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/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.

@keepingfaithandhope I’m so very sorry for your tragic loss of your daughter. You’re very brave to go through another HG pregnancy after that awful time, I admire your courage! My first pregnancy was horrendous with HG and SPD, it took me years to feel ready to try again (so long I had to have a lap&dye to make it possible!) This time I’ve gone onto ondansetron and metaclopramide early, plus omeprazole, and it’s helped lessen the severity.

@kalidasa How are you feeling now? Sorry the CVS was so awful. Cleaning the oven with coke made me laugh! One of my friends swears by flat coke when she’s ill so it must have something in it!

pregnancydiaries Hope the Stemitil helps.
When I was a wilderness medic we used to carry stemetil in the medical packs as it’s very effective for travel sickness and altitude sickness. We had tablets and also little ampules for IM injection. I can take the oral one but the one and only time I tried injecting it (in a helicopter in a storm, when I was so air sick I couldn’t function and we had another hour in the air!) it was so strong I ended up sprawled across the laps of the clients with the pilots shouting at me through the intercom, because I was supposed to be holding onto a crate of rifles and the crate was sliding up and down 😳 It did stop me vomiting though.

@theconfused Sorry about the work pay and your mat leave pay being impacted. How awful! Is it even legal to put you onto SSP if you’re pregnant?

@Pleasedontworry 7UP helped me too, along with Fortmans pink lemonade. With my son I could barely drink water and lived on roundtrees fruit ice lollies to stay hydrated! He’s now 6 and the tallest in his class so I don’t think it did him any harm.

@Mellebacca I must remember to get some bagels. And crumpets! Pringles are my go to food at the moment, I think I crave the salt.

@Derbee how are you doing?

Wow @FateHasRedesignedMost what a life you sound like you’ve had!!!!!! My brother is a military medic and what you’ve just described sounds like his life too. Hats off to you. If Stemetil can help in those situations then I am praying it will help while all I do is lie in my bed and complain and throw up 😂

Ladies...I’m still freaking out about taking it. I am taking as I’m meant to but I can’t stop googling the risks and can’t switch off because of it. I am only 6+3 and this is the first time we have heard a heartbeat in any pregnancy so I’m so so paranoid it’s going to cause me to MC again 😫😫 xxx

When I say googling the risks, of course 90% of what comes up is reassuring so I am hunting high and low for the bad....

@pregnancydiaries it's important to remember that dehydration and starvation, especially an extended period of ketoacidosis, also puts your baby at risk. Taking medicines to avoid that is the right thing to do for your baby. Even with ondansetron and steroids, where there is a possible small association with certain birth defects, some doctors think that association may in fact be caused by the HG, not the treatment -- because women who end up on end-of-the-line treatments early in pregnancy are by definition extremely ill. With DS2 I was on everything including ondansetron from when I missed my period and they first put me on steroids before 8 weeks as the vomiting was so extreme. I was in hosp for two months.

And just to be clear -- DS2 is absolutely fine, in fact he's been tall and strong for his age at every stage.

@pregnancydiaries i was very skeptical about medications as well but the sickness was just too much. I started on cyclizine at 5 weeks and then from 7 weeks i was inejction, IV and tablet ondansatron. From 9 weeks they added in metoclopromide and at 12 weeks IV and tablet steroids along with clexine injections. I was so scared my baby would had issues but hes fine. He was born a bit small at 5lbs 8oz due to pre eclampsia but hes the most energetic little boy now 19 months. Eats so much, and doesnt sit still all day! He was even walking at 9 months old. So I would say take all the help you can get. Dehydration is a lot more damaging esp to the neurological side of babies development than medication I was told.

@Abbs1, thank you for your kind words. Earnestly 🙏🏼 so too. I recall reading about your first pregnancy experience and thinking how strong you are. I watched my sister go through the exact same with her first preg – all 9 months in hospital on iv, steroids, etc . luckily for her, she was in perfect health for her 2nd, not even a cold! Wishing you a happy pregnancy all the way Xx

@pregnancydiaries– thank you for your kind support. Yes my daughter is looking forward to it and seeing them together will reconfirm I wasn’t insane after all to willingly go through this HG darkness again 😂. happy to read you saw a heartbeat, looking forward to reading more happy news from you . and if sprite is all you can keep in, pls don’t feel bad. HG is a survival train, its hard enough to find something we can stomach xx

@kalidasa – thanks hun. I don’t know how i've walked this path again nor survived the last year, just glad to be in safe zone at last. Glad it worked out for your sil. There’s diff kind of stitches, I had the high one and unlike the quick stitches, was in theatre for about an hour. I didn’t enjoy it but whatever I can do to save my baby...

So sorry u are going through a stressful time, hope you are resting and feel better soonest. Hoping for good results.

@AnyaC84 - thank you for your support and kind words. Means a lot. I hope your appt with the naturopath helps you feel better xx

@Derbee – aww hugs to you. Thanks for the well wishes and for cheering me on. Sorry HG is still crippling you, looking forward to the good news from your 20 week scan next Friday xx

@Melleebacca – thanks hun, and so sorry for your loss. It’s so heart wrenching losing a baby early let alone later. Congrats on your rainbow and wishing you well with the rest of the weeks ahead xx

@LucindaE– thank you so much xx

@Fatehasredesignedmost – thank you for your well wishes and encouraging words. I’m glad to hear you are not suffering as much as you did in your first pregnancy, and the meds are helping it get under control.

Waves to everyone and all silent followers 🙂

@keepingfaithandhope aww thank you. Yes my pregnancy with my little boy was horrendous but this time with my little girl ive had nausea and tiredness but nothing like last time. Xonvea has worked so well for me.

I really hope enough research can be done to fully prevent hg and/or have a medication that fully treats it. Also to at least make it that well known that all women can access treatment straight away without having to see multiple people and constantly being fobbed off or told medication isnt safe when it is. Women would not become near as sick as they do with hg if it was managed properly from the start esp and treatment was given before they got so weak and unwell. Esp if theyve had it previously and treatment could start pre emptively like I had not being told well you may not have it again and to wait and see.

@abbs1 indeed @ the need for more research into HG to be prioritized and treated before it escalates. It amazes me how little GPs know of it, in this current pregnancy when I rang my GP in desperation for help and explained fatigue and puking all my food+water was killing me, she said "oh you need to get up and walk around, try and drink water" and I'm thinking she's clueless! I've seen many women on here being dismissed as well and it always made me angry as they literally begged to be hydrated. My way of educating everyone is to correct their description of my experience as "serious morning sickness" to "nope, it's hyperemesis" 😂

@FateHasRedesignedMost I was up all night being sick, and have obviously hurt something, as I’ve had blood in it, which I haven’t had for a few weeks now. Feeling terrible today, but trying to stay (relatively) upbeat.

I feel so lucky to be pregnant, and I have such mixed emotions as I approach the halfway point. Part of me wonders how ill cope with another 20 weeks, the other worries about when I’m not pregnant anymore, and missing it. I know I just need to take each day at a time, and appreciate what I can. My family are all so excited about the baby, and have all been so supportive whilst I’ve been ill, I feel very lucky.

Hope everyone is doing ok.

Hi all,
I was so down this morning, I just felt so rough. Had a little cry. I’m on cyclizine and thought I’d turned a corner but the nausea was back with a vengeance today. I had a scan on Wednesday put me at 7 weeks rather than 8 and with a lovely little heartbeat which I kinda guess with my ovulation sticks but having already ticked that week off I felt abit deflated. I’m still worrying about having a MC. The reality of pregnancy is so different from the fairytales x

@HopefulJ2018 oh that’s so hard! My dating scan measured close enough to my lmp date that they are keeping that one even though I’m sure I ovulated earlier. I can barely cope with my due date being shifted 2 days let alone a week, you poor thing!

@kalidasa I didn’t know they came at it from a different angle, that would’ve been frightening! I hope you’re still having movements and resting.

@pregnancydiaries whenever I get nervous about the risks of taking meds, I think about the numerous women in the past who suffered from HG without meds and those who died from it. I was more hesitant with my first and tried to come off the meds early and I ended up being sick until 24wks. With my second I was diligent with the meds and stopped vomiting around 17wks. Both daughters are perfectly healthy, and met all their milestones early. And while I did lose my son at 17wks that was from a genetic condition that happened at conception.

@FateHasRedesignedMost Glad you also like the sound of bagels! My poor husband is struggling to keep up with my ever changing tastes. I’ve gone off chips, and certain types of crackers, even certain types of bread. Our pantry is full of all these foods I can no longer eat. I will put crumpets on the list for when I can no longer do bagels.
I’m a real foodie, and the fact I get no joy from food while pregnant is a struggle.

@HopefulJ2018 sorry to hear you’re a week behind where you were hoping. I can’t imagine how disappointed you must have been, at my 12 week scan I was dated 5 days ahead and I felt such relief that I could mark almost another week off.

Amazing that you saw a little heartbeat though. These little babies make us work so bloody hard for them, but it will be so worth it. x

kalidasa How are things? Brilliant advice from you , abbs1 and others about the need to take meds if prescribed. It's so good that your DS is tall for his age - and amazing that abbs1's baby walked at 9 months! abbs1 I am so glad that Xonvea is still helping you.
I so agree with you and keepingfaithandhope that early treatment should be given.
FateHasRedesignedMost Interestingly, I was recommended to try flat full sugar coke by a travel rep when I had nausea and vomiting on holiday years ago.
Derbee That is horrible about the blood; almost certainly, it is from the throat, particularly if you've had it for a while, but it's always worth asking the surgery just in case. I am glad that your family are supportive. That can make a huge difference.
HopefulJ2018 That's disappointing, both about being put back a week and having a bad day after some good ones. However, good days are so often the sign of a turnaround. Congratulations on the heartbeat.
pregnancydiaries As I am sure you know, a lot of the stuff online is alarmist. Statistics can be manipulated to suit some position...
Melleebacca Fine advice as ever. How are things with you?
Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked.

@kalidasa How are you feeling after the CVS? Are you still confined to bed?

@Derbee the blood must have been scary! Has it stopped now? I vomited blood a few times in my first pregnancy due to tiny tears in my throat from excessive prolonged vomiting. Might be worth a trip to the doctor?

@pregnancydiaries I completely agree with Melleebacca, meds can save the lives of pregnant women and their babies. I think we’re hard-wired to want to avoid anything that could increase risk factors, but uncontrolled HG is a massive risk in itself, especially if you’re not keeping fluids down.

@HopefulJ2018 Agree pregnancy is nothing like the fairytales! I expected my first pregnancy to be this wonderful, magical time (in reality I could barely leave the bathroom)!

@Melleebacca glad it’s not just me going on and off foods, I keep sending DH out with different shopping lists! Crumpets and Greek yogurt are helping right now but I’m going to add bagels! 😊

Hi to everyone else! Sorry my brain is fuzzy this morning, I’ve forgotten names! Had a bit more sleep though; went to bed at 8pm, woke at 2:30am, came downstairs for a cup of tea and dry biscuit and meds, went back to bed at 4am and slept until son woke me at 6am! The ondansetron and metaclopramide are keeping the worst of the symptoms at bay for now.
I also took 2 promethazine tablets last night that maybe helped with sleep. They’re one of the HG meds but don’t work for sickness on me, just make me sleepy!

what a life you sound like you’ve had!!!!!! My brother is a military medic and what you’ve just described sounds like his life too. Hats off to you. If Stemetil can help in those situations then I am praying it will help while all I do is lie in my bed

I hope the Stemetil works for you 🙏🏻
Sometimes it takes a while to build up in your system. It was the only anti-sickness med we carried in our kits so must have been considered one of the safest and most effective. I remember they gave me a Stemetil injection when I came round from surgery this year and it stopped me vomiting.

Thanks, I wasn’t a military medic but worked for an adventure travel company for a few years as a medic accompanying groups. Had some amazing experiences but I get travel sick easily so those bits weren’t much fun. I mostly just treated blisters and camp fire burns, though once someone had a psychotic episode in the Arctic (in the middle of a glacier ski tour!) That was terrifying as they were convinced they’d seen a polar bear in camp, so we all got ready with flares and rifles, then realised there were no bear prints and the trip wires were all intact so it was a hallucination. We were all on high alert as bears are a real threat out there, and the person was convinced they could hear one snuffling the medical tent! We had to call for emergency evacuation via ski plane, but it couldn’t land until daylight. I’m ashamed to say I threw up on that flight too 🤦🏻‍♀️

I am only 6+3 and this is the first time we have heard a heartbeat in any pregnancy so I’m so so paranoid it’s going to cause me to MC again

Congrats on hearing the heartbeat! If it’s any comfort, when I had my early scan at 6+4 the midwife said once you hear a heartbeat the miscarriage risk falls to less than 2% (as oppose to 1 in 4 before the heartbeat is heard). And the further you get the more that risk falls below 2% ❤️

@HopefulJ2018 also sorry they put you a week behind dates. They did the same to me (both this pregnancy and the last one) although in my first pregnancy they put the date forward a week at the 12 week scan!
It really is like a nerve-shredding game of snakes and ladders isn’t it. I’m looking forward to Lucinda’s metaphorical pink castle at the end, that image kept me calm through the trials of my last pregnancy!

@FateHasRedesignedMost what amazing adventures you’ve had! Very cool job!

The blood was only for a day, and I haven’t been sick all of yesterday, so hopefully my body is getting a chance to recover. I haven’t bothered calling anyone, as I’ve been managing to eat and drink, and haven’t been sick since.

Hi all I'm ok but depressingly having improved the sickness has got much worse again, I've been throwing up every couple of hours since yesterday evening. Really bad timing as DH is about to take the boys away for a few days so I'll be on my own. Thought it would be fine as sickness has been much better for the last week. Not sure if it's the acupuncture effect "wearing off" or maybe a reaction to the stress and upset of the CVS. Anyway I'm having acupuncture again on Monday in case that helps, but if I keep chucking every two hours despite lying completely still I'm going to have to go to hosp fairly soon. That would be so frustrating having made it to 13 weeks without!

Hi Everyone. This is my first post on here. Sorry that everyone is suffering from this deliberating condition.

Do any of you monitor yourselves using ketostix ? Is that a good way to know when to go to hospital for fluids ?

@nubbie yes in my previous pregnancies I found it very useful to have ketostix at home. I found I could sometimes turn it around myself from +1 or +2 but above that I always needed to go in. This (third) pg I've been lucky and have been less ill so have only tested a couple of times after a particularly bad day or two. Ketones are really an indication of lack of calories though, not directly of dehydration, and also women do seem to vary in how quickly they produce them so if you feel very ill / can't retain any fluid you should go in anyway even if the sticks are still negative. (There's also a bit of a lag before ketones show up in your urine.)

@kalidasa thanks for sharing your experience.

I can retain fluids. I don't throw up water generally. It's food that's an issue for me. So I just don't eat very much at all. I feel OK ish sometimes when I'm not eating much. Eating creates the nausea and leads to vomiting. So I just basically don't eat a whole lot anymore. Which would explain the starvation. I'm only 13 weeks and only just got the sticks. I feel so bad. My poor baby. I hope she/ he will be OK.

@nubbie how much weight have you lost? If it's a lot, you should probably have a chat with your midwife about it. If you can keep fluids down, you could try to go for calorific fluids like milkshake or even the food supplement shakes you can get in pharmacies -- in my first pregnancy they put me on those in hospital and that finally got me out of ketosis. The ones I had were Ensure 4 cal I think.

I'm 13 weeks too. Try not to worry about the baby. With my older children I was in a state of starvation for a good couple of months, it was horrendous, but they were both fine -- normal weight, alert babies etc. I don't know how it works but somehow it does! My dad was a doctor and he used to say that a baby is the most effective parasite known to man! They will take absolutely everything from you before compromising themselves.

I just threw up yet again, lost absolutely everything that was in there. Am cautiously attempting to eat a water biscuit.

Sorry about weird cross through again. Also I forgot to say @nubbie that in my (extensive!) experience you don't need to be eating much at all to stay out of ketosis, even just half a piece of toast and a couple of biscuits a day may be enough if you can keep them down. Def worth checking regularly though. If your ketones get very high you will know because you will feel (unbelievably!) much worse and it makes you vomit more too. You might also notice a distinctive smell, sort of pear-drops.