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Pregnancy

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

Hyperemesis Support

989 replies

LucindaE · 14/08/2021 09:39

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
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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LucindaE · 10/09/2021 20:28

abbs1 That sounds a good idea, about us raising the issue with Pregnancy Sickness Support, if the women involved are willing. It certainly is outrageous treatment.
Thingymaboob It is certainly fobbing off at a new level!
theconfused I am puzzled at that reply you had from the hospital, when Cyclizine is an anti-emetic. I am also puzzled about how 'open access' is being defined by the hospital. I hope you can get Xonvea and it helps.
Pleasedontworry A good day is often a sign that the turnaround it coming. That certainly sounds horrible. I think part of the problem is that the illness makes the digestion slow down, hence food is only slowly broken up. I believe Metaclopramide is meant to be good in that it speeds up digestion, but I know doctors can be reluctant to prescribe it for long (I believe due to the risks of the side effect of twitchiness on the mother rather than the baby).
Catconfusion That does sound bad about those vomits.
Waves to kalidasa and everyone...

OP posts:
LucindaE · 11/09/2021 18:00

I hope Meg232xx and theconfused have received some slightly more humane treatment since they last posted!

OP posts:
thingymaboob · 11/09/2021 18:48

@theconfused and @meg232xx are you guys ok?

I think it's a good idea to inform PSS of the awful treatment you've received. How are you getting on now?

We had a sex scan yesterday and we are having another girl. Thought the scan would help me bond but I just felt quite detached from the pregnancy. Think it's because I just feel ill. I am so tired to my core. We had some relatives around for dinner last night and they left at 11pm and I am beside myself with all over body tiredness.

Catconfusion · 11/09/2021 19:07

@thingymaboob congratulations on your daughter. I can completely appreciate why you’re finding it hard to bond. I only bonded with ds once the sickness stopped at 26 weeks. Part of that was pure terror after having two miscarriages but the sickness made it hard to see beyond myself and how I was feeling. It messes with you head when something you want so much makes you so ill. I’m sure you’ll feel differently as things progress. In the meantime be gentle with yourself. I’m sorry to hear about the fatigue. I feel quite overwhelmed with it too. It reminds me of when I had glandular fever. Xx

Catconfusion · 11/09/2021 19:19

I was just wondering what the general consensus is about girls causing worse symptoms than boys? I was really ill with ds but this time is far more intense which does make me wonder. I’ve also heard each hyperemesis pregnancy is worse than the last so I don’t know. We don’t have a preference so it’s fine either way.

The last few days have been hard mentally. I think because I had such a lovely morning on Wednesday. I got a taste of what it could be like. I’ve felt a lot of anger and frustration. My heightened sense of smell is making it so hard to do anything. We have dogs and I can’t be near the because of the smell. I vomit every time I try and go in the kitchen. Just the thought of how the inside of the cupboards smell makes me sick. My sleep is also very unsettled as I feel sick in my sleep. I’m exhausted and also worried about my 12 week scan next week.

I know I don’t have this as seriously as some of the ladies on here as I’m able to keep enough fluids and food down generally. I feel lucky for this and I really feel for those of you needing hospital support. It’s still really hard. This baby is kicking my butt. I really hope to see lots of you feeling better soon. Xx

abbs1 · 11/09/2021 19:45

@Catconfusion I was told this in my last pregnancy and I had a boy! I'm not sure whether my early pre emptive medication has made this pregnancy so much better or if its just luck. I find out in 5 weeks if its a boy or girl so if its a girl maybe girls aren't as bad as boys? Who knows?
I was told there is an 80% chance of hg returning with each pregnancy and 40% it being worse than the previous pregnancy.
I'm just so sorry everyone is suffering so badly and struggling to get the help you all need. Sending hugs 🤗

Catconfusion · 11/09/2021 19:53

@abbs1 it sounds like you had a really rough time last time so just goes to show a boy pregnancy can cause extreme symptoms. I’m not convinced the sex correlated with the severity. My friend has hg after having 3 boys without much sickness. She’s found out it’s a girl. I also know someone who had two boys, one was an hg pregnancy, the other was symptomless. Personally I feel like whatever the sex I’d be ill.

I’m so pleased the preemptive medication has helped this time considering what you went through last time.

It’s so frustrating people are not getting help when it’s got seriously bad. I hope we all have a good night tonight and better days come soon! Xx

abbs1 · 11/09/2021 20:03

@catconfusion I'm not gonna lie it was horrific and I've blocked a lot it out as it was giving me nightmares. My husband told me once our little boy was a few months old he thought at one point the thought of me dying in pregnancy crossed his mind when I was so sick in hospital and seeing me waste away in front of him from losing so much weight so fast. He was really scared of losing me and his unborn son. We've worked through a lot and asked for a lot of advice and help before going through another pregnancy as I wasnt sure I could do it mentally and physically.
My GP has been amazing this time and hospital was exceptional last time, I just wish it could be the same for everyone.

Catconfusion · 11/09/2021 20:25

@abbs1 I’m so sorry you went through that. How horrible for you both. I can imagine it’s enough to trigger a post traumatic stress response. There’s not many things in life that can make you that ill and not kill you. So I can appreciate your husband feeling like that. Thank goodness this time is different and your GP has been supportive. Fingers crossed it continues to be manageable for you. Xx

abbs1 · 11/09/2021 20:42

@catconfusion couldn't agree more. Have you seen the film on Amazon prime called Sick the Battle against hg? On there they say something about how hg sufferers feel like they are dying more than what a cancer patient experiences. My wording may be wrong but it shocked me what the scientists were saying.
I hope you get some relief soon. The gynaecologist drs at my hospital said for the majority of cases hg gets better by 20 weeks and it did for me. I hope it does for you. I know that probably feels like years away atm when right now its all about getting through the next hour and day and it definitely felt like that for me in my last pregnancy. Stay strong hun. I know its so hard when you can't even walk round your house without smells triggering sickness etc.

Thinking of you and everyone else struggling atm.

meg232xx · 11/09/2021 21:24

@LucindaE @thingymaboob I'm doing the best I can. I was re-admitted when I went in for fluids, and I'm still here now! We've restarted the steroids to see if they help, but I'm still not keeping fluids down.

I feel better now that I'm getting constant fluids and antisickness meds through the IV, I just wish the vomiting would stop!!

@thingymaboob congratulations on having a little girl! I'm sorry you feel like you can't bond, but I definitely think it's down to the sickness and how rubbish you've been feeling. Fingers crossed it tapers off soon and you can enjoy the rest of pregnancy 💗 wishing you all the best!

@Catconfusion you're suffering just as much as anyone else, even if you're keeping fluids and food down!! It's no use comparing yourself to others 💗 sorry to hear that the kitchen is a trigger for you! I hope your OH helps out with food and things for you. Sending lots of love!

@abbs1 I can only imagine how hard that was on both you and your OH, but I'm glad to hear the GP is being amazing this time 💗

Seriously sending love to everyone struggling and I hope you're keeping sane! Also apologies if I missed anyone 💗

abbs1 · 11/09/2021 21:37

@meg232xx Oh I'm so glad they are finally taking it seriously and giving you fluids and IV medication. Are they giving you IV steroids? When I had them they gave them to me twice a day and by the 2nd day alongside IV ondansatron I finally stopped vomitting. I hope they start to work soon for you. I had them for 10 days before taking tablet ones at home.
It may be an idea as well to ask about a medication to prevent blood clots. While I was on IV steroids I was given a clexine injection once a day to help prevent them as I was lying down so much and so dehydrated. They may say its not necessary but just something to ask.
Sending hugs 🤗

meg232xx · 12/09/2021 11:05

Does anyone else get frustrated with the fact that the consultants change every day in the hospital?

My urine today had +4 ketones so they've put me back on fluids—I've not kept any fluids down at all since being here—and the consultant wants to move me back to oral meds because, and I quote, "they can't keep me on IV meds forever".

I'm not asking for forever, but a few days whilst we try and get the vomiting under control would be nice.

I told him I'm not keeping fluids down, and his response, "I'm not saying it'll be easy, but it's worth trying". Um, no, it's not worth trying right now.

It just annoys me that there's a different opinion everyday and sometimes it seems like they're in more of a rush to leave than to help 😭

I hope everyone is having a good morning! Sending lots of love 💗

kalidasa · 12/09/2021 15:20

Hello all. Sorry you are still so ill @meg232xx though I'm glad you're in hospital. Yes it's ridiculous to try to put you back on oral medication when you can't even keep fluids down. What are they thinking?! Hopefully another doc tomorrow will overrule it . . . You need several stable days with everything going in IV, during which you manage to eat and drink with no vomiting at all before they even consider trying to switch back to anything orally.

I'm 5w5d now (I'm pretty sure) and now feeling really rough, it has stepped up a lot in the last 48 hours. Haven't yet thrown up: I'm desperately trying not to until after the 6w mark! But it's definitely imminent. I've got cyclizine from the UK and the GP I saw here (I'm in France) gave me doxymaline, which I haven't had in previous pgs. I tried it a couple of times but it makes my heart race really badly and I feel very agitated for the first couple of hours after taking it. Has anyone else experienced that? It's odd because it's supposed to be a sedative and the pharmacist warned me it would probably knock me out. So for now I'm sticking with cyclizine which I had on prescription from the UK and which I know I can tolerate, though it does make me really woozy out so I'm not taking a full dose yet.

I had a blood test last week (this is standard here) and my HCG levels at just over 5 weeks was 40,000. From what I can tell, this seems really high. I've never been given this result before because my previous pgs were in the UK, though I know HG can be linked with elevated HCG. Does anyone else know what their HCG was at a given point? I'm guessing because it's high they may want to do an early scan to check I'm not out with my dates (though I'm sure of them).

As for the whole girl/boy thing, @Catconfusion I think there is more evidence for girls being worse for some women, though one doc told me that boys are worse, and overall it doesn't seem a very set rule. I have two DSs. I had severe hyperemesis with long hospitalisations with both, but DS2 was a good deal worse. Two of my sisters have a mixture though and were roughly equally ill with all of them. So I think sex makes a big difference for some women but not for others.

@abbs1 I sympathise. My earlier pregnancies were also very traumatic which is why we waited a long time before deciding to try for a third. I was more traumatised by the first, even though the second was actually a good deal worse (sadly despite all the prep we did and pre-emptive medication). We went for a second because I desperately wanted another and my husband very much did too. My husband was more traumatised by the second pregnancy, and he's finding it hard to stay calm right now as we enter the worst phase again. Whereas I actually coped better with the second one and even though I am daunted of course by the next couple of months (if this pg continues) I know I will get through it.

With severe HG you feel like you are dying because physiologically you would die quite quickly in that state without a drip -- before IVs it used to be by some margin the leading cause of death in the first part of pregnancy, even though obviously it's a rare condition.

@thingymaboob I think it is very normal for HG to impede bonding during pregnancy, and this is normal and you shouldn't worry about it. Do watch out for signs of pre-natal depression though -- I had that with DS1 and then I had a bad post-natal depression with him, too, so I think if you are feeling really low it's worth accessing some support if you can. I think the second half of a bad pregnancy can be such a struggle: even if you're a bit better physically, by that point you've just been ill already for so long.

kalidasa · 12/09/2021 15:24

Oh and I forgot to say @meg232xx I know you've had steroids before and they didn't make much difference. I hope maybe they will this time. They did help me but it had to be at really quite a high dose -- the first time they tried them with DS2 they started tapering it almost immediately, because one of the docs was quite anti-steroids, and I just started throwing up again straight away. After a single day or so of feeling slightly me human it was really demoralising! I had to be on quite a high IV dose for a quite a long time, as I remember, to really get a handle on it, and then it had to be tapered very slowly.

theconfused · 12/09/2021 17:40

@LucindaE
@thingymaboob
@Catconfusion

100% agree with you guys, there's definitely something wrong in the way that they're treating HG especially at my hospital!

One thing my midwife told me is that once I pass 16 weeks I'll be able to shift to the maternity unit? Which is a lot more calmer, so hopefullly (mainly this goes by then) but if not, the hospital will maybe be more helpful!

Is it weird that even at 11 weeks I'm not having any cravings? Or is that because of the HG?

I hope you ladies are doing well!

thingymaboob · 12/09/2021 19:41

@kalidasa thank you for your kind words and advice. I did have pre natal anxiety last time and saw a therapist then had PND but not sure to what extent it was PND or my mother suddenly and unexpectedly dying (cardiac arrest at home aged 63). I'm so sorry you're feeling rough. It's horrible right at the beginning thinking about the road ahead! I've not tried doxylamine but it sounds like you're not getting on with it too well... what are the next steps for accessing treatment in your country (sorry not sure which country)?

@theconfused I'd write a complaint. You can get all your supporting evidence from PSS and they might help you even write the complaint.

@meg232xx what sort of hospital are you in? They sound absolute clueless! I think definitely a complaint is needed, too. Although no one feels like complaining when they're feeling really rough.

abbs1 · 12/09/2021 20:23

To Anyone who wants to speak to Pregnancy Sickness Support for help with getting a peer support person or getting a complaint done etc, I've just spoken to my peer support person and she gave me these details. They are absolutely fab and give really good help and advice. They were the ones that told me about Xonvea and its been life changing.
Our Helpline phone number is: 024 7638 2020
Our WhatsApp texthelp number is: 07899 245001

theconfused · 12/09/2021 20:29

@abbs1 thank you- I'll try to ring them tomorrow and see they suggest!

@thingymaboob I think a complaint is needed, might help them get things moving!

abbs1 · 12/09/2021 20:34

@theconfused @thingymaboob @meg232xx pregnancy sickness support can also give you details of a HG friendly practitioner for the area that you live in if you'd like to voice a complaint that way and see what can be done.

LucindaE · 12/09/2021 20:39

Meg232xx Goodness, how annoying the consultant said that in the circumstances. I do so hope the steroids help this time and they soon get it under control.
thingymaboob As others say, don't fret about not bonding. No doubt Hyperemesis plays a part in that. Some mothers don't bond at once after birth, either - but the most sensible advice I ever saw is, 'Don't worry about not loving the baby: act as if you do, and the love will come'. It will. I am sorry to hear of the sudden death of your mother last time.
Abbs I expect he couldn't talk about that easily; I am glad you worked your way through it and things are so much better this time.
kalidasa I'm not surprised your OH was traumatised by that second pregnancy. You are all very brave.
catconfusion I am sorry to hear of your two mc's. It's understandable to worry about the scan. The chances are massively on your side! I had glandular fever myself, and though I only suffered very mildly and for a very short time with Hyperemesis compared to most people on this thread, that is a good comparison about that exhaustion.
Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked.

OP posts:
LucindaE · 12/09/2021 20:43

theconfused Sorry, I didn't type my message to you, which is, I so agree that you and Meg232xx should complain,Great advice from abbs1 thingymaboob and kalidasa.

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kalidasa · 13/09/2021 12:09

@thingymaboob I'm in France. The system is quite different here and we only just moved so I'm still getting to grips with it. I'm seeing a midwife this afternoon who I'm hoping will be able to advise. There's a specialist maternity emergency dept at the nearest hospital though so if I start vomiting and lose control of it quickly then that's where I'll go. Really not looking forward to the next 6 weeks!

LucindaE · 13/09/2021 19:26

kalidasa I'll keep my fingers crossed for you it stays managable.

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kalidasa · 13/09/2021 20:32

Thanks @LucindaE I saw the midwife today and it seems midwives here can prescribe certain things. She has prescribed me the Xonvea stuff (though it's called something different) which I haven't had before as I don't think it was licensed in the UK yet back when I was last pregnant. I'm collecting it from the pharmacy tomorrow so we'll see if that helps at all. Was it you @abbs1 who's had a good experience with it after a bad earlier pregnancy? I've also booked in for an early dating scan next Tuesday, when I'll be exactly 7 weeks.