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Pregnancy

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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frenchie230 · 03/06/2023 11:17

@LucindaE thank you for your wonderful advice, it’s helped me greatly

Has anyone some advice on gaining strength after long periods of bed rest? I have been in bed for almost 8 weeks now and can barely walk for 5 minutes without feeling faint. I know it will take time and I don’t want to risk getting more nauseous again by overdoing it. Perhaps there are some simple exercises to do in bed?

LucindaE · 03/06/2023 19:56

frenchie230 I am glad the advice was useful. It's an odd thing; I have seen various exercises that youcan do sitting down,and none for lying down. I do hope someone else can think of some suitable in early pregnancy.

OP posts:
LucindaE · 03/06/2023 19:58

frenchie230 I know there are for instance, pelvic raises which you can do with bent knees, raising the pelvis for a count of ten, and suchlike, but I don't know if they count as suitable in pregnancy.

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LucindaE · 04/06/2023 21:16

frenchie230 I looked online, and the combination of exercises that you can do in bed, and exercises that you can do with Hyperemesis, just doesn't give any results. It might be worth aksing the midwife, or failing that, Pregnancy Sickness Support on 024 7638 2020, as I think yours is a great idea.

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Pastaf0rbreakfast · 04/06/2023 21:34

Evening all!

I found out this morning that I am expecting baby number 2!

This thread helped a lot in my previous pregnancy, and although I’m hoping with everything I have that I will be one of the few women who escape sickness in a second pregnancy, I wondered if there is anything I should do to be prepared?

Last time I think I started being very sick around 6 weeks, meds around 7 weeks, and was able to wean off meds at about 30 weeks. Was sick a couple of times after that but very manageable.

I’m currently only 4 weeks pregnant but also breastfeeding my 21 month old, not sure if that will impact what meds I can take?

Thank you for your wisdom and support!

Inmydreams88 · 05/06/2023 16:00

I've been sick for about 4 weeks now, currently 9 weeks pregnant. Some days I am not sick at all, I just constantly feel nauseous. Other days I'm sick after every meal.

I haven't been to work, cooked or cleaned my house in weeks, I can barely brush my teeth (massive trigger for gagging) or wash my hair (the smell of the shampoo).

I have no appetite whatsoever. There is no relief when I'm eating, I have to force myself to eat small amounts but I do not feel better when I'm eating or after I've eaten. My husband has given up asking what I want because there is nothing he could get for me that I would actually want to eat. When my husband calls me for dinner I've started to become upset at the thought of having to eat.

I was drinking a lot of water in the beginning (forcing myself) but I can't bare the thought of drinking it at the moment so all I am drinking is fizzy coke zero (has to be from a can) and tiny sips of water when I can. The coke makes me burp a lot, even more than I was, but strangely makes me feel slightly better??

I've also started having some hip pain when I sleep on my sides at night, I am so early on in my pregnancy I didn't expect to be having all these symptoms so soon. I feel like this is going to be such a difficult pregnancy for me and I have to admit I'm feeling slightly depressed, which alongside my extreme health anxiety is hard for me.

I've tried Cyclizine which didn't do anything for me, the week I took it I was actually sick a lot more. I've been prescribed Metoclopramide recently but apprehensive to take it due to some side effects I've read about on here. I have health anxiety. Anyone have any thoughts on Metoclopramide?

LucindaE · 05/06/2023 20:55

Pasta0forbreakfast Welcome. Sorry you are apprehensive about suffering again. Some do escape. Many find that with early treatment, it is easier to cope with, but having an LO does make it difficult to rest. Have you got help from family/friends when OH is at work? I think you definitely need to get an early appointment to ask for safe pre emptive meds. Realistically, what with problems keeping hydrated it can be too much for sufferers to keep on b/f ing. Do ask which meds are safe for b/fing. Pregnancy Sickness Support might be able to advise you better while you wait for an appointment on 024 7638 2020.
Inmydreams88 Welcome. Sorry you are suffering. There is lots support on here. It's interesting that you find diet coke helpful, as it seems to be the sugar which makes the non diet coke helpful. I gather that Metoclopramide can cause twitchiness in some mothers (not the babies) and for that reason, some doctors are wary of prescribing it long term, but if you don't have that symptom,many have found it very helpful. It might be worth mentioning your anxiety to the midwife or doctor, as counselling might be on offer. The early stages are very depressing. 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.

OP posts:
Rohise · 06/06/2023 10:07

Hello. New to the thread here so lots of readings to do of the previous posts.

im 14 weeks 5 days pregnant and suffering with n and v. I could keep some liquid and food down but id say only about 20-30% But thats the trouble, i think im on the moderate side thats why people dont take me seriously. Im not too dehydrated enough to warrant an admission but im suffering all the same. Im really at the end of my strength and wits.

ive been off sick for 5 weeks now, and i really do hope to go back to work next week so i can feel a little human. However, i am still sick and couldn’t really drink more than a litre each day, (plus some of which i vomit in the end).

i have tried cyclizine. Prochlorperazine, metoclopramide, promethazine. Some of them make me sleepy and most of them i am still sick after 2-3 hours of eating.
i am curreNtly on ondansetron, which i would sat has been the ‘better’ one. It has reduced my vomiting from at least 3x a day to 1-2x

i know it wont completely go away the vomiting, but if at least i could keep down 50% of my foods.

also would it be a wise move to go back to work next week? (I am a theatre nurse) Or just wait until 16 weeks and see if the vomiting settle? Or am i gonna be like sick all throughout of my pregnancy?

any support would be greatly appreciated, as this is the first time in my life that i have lost the capacity to take care of myself.

QueenBee22 · 06/06/2023 19:56

@Rohise sorry to hear you are having such a tough time. Hyperemesis is awful and just because you don't need hospital admission doesn't mean you aren't suffering.

I wouldn't even consider going back to work until you stop vomiting. Especially as a nurse, I imagine it must be difficult to leave work if you need to vomit or are feeling very nauseous.

Everyone is different. My vomiting stopped at 16 weeks but the nausea never went fully, I am 30 weeks now. On my last pregnancy I vomited until 18 weeks. There's no guarantee that your vomiting will last for all your pregnancy and even if it does, it will hopefully ease the further along you are.

I found when the meds weren't doing much the only thing that gave me any relief was to sleep. I would eat a small amount, then have a nap and it would stay down. It might be worth a try.

Rohise · 06/06/2023 20:33

@QueenBee22 thanks. Ill discuss withy gp and see more sick leave

LucindaE · 06/06/2023 20:45

Rohise Welcome. Sorry you are suffering. I so agree with QueenBee22*, please don't rush back to work, particularly as a nurse, until you feel a lot more normal. I am glad Ondansetron is helping a fair bit. Have you been prescribed a laxative, as so many suffer from constipation with Ondansetron. Rest is as important as meds in keeping the symptoms at bay. There is lots of support on here. Here is 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.
QueenBee22 Great advice. I am glad things have improved a bit,though sorry it has never wholly resolved.

OP posts:
Kxx · 06/06/2023 23:10

Hi everyone,

Ive followed this thread in various forms through out my previous pregnancies. I am now on my forth child (please dont ask why I keep doing this to my self). I feel like this time round is the worst ive ever felt.

I am really struggling with my mental health. I cant eat or drink anything. Even if I force myself to, it hurts. Has anyone experienced this before? Pain after eating? Also I been coughing up blood (streaks of it), is this normal? Ive researched and it states that it may be a tear in the oesophageal region.

what medications or anything have seemed to help everyone the most? In my previous pregnancies nothing has helped so wondering if im missing anything?

Mamash · 07/06/2023 13:31

Hi, I'm new here...
So good to know there is a support thread
I'm 11 weeks+ due on the 22nd of December.
This is my second pregnancy and my second HG experience. The first experience was at the peak of the lockdown in 2020 so I wasn't taken seriously by doctors. It was a horrible experience.
We've now moved to a village and the doctors here are fantastic! I was in hospital and was kept in overnight in week 6 due to high ketone level in my urine and intense vomiting... I've been on anti sick tablets since then. Initially cyclizine and prochlo... (never get it right). And then it was changed to Ondasentron; I requested for this to be changed after I read about the risk associated with it and so I'm now on Xonvea.
I've been off work since I was 6 weeks gone as I am super week and in bed all day! I still have bouts of retching, can only eat a tiny bit, not had water in 6 weeks so I depend on a few cups of mint tea for hydration. And the saliva? It is so bad and just the taste and smell of that makes me sick too... I'm hoping the symptoms start to ease out in the next few weeks.
Thanks so much for creating this thread

LucindaE · 07/06/2023 19:36

Welcome to Kxx and Mamash. As you are both veterans, you don't need my normal spiel about hospitals taking kesostix measurements seriusly, and flat full sugar coke and an anti acid. Kxx Well, I think you deserve a medal for bravery. Many on here have been helped by Xonvea or Ondansetron (the risk with Ondansetron is very low, but Mamash's concern is fully understandable). Do ask the doctor about the possibility of a tear, though if the blood is red and therefore fresh, and there is only a bit of it, the chances are it is probably from the throat. The pain is probably from the stomach muscles, but it is worth asking to have it investigated to make sure. I've added your date.
Mamash I am glad you are getting better treatment this time. The isolation must have been awful during the lockdown. The saliva is awful; thankfully, it does seem to subside later on. Many spit into a small bowl. Wishing you both an improvement.

Due Dates

heartbroken22 6 July
charlotte1256 16 July
PumpkinDart 17 July
mallowmoon93 22 Jul
Yoga817 7 August or 28 August TWINS!
Wrenegade 15 August
Roxster 31 August
Improbablecat 13 October
Bunda 19 October
Ambern7 10 November
Dinosaurus86 15 December
OnNaturesCourse 18 December
Kxx 22 December

OP posts:
Rohise · 07/06/2023 21:16

Hello, got another week off sick. Also on ondansetron + cyclizine regime. Gotta watch out for constipation as well. Hopefully this does the trick.

OnNaturesCourse · 08/06/2023 00:00

Due date moved to 15th December after a successful 12 week scan today 😁

Still very nauseous, full of heartburn and discomfort but feels a bit easier today now knowing little bean is growing well

LucindaE · 08/06/2023 13:08

OnNaturesCourse Congratulations on your happy scan results. I'll change
your date.
Rohise I'm glad you got those meds.

Due Dates

heartbroken22 6 July
charlotte1256 16 July
PumpkinDart 17 July
mallowmoon93 22 Jul
Yoga817 7 August or 28 August TWINS!
Wrenegade 15 August
Roxster 31 August
Improbablecat 13 October
Bunda 19 October
Ambern7 10 November
Dinosaurus86 15 December
OnNaturesCourse 15 December
Kxx 22 December

OP posts:
LucindaE · 09/06/2023 19:51

Cheering everyone on.

OP posts:
QueenBee22 · 09/06/2023 20:31

What are people's experiences with taking iron tablets and having hyperemesis?

I have been advised to take these but told they will probably upset my stomach. I am nauseous as it is and don't want to get any worse.

evuscha · 09/06/2023 20:35

QueenBee22 · 09/06/2023 20:31

What are people's experiences with taking iron tablets and having hyperemesis?

I have been advised to take these but told they will probably upset my stomach. I am nauseous as it is and don't want to get any worse.

My Dr told me not to bother with any prenatals if they make me more sick. So I haven’t had any since 6 weeks. 17 weeks today and my second trimester bloodwork came back completely normal!

QueenBee22 · 09/06/2023 20:37

Thanks @evuscha

My iron has come back low in my bloods so I think I might have to take it but nervous enough!

evuscha · 09/06/2023 20:39

QueenBee22 · 09/06/2023 20:37

Thanks @evuscha

My iron has come back low in my bloods so I think I might have to take it but nervous enough!

Ohh yeah. Fingers crossed it isn’t too bad!
To be fair I don’t know if it was specifically iron making me nauseous - I never tried taking that separately, just in the general prenatals.

Peanutbutter7 · 09/06/2023 21:34

QueenBee22 · 09/06/2023 20:31

What are people's experiences with taking iron tablets and having hyperemesis?

I have been advised to take these but told they will probably upset my stomach. I am nauseous as it is and don't want to get any worse.

My personal experience is that it hasn’t made the sickness any worse but I know it can for some people.
With regards to stomach issues, there’s so many different iron tablets and of course NHS often do prescribe the cheapest which I’ve found are very harsh on the stomach. So if you try them and they don’t work well for you, definitely go back and ask for an alternative.
That’s just my experience but hope it helps.

LucindaE · 10/06/2023 19:12

QueenBee22^ You've already had great advice from evuscha and Peanutbutter7*
about their experiences with iron tablets. Some find that the NHS type do make the vomiting worse, I certainly did, and it is intriguingto hear that you can get more digestible types. Some on here have found the liquid form bearable.

OP posts:
Roxster · 11/06/2023 08:40

Hi all just to give you a little update, I am now 28 weeks so feel like the end is in sight. We took a holiday last week, I was really nervous because although my symptoms are manageable now you never know if you are over doing it. I had a couple of days of feeling sick so just stayed back at the villa or had a nap and let the others carry on. Overall though I felt much better out there relaxing in the sun. So if you are considering a break it might do you some good.

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