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

Hyperemesis Support

988 replies

LucindaE · 19/10/2022 19:24

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
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rubylink · 17/05/2023 11:40

Hi all, hoping I can join you to share support. I’m 25, 10 weeks pregnant tomorrow with my first and have been struggling with hyperemesis since just shy of 6 weeks in. Returned home yesterday evening after my second 12hr visit to EPU for fluids and injected anti-emesis meds as had another episode of being unable to keep anything down for 24hrs, I think this time triggered by me catching a bad head cold that seems to have made the N&V harder to control again. Up to that point I’d been just about coping with a combo of Omeprazole, Cyclizine and Prochlorperazine since my first EPU visit.

Desperately hoping this will get easier as the weeks go by. The doctor yesterday did say if I’m still unwell after 12wks I can try Ondanestron that seems to work better for most, but didn’t want to prescribe it yet whilst I’m still early in my pregnancy.

Suppose I’m just looking for a hand hold from others who understand. I feel so worried sometimes that if I can’t cope with this how will I cope with a baby etc, everyone else seems to be fine, people think I’m making a fuss over nothing. This experience has opened my eyes a lot to how hard being pregnant can be! Sending everyone strength and my sympathies to get through this x

LucindaE · 17/05/2023 21:05

rubylink Welcome. Sorry you are suffering. Ten weeks is the time of a hormonal surge, and that may well be increasing the symptoms, even apart from the bad cold.
Here's my normal spiel, which I hope helps. Most 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, frozen smoothie 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 (M and S has been recommende), 7Up, isotonic drinks, sips of strawberry orchocolate 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. Frozen apple juice has been recommended. 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 dry cereeal.
InvisibleDreamer I hope that combination helps a lot. Interesting about the 'avoid liquid foods' advice. I wonder if that's new?

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LucindaE · 18/05/2023 21:12

I hope everyone is coping today.

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Hairstylist2023 · 18/05/2023 22:33

rubylink · 17/05/2023 11:40

Hi all, hoping I can join you to share support. I’m 25, 10 weeks pregnant tomorrow with my first and have been struggling with hyperemesis since just shy of 6 weeks in. Returned home yesterday evening after my second 12hr visit to EPU for fluids and injected anti-emesis meds as had another episode of being unable to keep anything down for 24hrs, I think this time triggered by me catching a bad head cold that seems to have made the N&V harder to control again. Up to that point I’d been just about coping with a combo of Omeprazole, Cyclizine and Prochlorperazine since my first EPU visit.

Desperately hoping this will get easier as the weeks go by. The doctor yesterday did say if I’m still unwell after 12wks I can try Ondanestron that seems to work better for most, but didn’t want to prescribe it yet whilst I’m still early in my pregnancy.

Suppose I’m just looking for a hand hold from others who understand. I feel so worried sometimes that if I can’t cope with this how will I cope with a baby etc, everyone else seems to be fine, people think I’m making a fuss over nothing. This experience has opened my eyes a lot to how hard being pregnant can be! Sending everyone strength and my sympathies to get through this x

@rubylink I am 11 weeks so going into 12 I have been off work since 7 weeks pregnant are u managing to work ? I also has the two drugs haven’t tried the o one but they have mentioned it .

I Have been bed bound for weeks and it’s so dibilitating and lonely at times . Just nw their are others suffering and their is an end for us all . I took washing my hair for granted and I haven’t done that in a week simple things in life I have struggled to do . I haven’t been in hospital however this seems like more help is given and correct medications I am on my 3rd and nothing works .

my symptoms are severe yet I haven’t been sick but I get all the gag reflex every time I move quick movements smells and this goes on all day . Fighting the reflex and retching for most the day .

how are you find it nw your at home has the medication settled things .

OnNaturesCourse · 18/05/2023 22:34

Had a better few days - retching is worse but I'm managing to actually swallow water and Cola now so that's something.

The gagging and retching is getting beyond ridiculous though, sometimes just breathing sets it off. I was sat watching TV earlier, quite relaxed and suddenly I was retching for no reason. I didn't even move, hadn't eaten or drank, or had any smells or thoughts to set me off.

Its like my body suddenly remembers "oh, not made her randomly gag for a while..best do it now!"

🤢

Hairstylist2023 · 18/05/2023 22:39

Hairstylist2023 · 18/05/2023 22:33

@rubylink I am 11 weeks so going into 12 I have been off work since 7 weeks pregnant are u managing to work ? I also has the two drugs haven’t tried the o one but they have mentioned it .

I Have been bed bound for weeks and it’s so dibilitating and lonely at times . Just nw their are others suffering and their is an end for us all . I took washing my hair for granted and I haven’t done that in a week simple things in life I have struggled to do . I haven’t been in hospital however this seems like more help is given and correct medications I am on my 3rd and nothing works .

my symptoms are severe yet I haven’t been sick but I get all the gag reflex every time I move quick movements smells and this goes on all day . Fighting the reflex and retching for most the day .

how are you find it nw your at home has the medication settled things .

@rubylink the part about not copin with your baby please don’t worry about this is an illness that needs treatment and is not your fault . I am sure you will be an amazing mum . Also I have had people say to me oh just get on with it and not understand my situation but these people just haven’t got a clue or educated on the illness especially a lot of old skewl people who just say get on with it and fob it off . My mother in law said a few weeks ago how is everything apart from the sickness like that wasn’t a massive issue she seemed to fob it off like she would just get on with it I was fuming and said it’s everything at the min consuming my life as it does . Or you get well it will be all worth it lol I think it comes with good intentions but they just don’t think .. xx

LucindaE · 19/05/2023 20:10

Hairdresser2023 and OnNaturesCourse and rubylink Symapthies.
I hope you get some relief soon. It is very easy for others to be brisk about it!

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rubylink · 20/05/2023 09:50

@Hairstylist2023 Oh bless you, I really feel for you it’s hard being off work and worrying about that too. Luckily the first time I was hospitalised it was only a couple of days before I had a week holiday from work planned, but when I was hospitalised this time I had to take 4 days off sick. I went back to work yesterday but did a slightly shorter day. I’m quite lucky though as I can WFH up to 2 days a week and work semi-flexible hours. Work does take up all my energy though and my poor partner has to pick up pretty much all cleaning and cooking bless him. Weekends are just spent napping for me!

I totally know what you mean about simple things seeming much harder. I really have to gear up energy to shower and barely touched makeup in weeks.

Also sympathise with you being so nauseous, sometimes I find that worse than the act of actually just being sick and having a little bit of relief! Thank you for your kind comment about not listening to what other people say. I agree I think most mean well but they just don’t understand how intense and debilitating hyperemesis can be, it’s a really lonely condition at times. It’s so nice to know there are people going through it too who understand xx

rubylink · 20/05/2023 09:54

Hope everyone manages to have a peaceful weekend, I’m hoping to spend some time relaxing in the garden as the weather seems decent and my partner built me a new garden sofa the other day 🥰 Currently still in bed waiting for my morning meds to go down though!

Yoga817 · 20/05/2023 19:44

Hi,

I haven't posted for a while because my HG symptoms all subsided at 18 weeks and I'm off all medication. Im now almost 26 weeks and violently vomited twice this morning. Is it usual for HG to come back approaching third trimester? I am pregnant with twins

LucindaE · 20/05/2023 20:40

Yoga817 Sorry the sickness has returned. Unfortunately, some do find that it does in the third tri, though almost never as badly as in the first. It might be a hormonal surge, of course; and with twins it must be more dramatic. Are you off whatever meds you were on, and would the doctors agree to your going back on them?
rubylink That is so nice of OH. What is the garden sofa made of?
Waves to HairStylest2023 OnNaturesCourse and everyone.

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rubylink · 20/05/2023 21:06

@Yoga817 no advice but sending support. Sorry to hear you felt poorly again this morning, it must be hard feeling like you’re out of the worst of it to then have it sneak up on you!

@LucindaE the garden sofa is just an Aldi special buy, but wooden with cushions and arrived flat pack so still required some legwork in assembling bless his heart. It’s got clever slide out panels to convert into a day bed, I had a lovely nap on it under a parasol this afternoon! Would add a photo if I knew how x

Ambern7 · 20/05/2023 22:08

Sorry to hear that @Yoga817 I did get some symptoms back in my 3rd trimester of my first pregnancy but they didn’t end up being as extreme as they had been. Hope you feel better soon.
I’ve actually been meaning to ask on this thread, when I stopped breastfeeding DC1 my symptoms came back, quite badly. The doctor assured me I had a sickness bug, but I know what it was. Luckily only lasted a few days, has this happened to anyone else?

LucindaE · 21/05/2023 21:23

Ambern07 I haven't actually come across that return of symptoms with the cessation of breastfeeding before. I was one of the tiny minority who have the symptoms return after birth, with breastfeeding, though more mildly - maybe six people out of hundreds have had that on these threads. Current sufferers shouldn't fret about that, by the way, as it always resolves itself on stopping breast feeding and seems to be connected with the let down reflex. I am glad that return of symptoms only lasted a few days for you. I did find that my migraines came back after stopping breast feeding and with the return of the cycle., and both are triggered by hormones, of course...

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OnNaturesCourse · 21/05/2023 21:37

Just checking in.
After my few good days I've been floored - every day by 2pm I'm on the sofa bound by nausea, heartburn and Indigestion.
I'm back on omeprazole so hoping that kicks in soon.

Yoga817 · 22/05/2023 07:13

Thanks everyone for the kind words. Hoping it was just a blip. Yesterday was ok. So weird! We came away for a mini break and may have overdone it one day with walking so maybe body was telling me it was too much. I also slept 25 hours out of 36 as I was floored with exhaustion.

Hairstylist2023 · 22/05/2023 10:21

Hey to all Iv been off here for a while I had a few work commitments I had to do and surprisingly I worried about these this weekend with my sickness and I was ok weirdly it’s the house that sets it all off I seem to be ok out and about . I have been off work for a month so I aim this week to make small steps to getting back to work for June . I realise this is something I have to deal with long term and daily and just staying in bed and the world going by for the next 6 months just isn’t an option . So I’m setting a fresh routine for the coming months to get through it . I feel more positive but worried about getting through these next few months . I have a small salon in my garden and that was horendous so I plan to clean and get to grips with the space as I felt sick constantly in it .

did anyone else find coming back home set the sickness off but ok in other places out and about ? I just want to move lol
I hope your all doing well and thanks to everyone asking about me I am thinking of you all on your journeys .
xx

LucindaE · 22/05/2023 21:29

OnNaturesCourse I hope Omprazole does the trick.
Hairstylist2023 Mother Hen always says don't try and rush back to doing too much too soon. That sounds a good plan.
Yoga817 Glad to hear of the good day. Overdoing things sounds likely enough.

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Dinosaurus86 · 23/05/2023 16:52

Just a little update from me. The Promethazine has stopped the vomiting for me, which is great - I feel very fortunate - though it turns me into a total zombie as it makes me so tired. I still have nausea pretty much all the time but it does seem to have taken the edge off. Thought the nausea may have slightly improved but it’s been quite bad again the past couple of days (am now approx 10+4) - but still not as bad as it was before. Thank you for your guidance @LucindaE!

Seasidegirl11 · 23/05/2023 17:00

Ondanestron seems to be working for me, really reduced the vomiting. Nausea is still awful and debilitating but getting the old half hour throughout the day when it goes so can manage some food and drink. Was planning on returning to work this week on reduced hours but agreed to take off another week. I would never work if I felt like this and it was non pregnancy related. Still absolutely exhausted and weak from it all. 13 weeks and hoping for a confined slow improvement.

TTCxox · 23/05/2023 18:50

Hi I hope you don’t mind me writing. I don’t even know if this forum is for me as I don’t have HG however I’m 6+3 and bang on 5 weeks I’ve been feeling really unwell and getting worse. I’ve pretty much been bed bound since last Monday and only leave bed when I need to shower or eat something. I don’t vomit but I’m nauseous all the time, weak / dizzy and I have horrible diarrhoea straight after I eat something. it’s like I have constant food poisoning (which I don’t bcos I keep a food diary and I’m careful). Luckily I work from home part time 3 days a week, I’m contemplating telling hr about my situation as I know they treat pregnancy sickness different to normal sickness. I just don’t want my manager to know so early on and I’ve had 3x losses prior to this pregnancy. It’s my sons bday in 2 weeks and then we go on holiday in 3 weeks which I’m really dreading. Im wanting to call my gp tomorrow and see if they can write a sick note so that we can show our travel insurance but I doubt they’ll cover for that . Urgh

LucindaE · 23/05/2023 22:30

TTCxox Welcome. It is possible to have Hyperemesis without vomiting. Anti-sickness medicines might help reduce the nausea; this varies between sufferers, and it is worth asking the GP for medication, and definitely, as below, for an anti- acid, which often helps the nausea. I am sorry about your three mc's. That is traumatic; one is bad enough. I do hope you can work something out about the holiday insurance. Here's my normal spiel, which I hope helps. Ignore the bits which don't apply. Most 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, frozen smoothie 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 (M and S has been recommende), 7Up, isotonic drinks, sips of strawberry orchocolate 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. Frozen apple juice has been recommended. 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 dry cereeal.
Seasidegirl11 Very sensible to stay off until you get a marked improvement. Don't rush back.
rubylink Sorry, missed your reply. That sounds so nice, as fresh air is really good for Hyperemesis.
Dinosaurus06 Promethazine often makes sufferers sleepy, but after a while, this can reduce a lot. Ten weeks is often the time of a hormonal surge.
Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked.

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LucindaE · 23/05/2023 22:31

Sorry, that's Dinosaurus86!

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OnNaturesCourse · 24/05/2023 11:35

Had my booking in appointment today.

I've lost weight - but don't know how much. I am normally between 12 and a half stone to 13ish stone. I am 11 stone 12 today. They aren't concerned as I'm still a healthy BMI and managing water - I guess if my weight hasn't improved much or got worse at my next appointment they will take more note.

Everything else looks OK thankfully.

Officially feel pregnant walking out with my blue folder of notes 😂

LucindaE · 24/05/2023 18:53

OnNaturesCourse Glad all was well.

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