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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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FateHasRedesignedMost · 26/03/2022 08:11

Melleebacca

Thanks, I’ll try calcium powder to see if it helps. I’ve tried Rennies and Gaviscon tablets but they seem to make me vomit half an hour later? And I’m on slow release omeprazole which seems to have stopped working!

How are you feeling? Not long now (although it feels like ages doesn’t it)

My lips have had this weird reaction to something again, constantly cracking and peeling, with a really sore swollen area on top lip (but no blister like a cold sore!)
It must be a weird pregnancy thing as I had it early in pregnancy and also with my son. Did you say you get it too? Nothing seems to help: Vaseline, Lipsalve, vitamin A cream all absorb so fast and make it worse. My top lip is stinging and tingling so I’m tempted to try some Zovirax on it just in case it’s a weird type of cold sore that doesn’t blister?

I had shingles recently so still have the anti viral (aclovair) cream from that.

FateHasRedesignedMost · 26/03/2022 08:14

Sorry for not replying to anyone else individually, I’ve lost track of who is who.

But please feel free to direct any questions at me, I’m 32 weeks into my second HG pregnancy so might be able to help.

Did @kalidasa ever come back? Hope she’s ok!

Lou2022 · 26/03/2022 09:18

Hi all wondering if I can jump on this thread. This is my 3rd pregnancy and the vomitting has started the earliest yet 😭. I had a miscarriage in October and had convinced myself it was a partial molar pregnancy as I was so much worse than with my daughter. So though it wouldn't be as bad this time. We'll I'm only 5+2 and spent the whole of last night vomitting.. haven't slept at all. My gp was useless last time wouldn't prescribe anything other than cyclizine or prochlorperazine which I found don't help me just give me loads of side effects.
Just wanted to ask people's advice what medication Combination they found the most helpful? Hope everyone is okay x

LucindaE · 26/03/2022 12:36

Lou2022 Welcome. I am sorry to hear of your miscarriage. Your symptoms have certainly started violently. There are other drugs they can try, such as the fairly new Xonvea, specially designed for pregnancy. Some doctors are reluctant to prescribe Ondansetron in the first tri, due to a minute risk of cleft lip, but this has to be balanced against the very real risks of dehydration. Do ask for other meds asap.Here is my normal spiel, which I hope helps. 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, Vimto, 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.
Melleebacca That sounds good about that working to calm acidity. Great advice as ever. I remember about the awful chair.
FateHasRedesignedMost That sounds awful. I hope it clears up soon.

OP posts:
LucindaE · 26/03/2022 12:39

Ah, about kalidasa. I was concerned not to have heard in so long; I sent her a pm, but didn't get a reply. She's due in May, I seem to remember.

OP posts:
kalidasa · 26/03/2022 14:22

Ah sorry everyone, just got a notification that someone had mentioned me! And sorry too @LucindaE that I didn't see your private message, probably because I usually look at mumsnet on my phone. I am fine. I disappeared from the thread because miraculously my HG this time was much more the kind of HG that (thank goodness) we mostly see on this thread which becomes much more manageable from mid-pregnancy onwards I remember from my years on these threads in the past that the majority of women do fade out around then but never thought I'd be one of them! I took the max dose of Cariban (forgotten what they call it in the UK but the doxymaline + B6 one -- Xonvea?) until about 26 weeks, and actually if I'm honest a bit more than the max dose for the worst couple of months (read some academic articles on hospital trials using higher doses which reassured me this was OK), and was totally bedbound at home from weeks 6-14 ish but amazingly managed to avoid hospital admission altogether. I was throwing up loads of course but managed to keep just enough food and fluids going in to avoid the ketosis death-loop where high ketone levels make the vomiting even worse. I would never have thought this was possible for me given that, as @LucindaE at least will remember, I had very severe HG in both my previous pregnancies (some time ago now) and with DS2 (back in 2014) I was in an inpatient for two whole months!

Anyway, I stopped throwing up every day at about 18 weeks or so I think. I'm 34.5 weeks now and the sickness did ramp up a bit again at the start of third trimester as in all my pregnancies; but whereas with DS2 I remember I really thought I might have to go back into hospital at this stage, with this one I am really fine and functional, I just went from a few weeks of nausea-but-no-vomiting back to a bit of vomiting, maybe once or twice a week, often without much warning. It's really OK though. I'm still taking the meds but usually only twice a day and though I still experience quite a lot of nausea several times a day it's not at all constant as it was through my entire pregnancy both times before. Amazingly, my pelvis has also held up much better this time not sure if this is related to fairly regular yoga over the last year, or actually a side-effect of vomiting less. With DS2 I was in a wheelchair for the last couple of months, and even with DS1 I was on crutches for the last few months and in a lot of pain. This time round I can't walk far or for long, and I have some bad days when I can't really walk at all, but most days I am still able to e.g. do a little local shopping or take the boys to school and I have never needed crutches or anything. Huge psychological difference from being totally housebound! Honestly I am so delighted and surprised to have had such a much better pregnancy when I am really pretty old now (nearly 42) not at all what I expected. It's yet another boy too so not a sex difference as I thought it might be to start with.

Anyway I hope this gives anyone enduring a truly awful HG pg a bit of hope. We couldn't believe it was possible to have a pregnancy worst than my first (when I had multiple admissions), and then my second really was significantly worse, so I was braced for absolute horror third time round. But relatively speaking it has really been OK and I have honestly really enjoyed this pregnancy and will be sad when it ends which I never thought I would say.

My due date is 4th May and my maternity leave starts at the end of next week. I haven't bought a single thing yet, so I really need to get going on that, especially as I am having absolutely constant strong Braxton Hicks now so I'm not 100% confident I'm going to make it to 40 weeks! Baby is fine, extremely active and dead on the 50th centile. I was diagnosed with borderline gestational diabetes (v. common over 40), but the threshold for diagnosis here in France is very low much lower than in the UK and I have just followed the strict French diet they put you on here and my blood sugars have been fine. I think the diet has probably made the sickness slightly worse because it's almost no carbs and the only ones you are allowed are very high fibre, which is harder to digest but it's been OK and I certainly feel much healthier overall than I felt at this stage in either of my pregnancies before.

Courage to everyone slogging away. I have had a better time (relatively speaking) this time round, but I really do know just how horrendous it can be.

ChloeHel · 26/03/2022 17:10

Well..I’ve been quiet the last few days as believe it or not I hadn’t been sick for a whole 3 days!! I still had a bit of nausea but absolutely nothing compared to what I had been dealing with. I thought oh this must be the amazing 12 week period where it cools off…But today out of nowhere BAM! The HG is back with a vengeance, can’t eat anything and you bet it, I’m back in bed as any slight movement makes me sick :( I think I underestimated HG. The only thing I did differently this morning was change our bed sheets, clearly my body is not ready for anything that involves doing…anything!

Hope everyone else’s weekend starts off slightly better than mine.

Spottybutterfly · 26/03/2022 17:34

I'm just here to have a bit of a moan. I'm 20 weeks and still feeling queasy about a quarter of the time.

I found carpet beetles yesterday in our bedroom. Spent the whole time feeling guilty that it was my fault because I was way behind in washing my clothes. When feeling sick and tired the last thing I wanted to do was put the washer on. I've pushed through and did 3 loads of washing yesterday, which were all in a pile to wear again as I'd only worn them a couple of times.

I spent today tidying and cleaning my side of the room and find in my dirty laundry pile a towel that my husband had stored under the bed. It was covered in beetles and there lava, how he didn't see them when he put the towel in the laundry pile I've no idea.

The towel was moved from under the bed a week and a half ago as we got a new matteress. My husband used under the bed for storing old clothes that don't fit him and old towels. I went and investigated the other items from under the bed that he had placed on top of some clean blankets. The carpet beetle are everywhere.

I can't help but feel if he had noticed the beetles and lava when moving the mattress, I wouldn't have so much to sort out now.

Melleebacca · 26/03/2022 17:41

@ChloeHel generally HG recovery starts with a good day here and there, and slowly the good days increase, but you can still get a bad day thrown in. Keep resting as much as possible, but it definitely sounds like you’ve turned a corner. In the second trimester I would have a crazy peak of heart rate on my Fitbit whenever I changed the sheets, it was like running a marathon, not an easy task!

@kalidasa so happy that this time around is easier for you. The teachers at work are all concerned that I still have nausea, and I have to remind them constantly that I am much better than I have ever been in pregnancy.

@FateHasRedesignedMost let me know if the calcium powder helps you, I would be interested to know. Im no help with the tingling lips tho. I get dehydrated and dry lips from that, but a week of lip balm and lots of water seems to clear it up.

I have officially gained back my first kg. I should be back at pre-pregnancy weight in about a month at this rate. Hubby is super excited to see me eating and drinking normally once the baby comes. He knows how much I love food, and seems at a loss of how to bring me joy while pregnant.

ChloeHel · 26/03/2022 17:55

@Melleebacca oh thank you! You have given me hope. I had a break down to DH thinking I’m going back to the start again :( yeah I think I need to take it easy with the bed sheets haha.

Lou2022 · 26/03/2022 18:25

@LucindaE thanks so much for your extensive reply that is really so helpful! I do suffer massively with reflux when I'm pregnant so on the omeprazole already. I had a large bottle of orange juice yesterday and I think that may have set me off due to the acid. Very nauseous today but no vomits yet since this morning 🤞 will definitely get on to my gp ASAP. We are going to disneyland next week 🥺 really hope I manage to enjoy it xx

LucindaE · 26/03/2022 18:39

kalidasa That's wonderful news! I am so glad to hear it.
ChloeHel Aagh about the carpet beetles. Sorry you are still suffering.
Many do still improve after 20 weeks.
Spottybutterfly Great advice from Melleebacca. Some do get relief early, and after all, some women with ordinary pregnancy sickness suffer from it until 14 weeks, so that's very encouraging you've had some good days, as Melleebacca says, a sign of more to come.
Lou2022 A good idea to get meds asap and hopefully, they'll be more effective.
This thread is getting close to the end. I'd better make a new one and post the thread.

OP posts:
LucindaE · 26/03/2022 19:04

Here's the new thread.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pregnancy/4514492-Hyperemesis-Support?watched=1&msgid=116152495#116152495

OP posts:
EmmaJennie · 28/03/2022 17:16

Hi everyone, I just found this thread after being recommended to me.

Just a question, I've been suffering HG now for 14 weeks, my experience is now I have a phobia of being sick. It makes me so anxious if I know I'm going to be sick, but there's nothing I can do. I'm just wondering if anyone else has had this? Sad

LucindaE · 28/03/2022 20:46

EmmaJennie
Do come over to the new thread linked below. This one is almost used up.Here's the new thread.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pregnancy/4514492-Hyperemesis-Support?watched=1&msgid=116152495#116152495

OP posts:
FTM1991 · 17/08/2022 06:19

Hey guys,
looking for some advice,, I had horrendous sickness start at 7 weeks and by week 8 was ok cyclizine, by week 10 I was on metoclopramide. I was still being sick daily by 14 weeks and could hardly keep water down. Reluctantly my GP allowed me to try ondansetron and this has helped me massively!! I'm now 23 weeks and still need it to get by (the odd day I've managed without)
on my latest prescription a different GP had highlighted a section saying be aware of drug warnings call if you need more information. I think it's to do with the chances of deformities but I've done so much of my own research that this seems only an issue before 10 weeks. Also all my scans have been perfect and no issues detected. Looking for some reassurance that it's safe to be on this drug throughout pregnancy as most articles say yes but of course the odd one says no!!
thanks

MrsJdot · 17/08/2022 07:05

@FTM1991 Hey, I was in the same situation, extremely bad vomiting and nausea which basically lasted for about 25 weeks. My symptoms were so bad that I developed depression and was referred to the perinatal mental health team. Like you I was also on Cyclizine and then changed to Metaclopramide which only worked for 2-3 days.
Ondansetron is what made me go through the pregnancy, I don’t know what I would have done without it, I also had 24/7 constant excessive saliva buildup in my mouth.
I couldn’t go a single day without being nauseous and sick if I didn’t take it, I would research like mad about the risks, like you I was also worried about the side effects it would have on the baby, but thanks to God my baby is fine.

LucindaE · 18/08/2022 21:22

FTM1991 This is an old thread,and nearly used up. Do come over to the new one for reassurance. I am sure the doctor only mentioned the very small risks because of a legal obligation. Tney have to weigh up whether those small risks are greater than the very real medical risks of severe, prolonged dehydration. Lots of sufferers on these threads have been on a whole cocktail of drugs including Ondansetron and there have never been any reports of deformities.
The new thread is linked below in my last post, and I'll link it again
www.mumsnet.com/talk/pregnancy/4514492-Hyperemesis-Support?reply=119321119
MrsJDot Good to hear from you again. I am so glad all is fine with baby. Thanks for your reassuring post.

OP posts:
MrsJdot · 19/08/2022 00:25

Thank you. This forum was priceless in times of a difficult pregnancy. 😊

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