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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Hyperemesis Support

993 replies

LucindaE · 27/01/2021 19:26

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/topics/nausea-vomiting-in-pregnancy
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.

Hyperemesis Support
Hyperemesis Support
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5
LilmissCa · 04/06/2021 12:11

@thingymaboob
yes I'm eating small plain meals now. Nausea has eased this morning so far, haven't been sick since last week the nausea mainly just so over powering on top of the sheer exhaustion!!!

Congrats on your BFP!!! Exciting but I'm sure scary with you knowing what could be coming. Your armed with experience & knowledge this time round tho!

thingymaboob · 04/06/2021 12:47

@LilmissCa I've decided that I'm going to take some handcuffs into the gp surgery and handcuff myself to the GPS desk and refuse to leave until they give me ondansetron

LucindaE · 04/06/2021 21:51

LilmissCa It sounds as if you really needed those fluids. I hadn't heard of Ondansetron strips before. I am so glad you are feeling a bit better and had a nice experience with the scan. I assume with those you won't need to invest in a laxative?
Thingymaboob That is a fine idea!

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L1ttleb1t · 05/06/2021 10:07

Hi guys. Can I ask for advice?

I'm 6+5 today and had really bad nausea for 2 weeks. My first pregnancy I was very unwell with nvp. Thus time I've asked my GP for xonvea but he was reluctant and has prescribed Prochlorperazine instead.

I'm not sure though if I'm supposed to take them regularly every day ( 3 a day) or only when I feel really sick as it says on the prescription label "as needed". Will they work better if taken prophylactically? Mind you I feel sick as the bloody time so....

LilmissCa · 05/06/2021 11:02

@thingymaboob too right!! You know your body!!

@LucindaE the nurses did warn I could get blocked up & think I'm starting to feel the effects of it now, had very little movement since I left hospital. My gp mustn't of heard of the strips either.. my prescription is for the tablets, will argue my case come Monday for the strips lol

LucindaE · 05/06/2021 20:42

LilmissCa I hope you can get strips from the doctor. Do ask for a good laxative like Lactulose too. You could get the suppositories from a chemists,but the problem is they won't sell them to pregnant women though they use them in hospitals. There is Fibrogel if you can stand it.
L1ttleb1t Welcome. Sorry to hear you are suffering again. I am not medically trained, but it seems odd the doctor avoided prescribing Xonvea, given that as I understand it, it was specifically developed as a safe anti sickness drug in pregnancy. From what I've heard on here it ismore efective to use meds regularly, and I think that must include prochlorperazine, but I don't know for sure. I have only taken it to prevent nausea and vomiting with migraine. I hope someone else can give good advice about that. As the sickness is worse this time, though you are a veteran, I thought I'd include my normal spiel which I hope will 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. When reporting on the vomiting to doctors, remember to emphasize the number of heaves in each vomiting session, as doctors tend to count these as 'vomits' and this can lead to their underestimating the severity of your symptoms. Besides drinking through a straw, here are 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 and slices of melon and mango.
Waves to thingymaboob and everyone.

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LucindaE · 06/06/2021 21:57

Thinking of everyone suffering.

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thingymaboob · 07/06/2021 12:02

Hiya, currently feeling ok but only 4 weeks and think it kicked in around 6 weeks last time

LucindaE · 07/06/2021 20:39

thingymaboob Wishing you all luck. Smile

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LucindaE · 08/06/2021 20:10

Cheering everyone on in this hot weather.

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LilmissCa · 08/06/2021 20:15

Thanks @LucindaE you are an angel!!! I hope you are enjoying the nicer weather!

Constipation hit fully today... I don't think I fully experienced it before lol got lactulose from gp & a few boxes of the ondansetron strips .. yay!

abbs1 · 08/06/2021 21:00

@LucindaE i just spoke to my Dr about prescribing me Xonvea when i get my Bfp to help prevent hg as much as possible or delay the symptoms. She was very hesitant worrying about defects to baby etc. She said come back when im pregnant and she can discuss again. Im gonna seek advice from another dr and see if i get any further help. Really annoys me after going through hg once that Gps arent more helpful in trying to help women who could potentially be going through it again to stop symptoms. I can just see her saying no when the time comes and i end up in hospital as i did the first time before i can get medication.
Sorry to rant just makes me so angry the amount of women suffering when it shouldn't need to be this hard to get proper care.

thingymaboob · 08/06/2021 21:14

Aaaaaaaargh!!!! GPs are so awful! Their knowledge of HG is pitiful.

I've just worked out that I'm 4+2. Which is super early. I don't currently feel sick at all but I do remember it really kicked off at 6 weeks last time, with weeks 8-14 the worst. I'm getting worried as my only memory of pregnancy was head in toilet. When did you start feeling sick? It's too early, right?

LucindaE · 08/06/2021 21:26

abbs1 This is so annoying. Xonvea was manufactured to be safe
for pregannt women, for goodness sake. I wonder if Pregnancy Sickness Support on 024 7638 2020 might have some advice on
how to get pre-emptive meds?
LilmissCa Thank you for that! The weather is lovely if not suffering.
I am so glad you got both of those.
Thingymaboob I wish I could advise you about that, but I didn't suffer badly or for long, and had twinges of nausea very early but tings didn't spiral out of control until much later. Many on here seem to start feeling quite bad from 6 or 7 weeks.

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abbs1 · 08/06/2021 21:30

@thingymabob oh bless you. Thats all i remember and many a day spent in hospital. Ive blocked most of my memory of hg out but all the gps i saw last pregnancy were useless and seems no amount of info i take them and what worked last time they dont want to know. I remember feeling sick from 5 weeks in and by 6 weeks i was bed bound head in a bucket and in hospital by week 7.
I really hope hg stays away for you. Im terrified of pregnancy but so desperate for another baby.

LilmissCa · 08/06/2021 22:00

@thingymaboob I'm pretty much same as @abbs1
Sickness started 5 wks, bed bound by 6wks & hospitalised after 7wks!

abbs1 · 09/06/2021 07:08

@LucindaE i actually have a peer support person from PSS for my next pregnancy and she told me i can only get it via the gp or hospital but has given me a hg consultant name at my local hospital to see if i can get in contact with to see if they can prescribe it pre- emptively. Just feel like ive got to jump through hoops to get help when they can clearly see from my notes how badly i suffered last time. My gps excuse was that i wouldn't suffer this time round. Aarggh. Sorry to rant. Just super frustrating.

L1ttleb1t · 09/06/2021 08:46

[quote abbs1]@LucindaE i just spoke to my Dr about prescribing me Xonvea when i get my Bfp to help prevent hg as much as possible or delay the symptoms. She was very hesitant worrying about defects to baby etc. She said come back when im pregnant and she can discuss again. Im gonna seek advice from another dr and see if i get any further help. Really annoys me after going through hg once that Gps arent more helpful in trying to help women who could potentially be going through it again to stop symptoms. I can just see her saying no when the time comes and i end up in hospital as i did the first time before i can get medication.
Sorry to rant just makes me so angry the amount of women suffering when it shouldn't need to be this hard to get proper care. [/quote]
I had this too - GP has refused to prescribe as "it's still new" (it's been used in Canada snce 1979....)AND "it's expensive"!!! (£28 apparently)...

I said if NICE approved it ecomonically and clinically that shouldn't come into it. It was not a popular reply.

In the end GP prescribed me an antihistamine they were familiar with and omeprazole, which is helping a bit (but only a bit). It's maddening how hard it is to advocate for yourself with GPs even if you've clearly done your research. Keep pressing them.

L1ttleb1t · 09/06/2021 08:48

Has anyone had luck with compression stockings. I came across a small study showing small but significant improvement in NVP with them, but I can't figure out how and maybe it's placebo?

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5328137/

abbs1 · 09/06/2021 11:09

Its so frustrating isnt it! In my first pregnancy i ended up on steroids as 3rd line of treatment at home via IV as well as iv ondansatron and clexine injections otherwise i would have had to be admitted. To then here the gp say well you may not have it again made me so mad i was like whatever and left. Im trying all i can to have the best chance of keeping any hg symptoms to as minimal as i can and to be told c*p from them is infuriating.

Can i ask what antihistamine they have given you? Im gonna try to speak to another Dr and see what happens.

If your GP tries to tell you how expensive it is, maybe go back with it would cost more to keep me admitted in hospital 🙈 and see what they say to that!

L1ttleb1t · 09/06/2021 13:26

@abbs1

Its so frustrating isnt it! In my first pregnancy i ended up on steroids as 3rd line of treatment at home via IV as well as iv ondansatron and clexine injections otherwise i would have had to be admitted. To then here the gp say well you may not have it again made me so mad i was like whatever and left. Im trying all i can to have the best chance of keeping any hg symptoms to as minimal as i can and to be told c*p from them is infuriating.

Can i ask what antihistamine they have given you? Im gonna try to speak to another Dr and see what happens.

If your GP tries to tell you how expensive it is, maybe go back with it would cost more to keep me admitted in hospital 🙈 and see what they say to that!

Yeah and RCOG says to treat prophylactically if the mum has had HG before so waiting and seeing is nonsense.

It's Prochlorperazine - it does help a bit but not loads; I think I'm going to be going back to them soon. I've really struggled today.

abbs1 · 09/06/2021 14:15

Thats exactly what i thought. Total nonsense. Hopefully another dr can help me.
Oh yes ive heard of that. If its not working ask for ondansatron but make sure you get some lactulose as ondansatron makes you really constipated. Maybe the 2 together may help?

LucindaE · 09/06/2021 20:30

It is so maddening about GP's taking this line, obviously through playing safe.
abbs1 I am so glad you had that advice from peer support at Pregnancy Sickness Support. On that GP; I have heard of optimism, but that is ridiculous. I hope you do escape or anyway, escape lightly; but as you had it badly before, not prescribing pre-emptive meds on the grounds that you 'might escape it this time' is like not getting warm clothes for winter on the grounds that it might not be a severe one!
Lttleb1t I had never heard of that compression stockings thing. I suppose it must work like Acupuncture. That's fascinating.
Glad you quoted NICE. I didn't have Stemetil in pregnancy, but I do have it for vomiting with migraines. At least it by-passes the stomach.
Waves to LilmissCa Thingymaboob and everyone.

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LucindaE · 09/06/2021 20:31

Sorry, that's L1ttleb1t! Mistyped your name.

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abbs1 · 09/06/2021 21:07

@LucindaE absolutely! Couldnt agree more. Ive managed to get another drs appointment for 2nd opinion but not till mid July so hopefully they will be a bit more forthcoming with offering pre emptive medication and I dont have to battle to get it. Atm i feel ive got to put off ttc as im scared i wont get offered anything until its too late. Another pregnancy just terrifies me but we both so badly want another baby. My husband is amazing and our families are totally on board with us so i know i can get through it. Just want support from drs to make the journey as comfortable as it possibly can be.

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