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.

@Chunkymonkey13 I’m so sorry for your loss, and I know exactly how you feel. We lost our son at 17wks in Jan 2020, and my daughter had delight in her voice when she announced it to her kindy teachers. She said “the baby died, but it’s ok because Mama can eat again and isn’t sick anymore”. It took a long time to fathom putting my body through HG again, so please rest and recuperate as much as you can. My thoughts are with you.

@Franca123 Yes, HG is a hard slog, but I am a strong advocate that meds shouldn’t be feared while in pregnancy. I really struggle with the mental side of things, and the physical sickness has led to antenatal depression with me before. I found that the small amount of work I did this time was a distraction from the dark thoughts, but the biggest help was the meds and spending 75% of the day in bed.
I’m nauseous till the end, and food aversions don’t go away until birth (and I love food). Getting the vomiting under control and being able to get out of bed is enough to keep my mental health positive. My dad went through Chemo when I was pregnant with my second, and the side effects of Chemo and HG were almost identical. I’m in awe of you surviving an unmedicated HG Pregnancy.

Thanks for the responses. It's sounds like there isn't a miracle cure that would allow me to work and look after the kids etc.... The second pregnancy nearly broke my partner as he was the working full time whilst looking after our son. Best of luck to everyone. I think it's quite possibly the hardest thing I'll ever go through. Not least because I really felt that beyond my family, no one had any conception what was happening.

No one has a clue @Franca123 - I even had a midwife today who said you were being sick regularly at 18 weeks? That’s very late. It’s really bloody not.

Totally infuriating. The health care professionals were 90 percent useless in terms of HG. Midwives in particular.

@Pleasedontworry and @Franca123 - I have a lovely midwife who went through HG herself 25years ago, but when she told me this week that I needed to eat more, I dismissed her opinion immediately. It’s a tightrope balance between eating enough to not feel sick, but not too much that I hurl it all up again. I know I haven’t gained any weight this pregnancy yet, but I am still heavier than I was at this stage with both my girls. All this week I have felt a lump of vomit sitting in my throat after every meal, there’s definitely some sort of hormonal surge that is making life harder for me right now.
I really wish I could tell you there was a miracle cure!

Chunkymonkey I am sorry for your loss. In the circumstances, of Hyperemesis, mixed feelings are the norm.
Franca123 I do wish that I could say that there is a mircale cure. Who knows, maybe in the future there will be.
pleasedon'tworry and others: general ignorance about Hyperemesis still seems to be widespead among GP's and midwives, except in the case of a woman who had it herself. I remember someone on here said that a consultant at the hospital offered her ginger biscuits when she was hooked up to a drip.
Melleebacca Sorry to hear about the hormonal surge and also,about your father's sufferings with chemotherapy. Was it continuous for him, or when he had the treatments?

I meant to say; we haven't heard from kalidasa in a while; I hope she is OK. I don't like to be instrusive and PM her.

Hi, how’s everyone doing?

First week of son back at school was a shock (walking him to and from is 10mins each way so adds up to 40mins a day, not ideal with HG and SPD). I’m so tired I’ve been going to bed at 5pm (avoids the evening sickness too) but then waking around 3am! I’m also having constant nightmares, has anyone else had these in second trimester?

I’m 21 weeks and had my scan last week; a healthy girl! Very pleased to be having a girl as husband won’t expect me to go through HG again now. (He wants one of each, and kept saying if it’s another boy ‘we can just try again next summer’ 😶 Erm I don’t think so! I don’t think I can face HG again! Although I said that after the first time too).

Only problem scan revealed is a low lying placenta, so I have to watch out for bleeding and be re-scanned at 32 weeks. Apparently for most women the placenta moves up by 32 weeks but if it doesn’t it’s intensive monitoring and a planned c-section at 37 weeks. So that’s a bit of a worry.

Still relying heavily on ondansetron and metaclopramide. Had a few vom-free days then this morning was sick after breakfast.

@Chunkymonkey so very sorry for your loss.

Hello, new to the thread and need a bit of support - I’m currently 6 weeks into my second pregnancy (first pregnancy was untreated HG, it was horrific). Constantly nauseated but haven’t started being sick yet - though I know it’s coming. How will I go through this again? Agh.
Are second pregnancies with HG a bit easier/harder in your experience?

Hi all,

It’s been a while since I posted in this thread, I hope everyone is doing okay ❤️

I was suffering with HG end of last year, found out it was twins which explained a lot. But unfortunately I ended up having a missed miscarriage. I’ve now recovered physically from the last couple of months and in the process of considering TTC again. I’m very anxious of getting HG again and I wondered if anyone on here had experience for preparing for another pregnancy? Starting medication early? Mentally preparing myself and my DH/DS? Any tips or advice welcome

xx

6+2 today and the vomting has started... I feel so down. I really had convinced myself that things would be ok this time. I'm just sat thinking 'what on earth have I done' as i cant face the thought of going through this all again.

@buttercuplizzy I'm sorry your suffering again so quickly. Can you ask for Xonvea? Its worked wonders for me this time.

@Hello47 I'm so sorry for your loss lovely. I would definitely reach out to pregnancy sickness support and ask for a peer supporter. Its been so helpful for me in this pregnancy. Also can you speak to your GP and ask for Xonvea? I started taking it at 5 weeks pregnant and its done absolute wonders as it built up in my system and kept 95% of nausea away and 99% of vomitting away. This pregnancy has been night and day difference. I started with 2 tablets at night and upped to 4 tablets a day as directed by GP. From around 20 weeks I was back down to 2 and now only 1 in the mornings. Im just over 31 weeks now. I was recommended it by my peer support person who said the women she has supported had some really great outcomes.
I hope you have your little 🌈 soon.

7worfs Welcome. It is understandable to be anxious. It is brave of you to go for it a second time after such a bad experience. I'm assuming that they refused meds? Did it improve naturally at any point? Many sufferers do find that subsequent Hyperemesis pregnancies are not as traumatic as the first, now understanding the need for pre-emptive meds, lots of rest, how to test for dehydration, etc. There are brave souls on this thread who are coping with a third Hyperemesis pregnancy. Some medical experts argue that there is a neurological process that means that once the habit of vomiting is established, it is hard to stop, which is seemingly one of the reasons why it is good to get effective treatment early. Can you get help with childcare? Rest is as important as medication.
Hello47 Sorry for your loss. Welcome back. Most agree that getting pre-emptive meds and arrnaging for childcare so that you can rest are the most important things.
FateHasRedesignedMost I had awful nightmares I remember to this day. Congratulations on your girl.I am glad that this means OH won't ask you to go through it again! That is a lot of walking.I hope being out in the air makes it easier. Sorry about low placenta worry.
Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked.

Sorry, cross posted. abbs1 Great advice! buttercuplizzy Much sympathies. There is lots of support on here. Remind us what meds helped you last time, if any? I can't improve on abbs1's advice.

@7Worfs - My second pregnancy was easier sickness wise because I started taking meds earlier and more religiously. It was much much harder mentally because I had a 1yr old that I couldn’t devote all my time to and instead I was very sick in bed.

@Hello47 oh, I am so sorry for your loss. I understand your hesitancy to try again. After our 17wk loss, it took a full 12m before I was ready to try again. A lot of that was due to building up my strength and nutrient stores. I worked hard on having good iron levels, and good stores of folic acid before trying again (generally recommended to take for 3m prior to TTC). I still had panic attacks regularly before my period came as I was scared to be pregnant. You may need to think about how to best care for yourself mentally during this time.

@buttercuplizzy I think everyone who has a repeat HG pregnancy thinks that. The best you can do is rest, take meds, and keep your fluids up as best you can. I like to binge watch sitcoms when I’m really sick. Things that don’t require a huge amount of attention, but give me a small amount of joy (like friends/Big Bang theory etc). You need to figure out how to get through each day, and eventually it will get easier.

@FateHasRedesignedMost congratulations on the little girl! I know the placenta complication is scary, but hopefully it is closely monitored. Are you getting a bit more rest with DS back at school? Hubby goes back to work on-site this week, which I’m a bit nervous about, but I think I’ve done the majority of things that were needed, and now it’s likely to be a slower pace.

@abbs1 lovely to hear from you, and congrats on the third trimester!

@LucindaE my dad has had 2 stem cell treatments with the high dose chemo that comes with that. But it also gives him 4/5yrs of relative “remission”. He’s a year past his last one, and things will get more worrisome in about 3yrs, but for now we just relish the time we have.

I’m 19wks now, my weight is dropping slightly as my stomach fills faster than I would like. I’m starting iron meds and constipation meds this week, and will see how that goes. I may need to get reflux meds soon, but hoping to avoid them as they didn’t help much in previous pregnancies.
My beloved dog delivered 9 healthy pups yesterday, during daylight hours, and during my nausea and fatigue free times (she’s so considerate), so we have lots of fluffy distractions for the coming weeks.

Thank you for the replies - I couldn’t bring myself to take medication the first time round, and I just don’t feel 100% certain there won’t be any side effects.
Today’s been dreadful though - I went from nearly endless patience for my toddler to a cranky, somewhat snappy mum and it’s eating me up.

@Mellebacca aww thank you. Ive not posted much. Ive been feeling awful and they found I'm amaemic so Ive been given iron medication so hopefully that will help and I will feel better soon.
I found eating at 19 weeks hard as well so ate little bits all day and that also helped with the nausea. The puppies sound so cute! My DS is obsessed with dogs and my DH wanted to get him one for his 2nd birthday coming up in March but I said no way! 🤣 I'd love him to have a puppy but I'm not ready for a 2 yr old, a newborn and a puppy. Im sure we will get one in the coming years.

7Worfs Nobody likes taking meds, and I understand your reluctance; I was refused meds -that was many years ago , practically in another age - so I didn't have much choice, but it is worth bearing in mind that the risk is minimal ; doctors never prescribe anti emetics in pregnancy unless they consider that the risks of deydration are higher in this case than the risks of the meds. One of the new drugs, Xonvea, was specially designed for use in pregnancy.Cyclizine has been used safely for decades.
abbs1 I hope things get a lot better very soon.
Melleebacca I am so glad your father is in remissison. Those puppies sound just the thing to cheer your LO's.

Hi All, sorry I've not been around much. Been reading all your posts and I'm sorry to see many of you are all back at the beginning.
@abbs1 I'm also anaemic but my obstetrician has been booking me in for ferritin infusions as I'm on so many drugs and still vomiting that I won't cope with oral iron. I'm taking metoclopramide mainly to manage sickness now. Had to bin ondansetron as it was completely blocking me up and stopping food moving through my body. Also, stopped cyclizine and stemetil as at end of third trimester now.
I have been poorly with gestational diabetes and polyhydraminios. I am currently being scanned every 2 weeks to monitor my fluid levels. I went on maternity leave at 30 weeks as I was not coping, even working from home. I am now 35 weeks. The gestational diabetes diet is awful for Hyperemesis- high fat and high protein. Hideous. Metformin makes me sick too. It's been a very dark time but got my c section booked for 38 weeks. Cannot wait to be done with this horror show of a pregnancy.

Sorry to see so many newbies are suffering at the beginning.

@thingymaboob Im so sorry your suffering so badly still with so much sickness. I'm glad youve got infusions to help. Atm im on ferrous sulphate tablets to see if that works as I'm not being sick. I just feel awful with exhaustion, shortness of breath and my muscles feel like they dont work.

I glad you've got your c section booked in so at least youve got a date when it will finally all be over. I don't want a c section but I'm trying to ask for induction at 38 weeks like I was with my DS (his was due to pre eclampsia but was traumatic to say the least due to not being monitored properly and being forced into an epidural that didn't work). Im so done with being pregnant now and I'm so anxious and stressed about the birth due my sons being awful that the thought of being in limbo of labour starting on its own or pre eclampsia again just scares me so much. If I have a date to count dowm towards it would help so much.

Did your obstetrician say if you will need to contine with iron supplements after the birth? I'm waiting to speak to mine next week about it.

Coming out of the cyclizine brain fog but really worried about how much abdominal pain I'm in when I'm being sick. I don't remember it ever being so intense in either of my previous pregnancies. DH puts it down to the lack of food I have in me but I'm worried it's a sign that something isn't right with the baby... any thoughts?

buntywindermere That does sound like pulled muscles, caused by violent retching. A lot on here have had it. I used to get it with migraines too, with violent sickness with them. Warming the muscles with an old fashioned hot water bottle can help.
abbs1 It's good that you can retain those iron tablets. They didn't offer you the liquid form, then? Aagh: about the epidural that didn't work; that's everyone's nightmare. I hope they have given you reassurance about what they'll do to avoid a repititon.
thingymaboob I had to look up what polyhydraminious meant. That is a niggling extra thing to be monitored you don't need. The diabetic diet sounds grim. Cheering you on. This pregnancy certainly has been an endurance test.
Apologies to anyone rudely ignored.

@LucindaE turns out my symptoms weren't iron related but down to possible blood clot on my lung. Its been a long day of hospital appointments and been in a and e for 11 hours and finally admitted to a ward for treatment and further investigation and scans. Not the way I thought today would go but thankful to the Drs and Nurses for the care I'm getting.