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.

FateHasRedesignedMost My goodness, I am glad that you are having a better day today. That spotting must have been unnerving, even if you had some reassurance from the midwife.
DisgruntedPelicanLady Oh dear about the dry heaving. I hope that the dry bread wasn't the only thing you were able to eat yesterday?
I hope everyone had a bearable Chrismas Day as well.

@FateHasRedesignedMost yes. Sleep totally affects my HG. And stress affects my sleep. I didn’t sleep well the night before last and the fatigue and exhaustion brought on more severe nausea. I’ve just slept a solid 10hrs, so I think today is going to be a great day.

@Disgruntledpelicanlady oh I’m so sorry to hear about the dry heaving. I made garlic bread expecting to only be able to eat bread, but the garlic didn’t agree with my belly. But my potato bake is going down well (which is surprising because I haven’t been able to eat potatoes for the last 2 months). I hope you’re feeling better today.

I’ve managed to drop one dose of meds a day without too much serious side effects. Which is good. I’ve got 5wks of summer break left (how come the first 2wks disappear so fast?!), so trying to reorganize the house etc, as after the summer I will only have 4wks off before my due date. And I think once I’m back at work that will be all I can manage.

I am not even 4 weeks but already struggling with the nausea. Started taking Cyclizine but I’m still struggling to eat. Currently list 1kg in a few days and I know it’s only going to get worse.

I keep thinking if I have a miscarriage or choose not to carry in with this pregnancy then it will all end very soon.

Very much planned third baby, had HG with the older two but it never started this early.

I just keep thinking what the hell was I thinking, maybe I’ve made a mistake. I don’t think I’m strong enough mentally to do this again 😭

I did manage a small turkey bun and a slice of cheese cake last night but that came back up.
Today I've managed to keep down 3 slices of bread and butter and half a pint of lemonade.

Feeling rather tired and headachey but not surprising with so little going in.

Hitting my limit tonight
Sat on the bathroom floor after my 5th time time (appreciate that is not a lot compared to some of you - don't know how you do it!)
Feeling shaky, queasy and headache.
I don't qant to do this anymore 😔

@Disgruntledpelicanlady I'm sorry you're having a tough time. It's really hard, try and focus on little things like your first scan, baby names or even the end of your pregnancy when you'll have your baby in your arms. Also, remember that for a lot of people, this gets better by the second trimester, so try to cling on to that for now.

Try and establish whether there's a trigger for your sickness. Things that are important:
Rest/good amount of sleep
Keeping hydrated - if necessary small, frequent sips as drinking too quickly can cause you to bring it all back up
Eat little and often (try and find what works for you, it may be a bit trial and error). Milk and noodles or dry ham sandwiches seemed to work in my first pregnancy but it differs from person to person. It'd often take me a couple of hours to finish a small sandwich.

Is there someone in your life who you can talk to in order to vent or just hear you out? If not, Pregnancy Sickness Support offer great Peer Support. It's an isolating condition if you don't have the support, especially in the early days where not many people are aware of your pregnancy.

I hope things get better for you soon!

Also forgot to say whilst half asleep @Disgruntledpelicanlady that you can take paracetamol for headaches but it is likely from dehydration. Perhaps try your GP out of hours/NHS direct or the hospital as it sounds like you might need medication to help you out. If you're very dehydrated you may even need IV fluids so please don't hesitate to get some medical help.

@Disgruntledpelicanlady

Sorry you’re suffering so much. You will get through this. I know it’s hard to believe when you’re crouched by the loo dry heaving and desperate but you’ll find a path.

With my first pregnancy (poorly medicated) I didn’t think I could cope so many times.

What meds are you on?
Ondansetron 8mg and lying flat or at 45degrees gives me relief when it’s really bad. If you’re not keeping liquids or meds down then I’d go to your maternity unit for rehydration and anti sickness injections, usually if you go early they let you go the same day provided it settles.

@Chunkymonkey13

Sending you strength!

It gets better, honestly. And I say that as someone who threw up 3 attempts at breakfast this morning then got trapped in the horrible dry heaving cycle for half an hour. But sucking a slice of frozen lemon has helped (along with ondansetron) and lying down.

There’ll be good and bad days. Xmas Day I thought I couldn’t cope, and managed half a parsnip. Yesterday I had no nausea all day but then threw up dinner when I tried to brush my teeth before bed. Today started badly with a headache and vomiting but is beginning to improve.

HG is so unpredictable. Rest and hang in there!

@Chunkymonkey13

Are you on cyclizine only? It’s never done much for me. If you’ve had HG before your GP or maternity unit might prescribe stronger meds?

My sickness started soon after conception this time, and by 5 weeks I was on metaclopramide and ondansetron (had to bypass the NHS and get a private GP to phone and prescribe as I needed them immediately).

It was manageable with these meds until about 9 weeks then I had a brief period of feeling much better between 14-18 weeks (managing school runs, minimal vomiting, dropped the ondansetron).

Since 18/19 weeks it’s flared up again but that may be the stress of Xmas or a hormonal surge, or just the lack of space for liquids now baby is bigger.

Everyone’s different but I remember a really significant improvement at 25 weeks in my first pregnancy.

Right now I’m trying to drink 10ml of chilled water or flat coke every 10 mins to re-hydrate. More than that triggers retching.

Thinking of everyone!

Thanks for the support everyone.
I'm not on anything for it yet - last week gp said they were only doing emergency appointments and I wasn't an emergency and the community midwives recommended ginger capsules which do nothing but do burn when you bring one back up!
No sickness yet today but all I've eaten or drank is half an ice lolly.
I'm going to ring the midwives tomorrow and see what they say

Weighed myself this morning and I've lost half a stone in just under a week- in any other circumstances I'd be thrilled!
I think my emerophobia is rearing it's head - had a big panic attack last night and feel anxious every time I think about eating in case it makes me sick

@Chunkymonkey13 it is a huge mental challenge. You need to find a way to distract yourself from the illness. I would lie in bed binge watching tv shows, so my mind was on something else. We’ve all had those thoughts. We were trying to conceive for about 6m, and I had multiple panic attacks over that time period, all related to getting HG again. Managing HG well this time has really helped my mental state. Meds early as possible, and the strongest I could get, plus Hydralyte ice blocks which are frozen electrolytes and really helped me stay hydrated, and delegating all parenting responsibilities to my husband. My girls know I’m sick, but they are also so involved with just playing together that I’m an after thought. Plus covid rules cancelled a lot of social events so I really could just focus on staying alive.

@Disgruntledpelicanlady as soon as you can get meds, the sooner you will feel better, and the HG won’t get as bad. With my first, it took awhile to get meds that helped and I was vomiting from 5wks till 26wks. With my second, I started taking ondansetron from my positive test, and vomited from weeks 6-16. This time around, on 2 anti- emetics, and electrolyte ice blocks, I only vomited from week6-13. I’m still really struggling with fatigue and low blood pressure and more food aversions than my fussy 4yr old, but the HG side of things is well managed.

@FateHasRedesignedMost I’m so sorry you’ve relapsed at the moment.
I don’t think I’m going to be able to eat normally at all during this pregnancy, so just focusing on keeping fluids up and thus preventing vomiting. I’m really loving ice cold lemon water. But I am finding the same issue as you, that my stomach is now being compacted by baby and can’t hold much. It’s a very thin line of enough food vs too much food. Just gotta get through the next 5months.

@Melleebacca

Sorry you’re finding things tough too!

I find eating a small snack every 2 hours really helps the nausea and prevents the retching a bit, even if it’s just an ice lolly or a dry biscuit or some nuts. And tiny sips of chilled liquid.

I think normal size meals are out for me the rest of this pregnancy, they just come up even if I felt ok at the time.

@FateHasRedesignedMost I’m not as bad as you thankfully! Although I have bought up water into my mouth more often than I would like, no actual gagging or vomiting though. Just water coming back up if I move position and theres not enough space in my stomach. I havent started gaining weight yet, which is probably because my diet is mostly small snacks and water, so my midwife is going to give me an earful at my appt next week. I’m still heavier than I was with both girls at this stage, so I know I’m ok.

@FateHasRedesignedMost oh - and since you’re loving sour things like me, maybe try tomato on toast? It sits quite well in my stomach for dinner, although the nausea is always bad in the evenings, I don’t get hideous burps with it.

Chunkymonkey13 Welcome. Sorry you are suffering badly. As you are a two times veteran, you don't need advice from me about kesostix, flat full sugar coke and anti acids. I so agree with the great advice of others; it sounds as if you need stronger meds and things will almost certainly get a lot better.
DisgruntledPelicanLady I think you should count as an emergency and they are being dismissive, what with you being unable to retain even enough liquids over the past few days. Can you measure your ketones? I suppose the bread will keep them down,but even so you are surely becoming dehydrated. Ithink you said you had a headache, which might well be that. It might be a good idea to circumvent the GP's and to get on to A and E or the healthline.
Excellent advice from BFPDec21, from FateHasRedesignedMost and from Melleebaca.
FateHasRedesignedMost

Quiet on here, so I am hoping this is a good rather than a bad sign. I'm gradually getting used to this keyboard.

@Melleebacca

Tomato on toast is a good idea, thanks, I’ll try that! Evening tends to be my worst time.

Had my covid booster yesterday (Moderna, after 2 Pfizer jabs previously). Pleasantly surprised all I have is a sore arm. And baby moving as normal. Feel slightly queasy but that’s my normal state with HG. Was expecting a fever/chills/violent vomiting so a nice surprise to have no side effects.

@Disgruntledpelicanlady and @Chunkymonkey13 how are you both feeling?

Hope you’ve managed to get some stronger meds and rehydrate.

@FateHasRedesignedMost Glad to hear your booster went well.

I'm going to have to try some tomatoes. I'm desperate to find something that isn't so plain at the moment.

This morning I was so sick, DD was in my bed and said it frightened her. I feel like I've pulled a muscle in the process. I'm wondering if you all suffer from quite forceful bouts? Kind of projectile? Sorry for TMI.

Something about having a child at the end, after 4 years I remember how bad HG was first time but I've definitely blocked out the extent in my head!

I'm kind of struggling with it at the moment due to having covid. Although relatively mild, it seems but some aspects are making the HG harder to manage. I've been sleeping up to 20 hours over the course of a day which is good for rest but I'm getting dehydrated due to my body temp being higher and the amount of sleep so having to set alarms to drink, eat and take meds. I'm looking forward to being out of the other side on the covid front in the next few days and hopefully more in control. Week 7 (where I am now) onwards last time around was when I was really going through it so I hope I'm mostly on top of it this time but I know HG doesn't always work like that.

Haven't managed to speak to anyone about meds and although I'm still unwell the past 2 days have been slightly more tolerable

@FateHasRedesignedMost good to know about your booster. Mine is due in Feb, but I wouldn’t mind pushing it out till April which is closer to the beginning of cold/flu season. Will all depend on how things play out in the meantime. I had my second shot at 5wks pregnant, and it didn’t seem to affect the HG, just a sore arm and fatigue (which was nice as then I slept a bit more).

@BFPDec21 oh you poor thing! It’s always so much worse getting any sickness while pregnant, and at the peak of HG is even harder! Everyone here has had a mild cold, and I’m so fortunate to have avoided it. I can’t imagine how tough it must be for you right now.
I have also pulled muscles from vomiting so hard, especially when vomiting against the effects of ondansetron. Keep resting, the muscles will heal in a few days.

@Disgruntledpelicanlady you will have good days and bad days regardless with hormonal surges. I would have a couple of ok days and then 3 really bad days as my body adjusted to higher hormone levels, and that was with 2 types of anti-emetics. I hope you get some meds soon.

@LucindaE I’m ok here. Constipation is my biggest issue, which is causing me to be unable to eat as much and nausea levels to increase. I think the trying of new foods on Christmas has really upset my system, so trying to get everything back under control. Going to try an Epsom salt bath this morning.

Also glad to hear your interested in tomato on toast. I add lots of salt to it and make sure the bread is quite crunchy. Soft breads seem to be more of a struggle.

BFPDec21 That sounds awful. Sorry to hear you have Covid; glad it's mild. I often pulled muscles with violent vomiting with Hperemesis and also when I used to get more severe migraines. Poor you and poor little DD. Never worry about tmi on here. The muscles always get better in a few days.
FateHasRedesignedMost I am so glad there are no severe side effects.
DisgruntledPelicanLady It's shocking you haven't been able to get meds yet, even if it is Christmas; people still get ill at Christmas.
Melleebacca It's good you could try new foods over Christmas -obviously, in a limited way...
Waves to all.