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.

IHaveBeenFallingFor30Minutes Cross posted. Great advice. Sorry that it is hanging about a lot longer this time.

I rejoined a couple of months ago as we are TTC baby number 2 and I suffered in my first pregnancy.
After a 24 hour vomiting bug, I’m having second thoughts. I’m really not sure how I will survive and look after a toddler 😢
Does anyone have any advice? I’m a bit of a worrier so to be honest I’m really scared to see a line on a pregnancy test, but I’d also love a sibling for our little one xx

FTMworrier I can't answer your question from personal experience, as, to my regret, I didn't go for it again. I do know that those who have managed best have a good care medical strategy worked out with their doctor and a care plan worked out for their LO. I hope others will come on to advise.

Updated Due Dates list, after Worryant's happy news.

Due Dates

tigger2022 18 November
BalletN 25 November
greenerfingers 28 November
Watermelonbonnie 2 December
ElephantGrey101 29 December
buntywindermere 4 January
JessV12 4 January
Ballyboo1986 26 February
Melissa2023 4 April
Quinny2288 24 April
izzyroo92 27 May

@FTMworrier HG really is the pits. This is my second, with a nearly 12 year gap, so not sure how helpful my advice will be.

I have suffered for longer this time around than I did before but I do think that, had I put more pressure on my GP to start me on antiemetics from the moment that second line appeared, it might not have been as bad.

It is a mixed bag when you get the second line on the test and you know what you've got coming your way.

However, a big difference between this time and last time was that I was more vocal about what medication I needed and I ended up on steroids. They have their own side effects but I wasn't bed bound after 9 weeks and 2 hospital admissions. I came off them 3 weeks ago and have just been signed back off work for a bit so I can vouch they work!

I am not sure on the research regarding HG and subsequent pregnancies - hopefully someone will be able to come along with more experience as, just because I was worse, it doesn't mean you would be.

We have said no more after this one though - my poor OH wanted two (DS isn't his) but he's been my carer practically for the past 6 months!

I am sorry you're in this situation

Hi ftm. I've had 5 babies, had hg with all of them. Multiple admissions, fluids meds etc etc etc.

I'm currently pregnant with #6 and started cyclazine and omeprazole within a week of getting my positive test. I was fine for a good few weeks.

I then started to get sickness, so I started on ondansetron alongside the cyclazine and ondansetron and omeprazole.

I've had Zero admissions, or fluids. I'm 12 weeks now. I honestly cannot believe the difference in this pregnancy compared to my others. I've even managed to continue working (just missed 2 shifts due to sickness before I started the ondansetron).

Yes my diet is very restricted, and I'm currently only able to drink fresh Orange and can't eat in the evening, but i can't stress enough about speaking to your gp/midwife or whoever about getting a hood plan in place before pregnancy xx

Ok, so advice for me if possible?

I'm 12 weeks. Been on cyclazine and omeprazole for 7 weeks and ondansetron for about 3/4 weeks now.

This week I've stopped being able to eat in the evening, and if I do, I vomit.

I'm only taking 4mg of ondansetron 3x a day along with cyclazine, I'm wondering if I should start upping my ondansetron to 8mg to see if it helps in the evening?

@Okapi99 i found that adding a third medication in worked better than upping doses of the 2 I was on, but that might just be me! So I’m on Metaclopramide, Ondansetron and Cyclizine (and omeprazole) and that combo seems to help, although still being sick about 15 times a day, I’m keeping enough in to avoid hospital. Got a call with the consultant on Wednesday to look at other options.

Does anyone have experience of it going after 25 weeks? I’m starting to feel like it’s going to be like this all the way through and 5th March due date seems far away!

@FTMworrier I would recommend speaking to your gp before falling pregnant and getting a plan in place so that when you get a positive test, you can get medication immediately. Pregnancy sickness support have advice on how to approach this.
Do you have family nearby that can help? We are lucky in that grandparents have come round every morning to get my little boy to nursery for me.
I also got a second hand extra freezer and cooked 60 meals for my partner in advance so that he could eat them when I was at my worst and save his time for looking after me and my child. I also paid for a cleaner during my pregnancy. I justified it by the fact I wasn't spending any money on socialising or exercise for the whole pregnancy!

I'm due tomorrow so almost there.
Sending love to everyone struggling x

@FarmWife23 probably not want you to want to hear (sorry) but I am 29 weeks today and off sick from work again due to the horrendous nausea and heaving, though there hasn't been any actually vomiting. I was fine up until 26 weeks when I thought I was ready to come off the steroids so did.... That may have been a mistake but I can't go back on them - the side effects had become far too much and I can just about deal with nausea.

It is tough

Great advice for FTMworrier from Okabi99 (fifth, my goodness), FarmWife23, BalletN IHaveBeenFallingFor30Minutes and others. Great advice for each other, too.
Farmwife23 Fifteen times a day does seem a lot. Do you mean fifteen heaves (the way medics tend to count vomits) or fifteen separate sessions? If the latter, that's really grim, and I wonder you can keep hydrated. I do hope they can prescribe something that helps. There have been some on here who have improved very late on, after 25 weeks, and some who have improved much earlier but relapsed in the third tri - though fortuantely they didn't feel anything like as bad as they did earlier on, and all sorts of varients. One sufferer improved at 36 weeks.
BalletN All good luck for the birth. I'll be welcoming you into the legendary Pink Castle in no time. Good idea about a cleaner.
IHaveBeenFallingFor30Minutes Sorry to hear of the side effects getting too much and the relapse.

Due Dates

tigger2022 18 November
BalletN 25 November
greenerfingers 28 November
Watermelonbonnie 2 December
ElephantGrey101 29 December
buntywindermere 4 January
JessV12 4 January
Ballyboo1986 26 February
FarmWife23 5 March
Melissa2023 4 April
Quinny2288 24 April
izzyroo92 27 May

@LucindaE I’d say about 15 productive vomits in 3/4 sessions, plus a lot of dry retching before and after. I get a yogurt and my Metaclopramide down in the morning and go back to sleep which seems to help, and then generally vomit up lunch and dinner. Managed to keep some plain pasta down last night though, so feeling like a new woman today…hopefully it’s a sign that things are starting to improve, I’m pretty shattered.

@IHaveBeenFallingFor30Minutes No need to be sorry! I have sort of accepted it might just stick around now…I’m glad the steroids helped you and gave you a bit of a break, just sorry that it’s come back for you.

FarmWife23 That does sound violent, and I do hope that they can work out a more effective form of treatment, and that it eases off a bit soon.
I hope IHaveBeenFallingFor30Minutes and everyone is coping.

The festive season isn't the best time of year to suffer from Hyperemesis, but then, when is a good time to suffer from Hyperemesis? It's awful at midsummer, too. Cheering everyone on.

Hi was on here 8 years ago when I had HG with my DD, amazing that you're still here supporting women through these hard time LucindaE!

I'm about 8/9 weeks and definitely think I have HG again, thankfully the vomitting isn't as bad yet but I suffered more in the second trimester last time. Seems to be following the same pattern and the nausea and retching has been constant with sickness starting in the last few days. Started cyclizine as soon as I started feeling sick but it didn't seem to help so been moved onto promethazine but that just knocks me out so worried about coping. My daughter has had food poisoning this weekend so my partner has been left to handle that as couldn't help without being sick myself so feeling like a rubbish mum atm and worried how the next few weeks will go. I was signed off work last time and didn't have my daughter obviously to look after so worried about it impacting her, especially over Christmas as she doesn't know about the pregnancy yet.

Coffewithmyoxyg3n Welcome back. Thank you for your kind words. Sorry it has come back too. Now you are a veteran, you don't need my normal spiel about 'do get kesostix, as while they are not the best test of dehydration, hospitals do take their measurements seriously' and 'do coke, ice lollies and the juice of tinned fruit help' and 'a good anti acid can make a great differnce'. What meds helped you, if any, before?
There is a comparatively new anti-emetic, especially designed for use in pregnancy, called Xonvea. It has helped many here, but some doctors seem reluctant to prescribe it, I suppose due to expense. Have you got family and friends who can help with LO to give you rest, as that is as important as meds?
There have been previous sufferers on here who have found that with medication, things have gone better than they expected in a second pregnancy. Some have been lucky, in that the Hyperemesis has been less severe, perhaps partly due to early effective medication. Sympathies about your guilt feelings. After all, a sibling is a priceless gift, and your LO is of an age to be less scared if it is explained to her. There seem to be some good books on Hyperemesis for Lo's sale on amazon and other places now. The ones I have seen are picture books but I am sure there are some for older children.

Thanks ladies ❤️ I upped my ondansetron to 8mg morning and afternoon, with just 4 at night and I feel NORMAL! I've cooked, cleaned, moved back downstairs and become part of the family again!

Its actually baby number 6 I'm having lucinda. I was so scared when I got that first positive test this time, because of knowing what I was like with my others.

13 weeks today 🥰

Also wanted to pipe in - I am feeling slightly better . Acid reflux is ever present and certain thoughts can set me off - however 4 weeks ago I didn't see anything but the bathroom floor. I even made my toddler a meal yesterday .

( 13weeks currently )

Zaalfruit and Okapi99 Both thirteen weeks, and great news from each.
That is good. Effective medication can make all the difference between just battling through each day and living properly, as everyone knows on here.

Okapi99 Your sixth? My goodness, you deserve six medals!

It’s so great to hear people are doing well! :) and gives me lots of hope! My sickness is kept at bay by metoclopramide and cyclizine 3 times a day but still feeling very nauseous, particularly in the AM, and having lots of reflux so seeing the GP about starting omeprazole. Having said that I feel heaps better than when I was vomiting throughout the day! 8 weeks now and feeling hopeful that it will continue to come under control.

Really struggling today with my daughter being poorly as well atm. We've had matching sick bowls and watched many movies in bed. Thanks for the advise about the medication @LucindaE will mention it to the GP as I'm really struggling with the drowsiness from the medications offered so far, can't see how I am meant to be able to work when they just knock me out!

We got to the pink castle today. Beautiful baby boy born on his due date 🤲

@greenerfingers CONGRATULATIONS !! Hope you and baby boy are all good and well
done!

greenerfingers Wonderful news. So considerate of baby boy to arrive on his due date. Welcome to the Pink Castle: isn't the view wonderful from here?