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.

@buttercuplizzy you need something stronger. The peak of HG is often weeks 9-12, so it sounds like you just need something stronger to keep it under control for the next few weeks and then you should be able to go back to your original meds.

@FateHasRedesignedMost yes! The puppies have started crawling out of their box this week, so we have raised the sides. They’re also starting to make a racket when they want to be fed. I think next week is when they start dropping their night feeds, so that will be nice.
My flu/Whooping cough booster is due in about 6wks I think. I’ve never had an issue with it previously. I will probably aim to get it on a Friday so if it increases the fatigue, I’m already at home for the weekend.
I’m much more concerned about the glucose test, not because I’m likely to fail it, just because it tastes horrific. But that’s a next trimester issue.

@LucindaE oh yes, I travelled a lot pre kids, and a fair bit post kids. Hubby usually was overseas 3-4 times a year. My passport has been expired for 3yrs now though because of the pandemic. I’m happy to not have hubby out of the country so often, but when he did travel, it did have the perk that I could do whatever I wanted to the house and he had no say…that’s how we ended up with our first dog 🤭

@PopGoesBang

How are you getting on with the school run? Do you walk or drive?

I walk my 6 year old morning and most afternoons, it’s only 10 minutes each way luckily and fairly rural. I usually manage to get the vomiting over with early but have occasionally been sick outdoors. He’s not embarrassed as he thinks all pregnant women throw up, and it’s usually him needing to duck into a quiet footpath to wee rather me being sick. I’m grateful for all the trees and hedges!

It’s funny, I was saying to hubby the other day I feel like an old lady, as between school runs all I can manage is sleep and a bit of light housework! Tomorrow I have my jabs, it feels like a full outing driving a mile to the doctors surgery!

@FateHasRedesignedMost I'm super lucky and the school isn't far away - so far not too many issues, I've made it back home to be sick.
I have however on dog walks had to use the poo bags for vomit! And in the car as well.
I apparently get a change in breathing when the sickness is hitting and have had both DP and DD hand me poo bags while out just in the Nick of time! I'm regularly told what a catch I am 🤣 (should probably say I don't drive - could cause a lot more issues!)

I've got my 12 week scan on Friday. That's my outing for the week. Full bladder and not vomiting - sounds like a challenge - one I'm not sure will go well.

Hope all your jabs go well tomorrow. And you don't get any after effects. And no more falling into doors!!

buttercuplizzy I so agree with others, do report this being unable to keep down water urgently to out of hours, if you haven't already, before you get too dehydrated.
PopGoesBang That's nice about the cat. All luck for the scan.
FateHasRedesignedMost Oh dear. Bruises, a hurt foot, shingles, Hyperemesisis and a hormonal surge. Poor you. Here's some flowers. That mental map must be useful! I so agree about open bins in built up areas!
Melleebacca Sounds good about OH travelling and your dog!
Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked.

We haven't updated the Due Dates list for a while. To cheer sufferers up. here is the last one, if anyone wishes to add her date.

Due Dates
nomeslice 2 February
thingymaboob 13 February
abbs1 10 March
Pleasedon'tworry 25 March
MrsNovember 25 March
Derbee 26 March
theconfused 29 March
Catconfusion 3 April
kalidasa 5 May
FateHasRedesignedMost 22 May
Melleebacca 5 June
HopefulJ2018 14 June
BuffyFanForever 19 Jun TWINS!

@LucindaE You can change my due date to June 3rd. I’m going on the earliest date, and since the UK is 12hrs behind, it’s ok for my date to be a little earlier. I’m very much hoping I don’t make it to June 5th.

@LucindaE can you add me please June 17.

Firstly most importantly I hope everyone is ok.

Secondly, wow HG the gift that keeps on giving -DIZZINESS currently can’t walk without looking drunk no way to get to a loo in a hurry 😭

Thirdly, I have come to the conclusion that HG is far from the rare condition it’s alleged to be. I swear the majority of women or mens who’s wives have suffered with it far out weigh the number of sufferers of normal morning sickness

Ooo I'll add my due date after the scan tomorrow - somewhere around the 13th August.

Rough morning this morning. But hopefully it'll have its moment and settle down again.

@Starbeach you have my sympathy with the dizziness, i had that/like a motion sickness when walking for a little while. Not the most steady in my feet at the best of times that made me even worse. Thankfully it was short lived. Hope you find the same.

@fatehasredesignedmost poor you! I've had shingles down my face multiple times (don't ask!). It really is a miserable thing on top of HG. If you've got the horse-sized antivirals already-don't stop taking those, then I've found that a medical grade manuka honey cream covered in gauze does amazing things for removing the sting and itch.

I've also had flu jab (little reaction this time), covid booster (only sore arm, better than previous two jabs) and whooping cough is next week.

Popgoesbang dog poo bags have been my saviour! Fit in every pocket and very practical for on the move!

LucindaE I'm due on the 4th April but I understand its unlikely I'll be allowed to go past 38 weeks. Can't say I'm too sad about not going longer.

I'm feeling very dizzy and weak these days. Spending even more time in bed and on the sofa and notice the nausea is making a reappearance. Baby is on 80 centile and spends his days and nights bouncing around so fingers crossed he's OK.

Wish I had a bit more energy to get things organised in the house though.

Thanks everyone. Thankfully I stopped vomiting early evening, which meant that throughout the night I managed to drink a 500ml bottle of lucozade sport and this morning a cup of tea.

I just feel very weak and tired as haven't eaten properly in 5 weeks now. Also haven't left the house in 3 weeks and that's getting to me mentally.... I just still feel very grateful I am not as poorly as I was in my previous pregnancy, and that is keeping me positive.

Hey everyone, I hope you don't mind me asking here. I'm looking for some advice and guidance, I thought I may get more answers here instead of a new thread.

In suffering very badly from sickness. I have a drs app tomorrow as that is the earliest I could get.
At the weekend after a few days of not being able to keep anything down the emergency Dr via 111 prescribed me prochlorperazine, 5mg 3xday.
At first this worked great, Sunday and Monday I was fine and back to eating. Tuesday the nausea crept back in and I vomited once, yesterday after lunch I stopped being able to keep food down and since 3am this morning I'm back to keeping nothing down.
I'm slowly sipping a dioralyte to try and keep hydrated.
I puked my meds this morning but don't want to take anymore until my usual time. I also struggle that my other daily meds become at risk of being puked, I try and wait to take them until I get a window where I feel settled.

Do I make it through the day and hold off for my appointment tomorrow or do I call and push for an appointment today so I can maybe get different meds?

This is my first pregnancy, I'm 6+3 and at a bit of a loss on how to deal with everything.
I suspect I have HG but nothing official until I've spoken with the Dr I guess?

@SkaterChick I'd say it's worth give the surgery a call and asking for at least a call back today - personally I've found the doctors more than happy to do that and send a prescription for me to collect.
Make it clear you need some for of contact today as you aren't keeping anything down.

They may be able to add another med in that you find helps and or change it completely.

Good luck, and I hope you get something today and can start feeling a bit better.

My baby is ten months old now. I suffered with HG during both my pregnancies. It was so so tough. Just wanted to say to all you mummies that they're totally worth it! Take everything one day at a time. Keep
Pestering if tablets don't work! Your baby will soon be here and HG will be a distant memory!

[quote PopGoesBang]@SkaterChick I'd say it's worth give the surgery a call and asking for at least a call back today - personally I've found the doctors more than happy to do that and send a prescription for me to collect.
Make it clear you need some for of contact today as you aren't keeping anything down.

They may be able to add another med in that you find helps and or change it completely.

Good luck, and I hope you get something today and can start feeling a bit better. [/quote]
My surgery had no drs appointment and the nurse wouldn't see me as she 'doesnt deal with pregnant women' so Ive been made an appointment at the urgent care unit. Now I've got to trek all the way across town and hope I don't puke in my car. So hopefully in seen quickly and they help me.

@SkaterChick Fingers crossed for the journey - sorry the surgery weren't a lot of help.
Hopefully they'll be able to help you our and you can start feeling a bit better soon.

Hello everyone. I am really suffering with morning sickness, and feeling really depressed about it at the moment. I have a 9 year old daughter and never vomited once during that pregnancy (just felt sick), this cleared up at 12 weeks and I was very happy. I recently discovered I was pregnant and initially had no symptoms, I am now vomiting constantly. I am sensitive to any smell, and most foods, I once vomited 15 times have lost a lot of weight and have been hospitalised several times. Now that I am past the 12 week milestone a consultant suggested I take a stronger anti sickness drug but that it carries risk of birth defects. Has anyone taken this drug? I am really worried as I have been unable to take my folic acid this past few weeks. Has anyone else experienced very different pregnancies, this is my third pregnancy the first was with a girl and no symptoms, the second I miss carried and no symptoms. Anyone else experience this!? Btw I am definitely not having twins!

@SkaterChick same thing happened in my first pregnancy, and I needed stronger meds. I still vomited daily on ondansetron, but it was more manageable when combined with lying still and resting. I hope you’ve managed to be seen.

@alpinia my wee one is on the high side too, hopefully he just flies out when the time comes! I’ve just been given a whole bunch of boys clothes and done a good sort through knowing he’s unlikely to be very small.

@buttercuplizzy when I got on top of the meds and sickness, I found that 5mins a day outside in the fresh air helped with the mental side of being cooped up. It’s really important to also treat the mental struggle as the spiral into depression is very easy with HG.

@Starbeach I have low blood pressure normally, but it’s so much worse with HG. I stand up, get dizzy, and either have to sit down again or wait a few seconds for everything to stop spinning. It doesn’t really stop for me until delivery. I just try and remember that low blood pressure is better than high blood pressure, always.

Waves to everyone.

@RoseAlia I have taken cyclizine and ondansetron this pregnancy since I found out I’m pregnant. This is my 3rd HG pregnancy, so I’m a little jealous that you got to have a relatively normal first pregnancy. Mine have gotten easier, but generally because I take the meds from day one, and very religiously. If you’re already past 12wks, the chances of the meds causing any birth defects is incredibly slim. Ondansetron has a increased chance of 6 cases of cleft palate more per 10,000 births than those who didn’t take it, and that’s with people taking it from 4wks. There’s just a huge fear around pregnant women taking any meds, but they are safer than the effects of dehydration.

@Melleebacca, I will take this drug as this is counter productive. Can I ask if you have been pregnant with boys or girls?

Has anyone ever had cervical ectropian? I’ve also developed this and get a lot of spotting

Hey everyone, the urgent care unit said that I didn't need to be admitted as my blood pressure was fine and tbeh checked my urine and it was of an okay level. Said to get checked again if I go more than 24hoirs without keeping anything down.

They have prescribed me something else, had to detour home to be sick, walked up the road to the pharmacy and the prescription that was meant to be sent over wasn't there. They said to try again in a couple of hours

Me again, is anyone here on fluoxetine?
I was prescribed metoclopramide today, however theyve warned that I wouldn't be able to take any of the anti sickness meds continuously for more than a few weeks as it can react with the fluoxetine. I didn't ask what I would do going forward I guess I'll have that conversation with my midwife when I'm assigned one....

Welcome to SkaterChick and RoseAlia.
iloveyankeecandle Thank you so muc for your lovely encouraging message.
SkaterChick Sorry you are suffering badly. I am glad you have seen a medic and are being monitored. Take heart, often one of the weaker anti emtics don't work for sufferers and they have to have something stronger. I hope my spiel about liquids, anti acides etc might be of some use.
RoseAlia I can't improve on Mellebacca's advice. They have to advise you of the risks, but these are as she says, minimal and the risks caused by prolonged dehydration are very real. I hope my spiel below might be useful, as you are not new to pregnancy but new to Hyperemesis.
'Here is my normal spiel, which I hope will help. Sufferers find that they improve a lot at some point between weeks 14 and 20, or sometimes later. 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. Also, pink lemonade , cloudy lemonade and Sprite. Foods of a sort include tinned fruit, cuppa soup, nibbles of crisps and chips, cheap ice cream, Scotch pancakes, bagels and biscuits, potato smileys, minature salty Yorkshire Puddings and slices of melon and mango. Protein drinks have also been mentioned.'
PopGoesBang Great advice. All luck for your scan. You almost certainly don't need it.
buttercupliizzy That's good news.
alpinia Oh dear about dizzziness. Might it be low blood pressure?
I've added the updated Due Dates.
I hope everyone is coping today.

Due Dates
nomeslice 2 February
thingymaboob 13 February
abbs1 10 March
Pleasedon'tworry 25 March
MrsNovember 25 March
Derbee 26 March
theconfused 29 March
Catconfusion 3 April
alpi ia 4 April (provisional)
kalidasa 5 May
FateHasRedesignedMost 22 May
Melleebacca 3 June
HopefulJ2018 14 June
Starbeach 17 June
BuffyFanForever 19 Jun TWINS!
PopGoesBang 13 August (provisional)

@LucindaE thank you v much for your advice, I find it very reassuring

@RoseAlia I have 2 daughters, and am 22wks with our son. We also lost a son at 17wks in 2020 from genetic malformations (still had HG, still was sick as a dog, baby was just sicker). I struggle more with carrying girls, as I know I react to high estrogen levels. But I was still very sick with the boys.
Hopefully you start feeling a bit better soon.

@SkaterChick that sucks! Rest lots tomorrow as you will be exhausted from the amount of effort today.
Sorry I’m no help with those meds, I have metachloropromide, and it worked for 3 days before I got sicker. I don’t like it as it makes me feel anxious and shaky.