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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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FarmWife23 · 16/11/2022 21:02

@Zaalfruit I’m sorry you’re having such a rough time of it - in my first pregnancy it was the Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit that ended up helping me more than the GP, so if you have something like that at your hospital it’s definitely worth getting in touch direct. In my experience it can take some pushing to get help when you are feeling dehydrated but not yet showing ketones (or in your case, not even being able to test for them because you’re peeing so little?!), but do try as even just getting rehydrated and getting more specialist help with the antiemetics can make a huge difference. I also found that once it was in my notes that I was being so unwell, I was much quicker in getting help when I needed it again later (although I have everything crossed for you that your sickness will fade!!)

@gg9320 I’m so sorry you’re feeling so rotten, again if the GP isn’t helpful then it’s worth contacting the Early Pregnancy Unit or midwife if you’re able to get in touch with them direct. Sometimes with GPs it can take a bit of work to get them to take it seriously, but if you go in armed with as much info as possible about frequency of vomiting/retching/peeing and what colour that pee is, what food and liquid you’re trying (and then how much you’re losing) then that can help encourage them to give you antiemetics. I also told work early on and ended up working reduced/more flexible hours as being tired and stressed definitely made it worse, I’m not sure if that’s an option for you, but if your employer is approachable it might be worth making them aware.

gg9320 · 17/11/2022 07:42

Thanks so much @LucindaE and @FarmWife23 for the advice - I have found I can self-refer to my local EPAU so waiting ready to call the minute they open 😂I hope they can start me on some non-oral meds because I just can’t keep anything down for longer than 20 mins at the moment- I feel like a husk! Big thank you again to everyone x

IHaveBeenFallingFor30Minutes · 17/11/2022 12:38

@gg9320 it is probably better to go to A&E now if you have no luck with the EPU.

When I was vomiting constantly over summer the GP nor the EPU could help and I had to go through A&E to be admitted for fluids and IV anti sickness meds.

I was subsequently started on steroids as well by a Consultant so, if you don't get on with anti sickness drugs in the first instance, keep pushing for what does work for you. I had to ask for the steroids as a last resort.

gg9320 · 17/11/2022 13:52

Thank you @IHaveBeenFallingFor30Minutes yeah the EPU called back this morning and said they couldn’t help even though they spoke about HG on their website. I then called my GP and managed to get an urgent appt. They did the ketones check and blood pressure and both were rubbish so referred me to gynae at the hospital which is 2 mins walk up the road luckily. They’ve got me on the hyperemesis pathway, feeling so relieved to be here and to get some help!

IHaveBeenFallingFor30Minutes · 17/11/2022 15:38

That is great news @gg9320 and I hope you start to feel some relief soon.

I am really jealous that you have a specific Hyperemesis pathway at your hospital! I wish they would roll these out more widely because it sounds like it's wonderful and I'm so glad you didn't have to suffer even more by waiting in A&E for ages.

Don't be afraid to push them if the first line of meds doesn't work Smile

Zaalfruit · 17/11/2022 16:53

So I have been given a new med that’s meant to help with the sickness . I really feel like they aren’t taking it seriously- the nurse basically made it out - as your bmi is 29.5 and your on the verge of obese . It’s sometimes happens . I’m so over everything - all I want is to feel okay . 😢

However I was placed on a drip last night after ketone testing . it felt awful and I felt so guilty as my daughter was crying for me .

Literally the only positive thing is my manager has been a godsend - she’s been okay with me taking time of work .

LucindaE · 17/11/2022 20:11

gg9320 I am so glad that you have had your ketones tested and are on a 'Hyperemesis pathway'.
Zallfruit That is good news that you were given fluids. While there is supposedly a link between a high BMI and Hyperemesis, many sufferers have a normal or low one, so it isn't as cut and dried as the nurse made out.
Great advice from FarmWife and IHaveBeenFallingFor30Minutes.

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Pregnantandknackered · 18/11/2022 12:04

Hello, I messaged on this thread back on the summer when i was really struggling, seeing everyone’s messages helped so much. I’m 30 weeks now and sickness did get so much better for a few months, and I was able to work and pretty much function normally! Unfortunately in the last few days it seems to have come back with a vengeance, I’m not vomiting but I’m feeling extremely nauseous and struggling to eat. Im wondering if it’s because all my organs are getting squished as feeling quite big now! I’m still on Xoneva and 10mg omperzole, I feel very heart burny and sick so I’m wondering if it’s worth asking the GP can up my dose of omperzole. Has anyone had anything similar or know if I can take more than 10mg?

Pregnantandknackered · 18/11/2022 12:05

Sorry I should have said my username back in summer was Nelly040, I changed it and can’t seem to manage to change it back!

Zaalfruit · 18/11/2022 12:24

@Pregnantandknackered i have been given 20mg Omperzole - however I’m on the early stages of my pregnancy and you are on your third trimester so I am not 100 percent sure . However it’s always worth a ask to the gp .

Also you have given me hope it does get better .

simplythequest · 18/11/2022 17:05

@Pregnantandknackered I've been on omeprazole for a while and was more recently put onto 40mg a day (over 2 doses), which is apparently the maximum dose. Its worth trying to get it increased, because once I did, my HG meds seemed to work a lot better.

Pregnantandknackered · 18/11/2022 19:22

Thank you @Zaalfruit and @simplythequest, have put an e consult in so fingers crossed they increase my dose! @Zaalfruit it does get so much better, I gradually started to be able to function more and more, even now with it coming back it’s not as bad as the first trimester. Hope everyone is holding up ok

LucindaE · 18/11/2022 21:18

Pregnantandknackered or Nelly040 - I am so glad that you got a lot better and found this thread useful early on. Sorry it has come back. It does seem to for some unlucky sufferers, but fortunately, as you say, it doesn't seem to come back as badly as earlier on. Great advice from Zaalfruit and Simplythequest about anti acids. I hope you get relief if you increase them.

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LucindaE · 19/11/2022 18:17

I hope everyone is surviving today...

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greenerfingers · 19/11/2022 22:04

@Pregnantandknackered mine came back a similar time and I think it was just hormones and baby's position as it eased off in 2-3 weeks again, was so random. I still get random off days but again there's usually a trigger rather than like the constant sickness in first trimester.

I'm due in under 2 weeks and sooo done. Cannot wait for the light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you @LucindaE for having this thread as a lifeline for HG sufferers.

LucindaE · 20/11/2022 19:55

greenerfingers I am glad that it has eased off again for you. These hormonal surges are a menace. I am so glad, too, that this thread has been helpful. Cheering you on as you approach the fabled Pink Castle...

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Zaalfruit · 20/11/2022 19:59

Does anyone else’s throat and inside just feel like it’s on fire constantly?

timotam · 20/11/2022 20:42

8 weeks and joining this thread after an awful past couple of weeks! I've been put on Prochlorperazine which is helping me not feel so sick, and allowing me to eat a bit more, but still feeling sick pretty much 24/7 and throwing up several times a day. Only been on the tablets for a few days though so not sure how long to try them for before trying something else?!

Think I'm struggling the most with it mentally. It's just the waking up every morning knowing I'm going to be feeling sick and awful for pretty much the whole day and there's not much that makes it better Sad struggling with work too but also feel bad taking any time off. It's nice to have a thread to vent too, hope everyone is getting on ok (as can be!)

Theawkwardblonde · 20/11/2022 21:58

Thank you for the welcomes and advice.
I've had a bad few days with today being a peak day of vomiting. It's usually around ten times a day but today has been after everything I've consumed, including water. Can't shake the awful sick tummy feeling and feeling quite down this evening.
I'm not seeing the midwife until a week Tuesday. Just feeling a tad sorry for myself, and the Prochlorperazine I was prescribed isn't helping in the slightest.

Theawkwardblonde · 20/11/2022 22:00

Should add I was due to see midwife this week in the hope of prescribing different meds but that appointment was bumped back so now I'm stuck again.

LucindaE · 21/11/2022 19:00

timotam Welcome. Sorry you are suffering. It is a dismal illness and very isolating. Try not to fret about work; there is no point in going in until you are feeling a lot better as rest is as essential as meds. Most sufferers on here have to take off a while from work unless they have it very mildly. Do ask if you could try another anti-emetic. There is Xonvea, which has helped several on here, but I think it might be fairly expensive, as some doctors are reluctant to prescribe it, though it was developed specifically for pregnancy sickness. I wonder if an anti acid might help? Here is my normalo spiel, which I hope might be useful. 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 or 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 and dry cereeal.

Zaalfruit The throat can get really sore, and sometimes, bleed a bit. Some find gargling a weak solution of salt y tepid water relieves it, but others find that nauseating. On top of everything else, there is a nasty virus going about with a sore throat as the main symptom. I hope you've avoided that.
Theawkwardblonde That is a long time to wait for effective meds. Might an anti acid help you, as well? Also, Pregnancy Sickness Support on 024 7638 2020 might be able to advise how to get them earlier. They will have to ring you back, but their advice is generally excelllent.
Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked...

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Zaalfruit · 22/11/2022 10:52

@LucindaE thank you - I tried the salt water thing . It made me gag 😳😳

Been given prochlorperazine 10mg three times a day - but it’s making me so tired , which is hard with work and the toddler .

To everyone on this group - we all understand how lonely having hg is . It’s something which is brushed under the rug and when you tell people you aren’t feeling great - they just say it’s normal pregnancy but it’s not - it’s not physically exhausting but mentally exhausting and so hard to see the light . However reading the positive messages here - really help . So I just want to say thank you .

simplythequest · 22/11/2022 16:48

Hi everyone. I gave to second @Zaalfruit's thanks to this thread. Its been so good to read through and feel less alone!

I'm approaching the 20 week mark this week and find myself wondering. It has been a week now since j have been physically sick, which is a relief! I'm still feeling nauseous a lot of the time, more so both before and after eating. However, the lack of vomiting has given me a little hope that I may see an improvement longer term (just in time for Christmas!). I've also managed a full week back in work without having to go home early!

I put a lot of the improvements I've seen over the last month down to the medication I'm on (cyclizine, ondansetron and omeprazole), but I've been wondering about when/if I'll be able to come off them. Getting hold of a doctor can be really difficult due to the way my GP practice is run, especially with my job.

While I do want and intend to speak to them at some point jn the near future, I was wondering what people's experience with coming off the medication has been? Am I being overly optimistic? Should I wait a bit longer before trying to come off them? Should I just carry on with them and wait until April when I give birth?

IHaveBeenFallingFor30Minutes · 22/11/2022 20:16

@simplythequest I can only speak from personal experience, but I have just managed to control the meds based on how I feel. I tapered the steroids off and I'm now on 3 ondansetron and 2 cyclizine a day at nearly 29 weeks. I really want to drop my last cyclizine of the day but I won't do this until the nausea in the morning eases off, if it ever will before I have the baby.

Only drop doses when you feel ready. With my DS, who is nearly 12, I was only on 1 prochlorperazine a day in the morning from about 20 weeks. I've found it frustrating I'm still on so many meds and still feeling rubbish.

Don't worry about staying on meds until birth if you feel you have to Smile

LucindaE · 22/11/2022 21:03

Zaalfruit Oh dear, sorry about the salt water: you don't need any extra retching.
I know that green stuff, Difflan is good for pain relief for a sore throat, but I don't know if one is allowedt o have it in pregnancy. Many women find that Prochlorperazine makes them tired at first, and then it improves. It must be really hard, though, with a toddler.
Simplythe quest Congratulations on a week back at work. Don't rush off the meds. Taper off them s-l-o-w-l-y is what the women on here always say. It is good that you feel better now, because many find that the hormonal surge round the 20 week mark can cause a temporary relapse. These hormonal surges are a menace...
I am so glad that sufferers find this thread helpful.

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