. Thanks again for your support x

Thanks Lucinda! Will try that toothpaste and glad you're feeling better.

@Dutchess75013

I still take prochlorperazine here and there, usually when I'm having a bad day. I was on that and metoproclamide (which I've dropped completely) meaning I'm only taking Cyclizine atm. I'm 27 weeks now though, for me it was just trial and error. I dropped the metoproclamide first as doctors were really funny about prescribing that in the first place  I just missed that dose (I took one of the meds every 3 hours and so on) and then stopped taking it all together. In my first pregnancy though I was taking ondansetron and struggled reducing that at first, I did stay on it until DD was born! I didn't have much trouble really decreasing meds this time around.

I know it's easy to worry about the amount of meds you are on, but baby will be fine. If you feel the need to continue taking both, listen to your body. Dehydration is always going to be worse. I totally understand how you feel about being a 'druggie' I've looked like a crazy woman scurrying through my handbag, pulling all sorts out trying to find the right med to take! Sorry to hear about your loss

@kulzeee

Congrats on your pregnancy! I think you are possibly going through the peak of HG, which the good news (if you can call it that!) is that it won't get worse it should improve. It is very hard adjusting to an active lifestyle to this, it is a shock to the system. Do remember to be kind to yourself, you are growing a baby and suffering from a horrible condition.

Before I fell pregnant I was all over the place, working full time, chasing after a toddler, working out 3/4 times per week. Now, I'm out of breathe walking up the stairs! I just remind myself no matter how low I feel, this is only temporary and you'll have a beautiful baby at the end of it. I know it's so hard to think like this when it's the early days though, so just try to take each day as you can and accept help from friends/family and your DH! My DP sounds a lot like yours, I felt terrible watching him finishing work, coming home cooking tea and watching DD whilst I laid upstairs. It will pass and you will feel better, I tend to have a good few weeks where I'm okay and then a few days were I'm bad again but nothing like them early weeks. On the food front, just eat what you can. Baby will still take the nutrients from you. As Duchess has mentioned, do ask about your meds. You can safely take combinations of meds to help get you through. I took ondansetron and Cyclizine together at one point in my first pregnancy, not for long but that was mainly because the Cyclizine made me very drowsy (which funnily enough only made me drowsy for a day or two this time around!)
I hope you feel better soon!

@Anyat212 thank you so much for taking the time to reply and making me feel better about my «drug use» and thank you your kind words abour our poor little one. I can’t quite believe Im starting my 2nd trimester soon.
Scan next week, fingers crossed all is well. Pregnancy is bloody hard!
Funny enough, just had a chat with one of the gps from my surgery (I always get a random one) and they were concerned I was over medicating with the prochlorperazine!!!! Had to explain to them YET AGAIN why I take and what happens when I dont take it! She was understanding after hearing my struggle but said I have to review the situation every week.
Next week I have my first ap with obstetrics so I will bring it up again.
It seems to me that if you are not on your death bed then you just have to suck it up! Or if you are not throwing up 10 times a day, you should feel sick because it’s just part of pregnancy!
So tired of having to explain myself every time!

kulzeee Welcome. Sorry you are suffering. Of course, do stay on here; we do get people from outside the UK postiing. Interestingly, when I used to help with a support thread that was mainly US based, with Medicare and the private insurance, they used to offer home rehydration kits. They don't offer that with the NHS at least in the UK. I don't know if it is possible to get it in South Africa, but it might be a way of avoiding hospital trips for dehyration. You have had great advice from Anya212 and Dutchess75013 and I will just add my usual spiel which I hope may be of some use, though probably the names and varieties of drinks are different over there and maybe even the names for the sticks to test ketones?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.
Dutchess75013 Thank you so much for your kind words and I am glad that this thread is helping. My goodness, July babies already!

Anya212 I do hope the strawberry toothpaste is palatable.
Waves to all. Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked.

Hi everyone, thanks for the support. I just vomited for the first time in a week :( I really thought it was over and my sickness was gone. But these past few days it's been creeping back, possibly because I'm now taking the cyclizine twice a day instead of three times. Back to three times I guess...
It's so hard to sleep because I wake up with a mixture of nausea and hunger that eating doesn't always fix. Today I was awake at 2:30, 4-4:30, 6-7, and then vomited at 7 (possibly because I smelled the fridge while getting myself a snack?) Feeling so discouraged, I'm 15 weeks tomorrow and still suffering and I'm not sure if there is a proper end in sight.

Thank you all for the warm welcome! @LucindaE it would be truly amazing if I could get it at home but home-based care seems to only be available for certain chronic conditions. My medical insurance isn't even covering my hospital admissions (I guess my life is not threatened enough ) so this has also been a huge cost. Mostly I'm on meds as my gynae wants me to avoid hospitalization due to the way COVID is exploding at the moment and the risks this might present.

@Anyat212 @Dutchess75013 I was initially on both metoproclamide and Ondansetron but then have managed so far on just Ondansetron. I do think I really need to get on an antacid, I was using Gaviscon but it's effects seem to last less and less. I see quite a few people using Omeprazole, does this help quite a bit with the stomach acid? I also feel like a druggie, have hardly used medication my whole life and now my nightstand is filled up with medication bottles! I also thought perhaps my HG was peaking. I'm 12 weeks today, yay for July babies . My gynae also gives me very limited supply(very annoying when you're so exhausted and constantly need to go back to the pharmacy) and told me we need to reassess after first trimester. Yes, I agree, I think the biggest challenge is feeling absolutely normal one day to suddenly being hit with sickness on this level, never in my wildest dreams did I think I could feel so bad! Especially since most people around me had fairly uneventful pregnancies. Funnily enough, I was hit with really bad food poisoning in Dec last year and I told my DH, "if morning sickness is anything like this, I don't want it" and here I am enduring this for 6 weeks already . I also cry most nights and have had some pretty dark thoughts at my worst moments, and really live for those few days (or even just a few hours) of feeling "normal".

@kingfisher657 I was actually going through something similar past two weeks - I felt a lot better around 9 weeks and then suddenly, I woke up around 1:30ish with hunger/nausea pains that would make my stomach ache (even after eating) and then vomited. Coupled with the exhaustion of being up during those hours and feeling sick, it was a really bad time. I'm sorry that you are feeling poorly again, it is really hard and I share your feelings of discouragement, I hope you know you are not alone and I hope you get some relief soon!

@Dutchess75013

Fingers crossed for your scan! It really does bring so much reassurance when you have that.

The battle with the GP's is another fight with HG isn't it? I've had exactly the same issues. They kept giving me 1 weeks worth supply too, mainly the metaclopramide and wouldn't put it on the repeat prescription! It's soo draining calling up, waiting, then waiting for a call back, explaining your whole history whilst feeling how you do. Totally agree on the death bed thing too, I had a battle just to get some more Cyclizine last week. Thankfully he prescribed 100 tablets this time so I shouldn't need to ring them anymore. I'll be seeing my consultant from 32 weeks properly so hoping they may be able to help if I need it.

@kulzeee

I haven't tried Omeprazole as Gaviscon has really worked for me! I think a few people on here are using it though so they'll be able to let you know. Sorry to hear you're having a battle with meds too, seems to be a very common thing unfortunately  I find the hospitals / midwives there a lot better on the medication front in my experience. Hopefully this is your peak and you'll get some relief soon. I meant to mention with ondansetron, you may need to look at stool softeners as it's well known for constipation I had no idea in my first pregnancy until I started taking it. Hopefully you've not experienced it but thought it was a mention if you weren't aware.

@kingfisher657

I'm the same, although I just try to appreciate the good days/weeks I have now. Don't be too upset if you do need increase again, it might just be a short term thing and you can try at a later date to reduce. On the fridge smell, I might be really late to the party on this.. but I bought a fridge air freshener online (on the range I think) and it's honestly the best thing ever and cost me £1! I used to shout at DP for opening the fridge as I could smell it immediately I mean how inconsiderate of him!?! 😂 I hope you feel better soon though.

Hope everyone is coping today.

kulzee It's a shame that the home IV kits aren't available there, either. There's lots of support on here.
kingfisher657 Don't be discouraged. Even with ordinary levels of pregnancy sickness, plenty of sufferers don't get relief until well after the textbook 12-13 weeks, often as late as 16 weeks, and sufferers from Hypereemesis typically suffer longer. Cyclizine has been used as one of the safest anti-emetics in pregnancy for decades, so don't fret about having to go back to the full dosage.
Anya212 Congratulations on winning the Cyclizine fight. That's such good idea about the fridge air freshener. I so agree, good luckfor Dutchess with the scan. Great advice for kelzee about Ondansetron and the need for a laxative. Thickhead Mother Hen meant to mention that and forgot.
Waves to all. Snow on the mountains today here.

I'm so angry recently , so pissed off that I have to suffer with this , so grateful I can get pregnant but so many people can and get to experience it without this hell , it just sucks every ounce of excitement about the pregnancy away.

I can't sleep at night cause I feel so sick and my stomach burns from being sick so often and heartburn, I try to prop myself up on a pillow but just toss and turn all night eventually falling asleep in the early hours from sheer exhaustion and then I don't want to wake up , I don't want to face the day , it's relentless, I vomit a lot but it's the intense nausea that kills me really , I don't function as a human , I just sit and groan all day , my lips are dry and sore, I just feel so ill.

The stemetil worked for a few days and then stopped having an effect and then the same with the metoclopramide , I thought I had found something great with that but less than a week later it's not touching the sides.

Sorry for the negative post and sorry you all have to suffer with this nightmare too