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Pregnancy

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

Hyperemesis Support

994 replies

LucindaE · 22/11/2021 19:52

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
OP posts:
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abbs1 · 12/02/2022 17:59

@T1mumtobe

Hello all,

New to this thread. I am in hospital for second time in a week due to HG. I am also type one diabetic so starvation ketones quickly became an issue (hence being admitted for fluids and anti-emetics). I was originally given cyclizine at around week 7, which helped for about a week and then stopped working, then was started on Stemetil as well, which helped for a few days and then stopped working, and have just been started on Ondasentron yesterday (at a little over 13 weeks) but am still throwing up (it was given by IV) 😩 I feel absolutely rotten! Anyone else found they are still vomiting on Ondasentron? Any ideas what might happen next?

Hi lovely, So sorry you are in hospital again. I would give the IV ondansatron some time to work as it can take a few doses. I was in hospital everyday on it and fluids with my little boy and then tablets to take at home alongside metoclopromide tablets. Every morning though the vomiting started again so back to hospital for more IV ondansatron and fluids. I did this from 7-12 weeks. Because I still couldn't tolerate just ondansatron and metoclopromide tablets, I was put on IV steroids alongside IV ondansatron and metoclopromide tablets. A nurse came to my house to give me the doses. They worked really well and stopped the vomitting. After 10 days of IV steroids and ondansatron i got tablet ones and as well as ondansatron tablets and that worked as they reduced the dose of Steroids over 3 weeks. Sadly as soon as they stopped the vomiting started again so I had another round of IV steroids and ondansatron for 10 days before tablets reduced over 4 weeks and it worked. Finally at 20 weeks i could manage at home on ondansatron and metoclopromide tablets. I still threw up but only a few times. Steroids may be the next option for you if IV ondansatron doesn't work. Keep us posted hun. 🤗
LucindaE · 12/02/2022 21:33

Goodness, suffering all round.
Great advice from everyone to the new people.
T1mumtobe Welcome. That sounds awful, being back in hospital
for a second time in a week. Sorry, I'm not sure if you are type 1 or 2 diabestic, I suppose with the type 1 you don't need to keep sugar intake low, so many of the suggestions for drinks and some foo in my normal spiel may be possible to try. Hopefully, the Ondansetron will start to work, but if not they may add other meds or as others have suggested, eventually try steroids. I am glad you are getting treatment. If you go home with Ondansetron, do remember to ask for a laxative, as it does tie up the bowels. Here is my normal spiel, which I hope will help. Ignore the irrelevant bits: 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 , dry cereals and slices of melon and mango. Protein drinks have also been mentioned.
Trying81 Welcome. Unfortuantely, there is an hereditary aspect to Hyperemesis. It is very possible to have it witout vomiting much. I am glad you have read the thread and found some advice on it helpful.
I hope your GP can prescribe you something which will help and I am so glad that s/he is helpful.
BlueSky57 Welcome. A stone is a lot to lose. It is certainly worth asking for other meds if Cyclizine and Stemetil aren't really helping.
I hope the normal spiel I copied for T1mumtobe might prove helpful.
Squiff70 Welcome. How horrible having to cope with an infection as well as Hyperemesis, while looking after a toddler. I hope it clears up soon and they can find a medication which is effective for the Hyperemesis. I am sorry about the loss of one of your twins. Great advice from Melleebacca about possible alternative meds to help.
PopGoesBang Eight is a really nice age, and certainly must make things easier. Nice she got that fun outing.
7Worfs Oh dear, poor you. I hope you feel better soon, how awful.
Melleebacca It's good that your father's women relatives suffered from it. That's very expert advice about Cyclizine and Stemitl being anti nausea, and Metalcopramide anti vomiting. Great advice from
abbs1 and from PopGoesBang too.
Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked.

OP posts:
Trying81 · 13/02/2022 05:59

I ended up going to hospital yesterday as I got to the point where even sips of water were coming straight back up

Starting me off on cyclizine - it seems to be helping so far, in that I can actually keep some fluids down

Just woke up feeling incredibly nauseous so assuming ready for my next dose - hopefully as it builds up in my system I'll be able to move onto keeping some food down

Had a private scan and all measuring well for 7 weeks so that's reassured me at least

FateHasRedesignedMost · 13/02/2022 11:09

Welcome new ladies and sorry you’re suffering! I’ll try to reply individually later, fighting nausea at the moment.

I seem to be having another hormone surge at 26 weeks 😩 Back to vomiting in the night, in the mornings and so tired I just want to lie down all day. Back on ondansetron.

6 year old is being very demanding for attention and I’m dreading half term (although at least there are no school runs!)

Hopefully each hormone surge gets shorter as pregnancy progresses, I can’t really remember from last time.

Baby is very active, she kicks so hard it makes me jump!

Melleebacca · 13/02/2022 16:19

@Trying81 glad you’ve got some meds, be prepared to ask for stronger ones if the cyclizine stops being effective (I find in week 9 that all meds aren’t strong enough to curb the sickness, but I can’t imagine what it would be like if I wasn’t taking any). Also pleased you had a reassuring scan.

@FateHasRedesignedMost oh. I feel for you having a hormone surge so close to the 3rd trimester. That’s just unfair! Also, 6yr olds are hard! Like the day my daughter turned 6, it’s been an endless torrent of questions, and not just easy ones. At some moments, I prefer to be left alone with the introverted 4yr old, vs the constant chatter from the 6yr old.

Doing ok here. Got hit by a tropical cyclone yesterday, and tweaked my back moving branches off the road (we’ve lost half of 2 trees). Had no power for over 12hrs and I was close to tears. We couldn’t drive into the city for takeout, and toast sticks much better in my stomach than bread. But managed, and went to sleep at 7pm.

LucindaE · 13/02/2022 19:40

Trying81 Sorry you had to go to A and E. I hope you got fluids. It's good Cyclizine is working a bit atm. If this stops, as others say, do ask for others. Do you find an anti acid helps with nausea, as many do?
Melleebacca Agh! A cyclone, a tree down and no power. I am glad at least the powers back.
FateHasRedesignedMost Sorry to hear of hormonal surge.
Ha Ha about six year olds, but sorry about having to cope with them and Hyperemesis.

OP posts:
ChloeHel · 14/02/2022 11:38

Hi all! 6+4 today and had to ring my GP to get an urgent appt for meds as I can’t live like this.

What was the first antiemetic your GP put you on, and did it work? Last time with DD I was prescribed promethazine at around 14 weeks, but I didn’t end up taking them as was a bit hesitant - I can’t be hesitant this time round as it’s mentally ruining me! How do you go about the day without crying every time you heave? I feel so useless.

FateHasRedesignedMost · 14/02/2022 12:23

@Melleebacca

A tropical cyclone and power cut, how scary! Glad you’ve got electricity back now. Has it helped reduce the humidity a bit?

That’s reassuring it’s not just me who finds 6 year olds hard work. He talks non stop and wants constant attention, and is old enough to guilt trip me eg ‘before you were pregnant you used to play on the floor with me, now you just lie on the sofa’ (which is true but I hope it doesn’t make him associate the baby with me playing less).

FateHasRedesignedMost · 14/02/2022 12:27

@ChloeHel

The first time round it was cyclizine then promethazine, prochlorperazine (stemetil), metaclopramide then ondansetron.

This time they went straight to metaclopramide and ondansetron and they were the meds that worked best last time, though I had to go private to get them at first as my GP surgery had no appointments and had lost my old notes!

Hope you feel better soon. HG is really lonely and isolating. I just focus on one thing at a time and lie down a lot.

ChloeHel · 14/02/2022 12:59

@FateHasRedesignedMost oh thank you! I’m willing to try anything at this point. Ah I’m so glad you have something that works! Does it make the nausea and sickness completely stop or just eases it? I would just like atleast an hour where I don’t feel like my guts are not in bits :(

abbs1 · 14/02/2022 13:24

@ChloeHel

Hi all! 6+4 today and had to ring my GP to get an urgent appt for meds as I can’t live like this.

What was the first antiemetic your GP put you on, and did it work? Last time with DD I was prescribed promethazine at around 14 weeks, but I didn’t end up taking them as was a bit hesitant - I can’t be hesitant this time round as it’s mentally ruining me! How do you go about the day without crying every time you heave? I feel so useless.

Hello hun,

Can you ask your GP for Xonvea? Its a new medication for hg sufferers. I was put on this pregnancy after suffering horrendously with my son in my previous pregnancy. Its worked for quite a few hg sufferers if taken early on like you are now and builds up in your system. I was told about it by my peer support person from pregnancy sickness support. Its worked amazingly for me and i was only sick once and had not near as bad nausea.

It can be taken alongside ondansatron as well. Ondansatron has worked well for many on this page too but needs a laxative to take with it as it makes you constipated.

I hope you get some relief soon hun. 🤗

7Worfs · 14/02/2022 13:48

Another one ridden with guilt about not being a proper mummy anymore… I just tell myself when the nausea and tiredness clears we’ll go back to doing things again. Who knows if/when it will be true, but I have to believe it.
I didn’t know about anti acids helping with nausea - any recommendations for over the counter ones (UK)? Last pregnancy acid reflux was hellish the whole 3rd trimester.

ChloeHel · 14/02/2022 16:15

@abbs1 Hi! GP has given me promethazine 10mg 1 tablet 3 times a day, increased to 2 3 times a day, which seems a lot! But I will give it a go!

That’s interesting, I’m a pharmacist and actually not come across that medication before; just looked up it’s profile and it looks really effective! I think they don’t prescribe it often because of the price but if this doesn’t work then I will definitely try and push towards that, thank you for the advice :)

FateHasRedesignedMost · 14/02/2022 16:42

Does it make the nausea and sickness completely stop or just eases it?

Ondansetron reduces the nausea a bit for me, sometimes completely gets rid of it for a few hours, other times just takes the edge off. Sometimes it doesn’t work, I’m not sure why, but I generally find it the most effective of all the meds I’ve tried.
Metaclopramide works by speeding up gastric emptying so it’s good taken with food especially if you tend to throw up straight after eating/drinking/taking other meds. I’m sometimes unsure how effective it is, but then I run out and realise how much better I feel on it!

FateHasRedesignedMost · 14/02/2022 16:46

7Worfs

Acid reflux, solidarity! I’m on omeprazole from the GP but I’m not sure it’s working much (I think I often throw it up before it gets a chance!)

I find Rennies help (from Tesco or any pharmacy). In my first pregnancy ranitidine was great but that’s been withdrawn from the market now, not sure why.

Some people swear by Gaviscon but I can’t stand the taste!

FateHasRedesignedMost · 14/02/2022 16:57

Speaking of metaclopramide, is there a shortage in the U.K. or something?

DH picked up my prescription today (10 days late as all the pharmacies were out of stock)… I thought it looked a bit chunky… turns out it’s a box of metaclopramide ampules (for injection)! I’m guessing someone in the pharmacy made a mistake? Or is this a new thing?

I’m in a medical profession (and used to be a wilderness medic) so I have sterile needles and syringes at home, and give injections all the time at work. So I’m fully capable of using the ampules. It just seems a bit odd as they usually give me tablets and I didn’t request ampules! I also don’t want to get anyone at the pharmacy into trouble by returning them/not returning them. WWYD?

EverydayIsPJday · 14/02/2022 17:01

Hi all, haven't rtft but I'm joining if that's ok. I'm 7+4 with baby #3. Haven't actually been sick but have nausea which is basically stopping me be able to function, especially with work and my two boys (2 and 4yo). I didn't experience it this bad with previous pregnancies. At my wit's end I called GP today and they've given me cyclizine like many others here..I'm really nervous as it seems like it's the one they try you out on but most end up asking for something else stronger 🙁
Also having bloods done as I am very dizzy when I stand for more than five min or so, feel very weak. I also have a dry cracked (bleeding!) Tongue despite keeping fluids down which is now scalloped suggesting a deficiency. It's been a low day.

I hope you're all coping or are on the mend..it's so so tough.

FateHasRedesignedMost · 14/02/2022 17:16

If anyone needs a comical image to cheer them up, my afternoon school run might do it! I was feeling nauseous so took a short cut over the field, I often go this way but didn’t realise how wet and muddy it was. And I had knee high sheepskin boots on not wellies!

I was also late so hurrying. I descended sideways down a muddy bank, ducking to miss the branches, slipped, grabbed a tree to keep my balance and sort of swung round in a circle still holding the tree 🤦🏻‍♀️😂 Then couldn’t work out how to get down the last bit without falling over.

A man walking his dog asked if I was ok (I probably looked like I was hugging the tree!) He gallantly helped me down the bank and across the flooded grass to the path. Where all the school mums were waiting by the gate watching me 😳

My friend couldn’t stop laughing, apparently only I would attempt that bank at 6 months pregnant and forget to check the ground the other side 😳😂

ChloeHel · 14/02/2022 17:19

@FateHasRedesignedMost definitely contact the pharmacy to check the prescription! That’s a very stupid mistake to make if it is a mistake. They won’t get in trouble, it’ll just get reported on their system. It happens time to time.

As far as I’m aware there isn’t a shortage, I’ve been getting it in with no trouble at all.

The only other thing I can think is that your pharmacy couldn’t get it in and just requested an alternative from the GP but if that’s the case they should have spoke with you beforehand!

Just took my first promethazine, praying this works and I can keep it down!

FateHasRedesignedMost · 14/02/2022 17:23

@EverydayIsPJday

Sorry you’re feeling so unwell! It must be especially hard looking after 2 little ones. Are you drinking enough fluids?

EverydayIsPJday · 14/02/2022 17:55

Hi @FateHasRedesignedMost your story made me laugh. I'm glad you're ok though, no mean feat at 6months pregnant.

Yes I can get fluids in albeit very reluctantly. It's like as soon as I get pregnant my brain decides it's repulsed by liquids (same with first two). I'm just determined to do whatever it takes to feel normal for the sake of the kids. It just feels like survival ATM and I can give them the attention I usually would 😔 I wish I could be excited. I just can't get it out of my head still how far it is until the end of the first trimester! And who knows how long it will take to actually start feeling better. Sorry for the moan, it's been a tough day. The cyclizine is in so I'm going to try and be optimistic that tomorrow might be a better day. Also now taking b6 in case that helps.

rainbowzebra05 · 14/02/2022 20:37

Hi, new to the thread too. Baby #3, sailed through my first pregnancy then had HG with #2. Seems we're back there.

I spoke to my GP at the first signs of nausea getting worse and have been on cyclizine now for about a fortnight. I'm now 9+4 and spending a large amount of time counting down to the end of the day! Today was particularly bad for sickness and to add insult to injury I wet myself while throwing up!

I'm still in work atm but debating asking my GP about a sick note. I'm really worried about the time off though - I'm in a fairly new role (9 months) and seem to have caught absolutely everything since I started there! I don't want to look like I'm taking the mick. Equally, I'm now terrified of wetting myself at work on one of my many bathroom breaks!

LucindaE · 14/02/2022 21:29

Welcome to ChloeHel and EverydayisaPJday. Sorry you're suffering. Everyone is very helpful on here. ChloeHel As you are a pharmacist and a veteran, and EvrydayisPJday is a veteran, you hardly need my usual spiel about getting in kesostix, which while not the best test of dehydration, are taken seriously by hospitals, of ice lollies and anti acids. Very brave of you and EverydayisPJday to battle on without meds in your previous pregnancies. Great advice from abbs1 and FateHasRedesignedMost.
FateHasRedesignedMost That sounds alarming, even if slightly ridiculous. Lucky that man was to hand. It must be very hard dealing with the guilt, especially with the LO working on it, but you are giving them an invlauable gift in a sibling, and I wish I had gone for it again.
7Worfs As above about the guilt. Some find Gaviscon tablets easier to take than Gaviscon liquid.

OP posts:
LucindaE · 14/02/2022 21:32

rainbowzebra05 Cross posted. Welcome. It doesn't sound as if Cyclzine is helping much; can you get another anti emetic? I think you definitely need a sick note - realisitically, most sufferers end of being off work for some weeks at least. It's unlucky if you've had sick leave before, but the health of you and the baby must come first and most find that they really can't function at work as rest is really needed with this.

OP posts:
Balletshoes2022 · 14/02/2022 22:05

This is my first time posting, am new to the thread. First time pregnancy, had sickness since very early on..I’m now 10 weeks.. I’ve lost a stone in weight and struggling to eat most foods (can keep down some carbs and liquids sometimes but small bites ). Most things/ smells are making me feel sick and I can’t really leave the house. I don’t know what is normal and how high my tolerance should be for this as I don’t have anything to compare to. I have had my urine checked for ketones as I was worried about dehydration and it came back ok, but then I read this isn’t a very good indicator and you can still be dehydrated with negative test? Basically looking for some advice. I’m only vomiting around 2-5 times a day now so I know this isn’t too bad compared to some people, however the vomiting is really severe and I also have had (TMI) loss of bladder control during these severe episodes. I’m struggling to get out of bed and work, although I’m trying to and I just want to sleep all the time. I’m wondering if/ when things will improve or will this be the whole pregnancy!