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.

Thanks you @LucindaE i did and my husband out for some hard boiled sweets
yesterday but he came back with fruit pastilles and winegums 🙈 I am attempting going into work tomorrow so I will pick some up on my way.

@LucindaE that makes so much sense! I used to feel so nauseous when I tried breastfeeding both babies.

Ive just been retching and vomiting this morning so much and feeling nauseous...no one at the doctors is picking up...just took a cyclizine I had from last time...let's see what happens...

Chiming in to say boiled sweets helped a little this time, I had to try so many. And in the end was left with a bag full of different boiled sweets 😅. It helped for around a few weeks but would wear off as soon as the sweet finished. I preferred the after taste from the sweet to saliva any day. My first pregnancy I tried travel sweets which didn't work and gave up. This time my husband raided all the shops bless him.

I don't want to speak too soon but the cyclizine is working. I had it at 9 in the morning and was okay during the day dealing with fatigue and mild nausea. I've had it again at 8pm. I better phone the doctor tomorrow for more as I'll panic if I run out. I think the last time I decided to terminate I must have had a very very bad case of hyperemesis. 2 hours after taking the pill I felt like I had a hangover and had really bad thoughts about death. It maybe trauma from my last pregnancy. But after going out, resting and eating I'm okay. Please God I hope this is a cure.

heartbroken22 Fingers crossed Cyclizine is effective this time. Sorry you suffered from nausea with breast feeding hormones before.
I am glad that OH's are going out to buy sweets - Thumberline Oh dear, that he didn't get boiled sweets. greenerfingers It's a shame the travel sweets were no good last time.

I hope that everyone is coping today.

I have to go down to Buckinghamshire to visit my mother. I have been trying to contact a couple of people to call in on this thread, but if not, then I know everyone will do a great job in looking after each other.

...That wasn't clever of me. I meant to add I hope to be back on Sunday.

@LucindaE hope you have a good time xx

I've not been doing so well since last time I checked in. I'm not going to take cyclizine as it makes me so drowsy I have to sleep and my kids especially dd who is 1 gets frustrated and panicky. I've been taking b6 which kinda helps. I just need to make sure I have food in my stomach as soon as otherwise the nausea gets to me. Yesterday nights wasn't great I really wanted my pregnancy to end (I should be ashamed of myself I know) and then felt like was a hole in my stomach hurting. Then panicked when I woke up as to why I hadn't had morning sickness but the symptoms all came back in the afternoon. I'm okay right now I don't want anyone to worry. It's just telling someone how I feel helps.

Hi folks, thanks so much to @LucindaE for creating this thread - I felt so alone and awful with my first pregnancy (throwing up 5+ times a day, being told by midwives that it would stop in a few weeks and then it going on until 20 weeks, medication I was given doing nothing/making it worse, losing a lot of weight), that I was dreading doing it again, but reading the posts here is comforting.

Just found out I'm pregnant with no. 2 (3w+3, probably due around August 20th) and already have full blown nausea (generally stops if I eat something). My GP isn't doing booking appointments until 10-12 weeks, and I'm feeling really worried about the sickness kicking off big time before I get to that point and then there being a bunch of delays to try to get the sickness under control (e.g try a medicine for a couple of weeks, see if it improves, go back and try something different). Has anyone had any luck with getting GP appointments earlier with a history of bad sickness in pregnancy? I felt like I wasn't pushy enough last time round, and would quite like to get on top of it early on if possible. Thanks for any advice!

@Recoba Congrats on no 2. I spoke to my GP 3 days after finding out I was pregnant and got 2 types of anti sickness, didn’t have my booking appointment until 10 weeks. You don’t need to wait for it! I have a history of hyperemesis but I didn’t even need to mention that to be able to see the GP to be honest. Don’t wait, get on top of it asap!

Thanks @stewielouie, that's exactly the kind of thing I wanted to hear. Will get on the GP.

@LucindaE thank you so much for your ongoing support.

@heartbroken22 that’s how I feel on the meds - so sleepy . During my work hours I can’t take my meds - so the whole time at work I’m just gagging or vomiting . I think I’m going to try B6 . I can’t even look at good pics - that sets me off . Also really feeing for you - I hope you feel Better , also don’t be ashamed of how you feel. No one understands hg , better than others in this group. It’s an emotional and physical roller coaster .

@Recoba Congratulations on the baby news ! you don’t need to have your booking in appointment - just tell the doctors what you need. I got my meds from 3 weeks . ( For me this is the first time I’m experiencing sickness like this ) Also it really bugs me when midwives are dismissive . Makes me so angry 😡

@Zaalfruit thank you so much xx I've reached out to pregnancy support on WhatsApp today hopefully I will get help tomorrow. I also took cyclizine before bed which helped. I hope this gets easier. I know week 9 is hard.

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to reach out for a bit of support. I am 9 weeks into my third pregnancy and at the very edge of being able to function. I was prescribed cyclizine by the doctor which worked for a couple of days and then stopped. has anyone else had this happen? I now just have the fuzzy side effects without the relief 😥

I took Ondansetron in my last pregnancy but the doctor won’t prescribe it to me in first trimester. My husband is working abroad for the next 10 days and I honestly don’t know how I’m going to look after my children. Everything seems to make me retch, even putting on certain clothes or a sudden change in temperature like going out into the cold.

Sorry, I just felt like I needed to put this out there. It’s so hard for others to understand.

Hi @chj17 sorry you find yourself here 💐 It must be so difficult for you parenting solo. Are you able to try any other medication?
How old are your children? Are you able to call in any babysitting favours?
I am only around 8 weeks and wondering how I will get through the rest of the first trimester. My doctors were great at first but three failed medications later and they have stopped responding. I’m tempted to go to A&E for fluids and the antisickness injection when my daughter is at the childminders on Monday to hope it gives me a boost to be able to function slightly better.

Sorry to everyone still struggling, I'm 9 weeks now and the sickness has been terrible the last 2 weeks in particular. My. GP thankfully has been lovely and when I went Thursday after an awful day with sickness and feeling low Wednesday, he really fought for me to be admitted into hospital for support. Had an injection of prochlorparazine which was amazing and gave me some relief, still being sick on the tablet version but only 2-3 times a day instead of 10+ and even went out for dinner tonight which was amazing as haven't left the safety of the bed or sofa with my sick bowl in weeks. I know my sickness was worst between weeks 10-18 with my daughter but hopeful that this will keep the worst at bay.

Hi @chj17 that sounds really tough and totally understandable about not being able to function - being this sick is absolutely debilitating. In my first pregnancy I had similar issues with cyclizine, tried something else (can't remember the name) for a while which didn't work (and made things worse), and then went back on cyclizine. My experience was that cyclizine was fine for taking the edge off the nausea when it wasn't too bad, but when I was in the full grip of sickness it didn't help at all. I think with Ondansetron there's a slightly increased risk of a cleft palate when used in the first trimester, which is why some GPs are less keen to prescribe it - I don't know whether you can try seeing another GP and see if they'll prescribe it for you? Is it possible that your husband can cancel his work trip - is he aware of how sick you are? Really hope you can find some relief, either from friends or family, and please don't feel you need to apologise for posting - this is exactly what this thread is for.

@Thumberline, that's rubbish that your doctors have stopped responding, so sorry to hear that. It can be really hard to summon up the energy to chase about it as well when you're so sick. Have you had your booking appointment yet, so that you can get the midwives to chase the GP on your behalf for different meds?

@Coffeewithmyoxyg3n really glad that the injection helped and that your GP has been so supportive! Fingers crossed that continues to help and you get to enjoy more dinners in the future!

I've just hit 4 weeks and nausea still present, though currently manageable with strategic cracker eating (only slightly tempted to run a sweepstakes with my husband for how many weeks I can get to before being sick!). I also remembered that last time Japanese pickled plums (umeboshi) somewhat helped so trying those again.

Hi all..
I am currently pregnant, I had a miscarriage in oct, I’m around 8 weeks now, usually my hyperemesis would be in full swing by now (in my two successful pregnancies) this time I feel nauseous but I’m not physically being sick, or if I am sick, it’s once every few days kinda thing, I seem to be dry retching a lot, I’m of course worrying that there’s something wrong as there’s no real sickness but I did have a scan at 6+3 and everything looked good!

has anyone had this before? I actually think I feel worse this time around feeling nauseous all of the time, it’s like when you have a hangover, room spinning kind of nausea.

also what is this dry retching all about?? I feel sick then I can just retch and retch and nothing comes up, I’ve got such a sore throat from it, I know I shouldn’t really be complaining as I know what HG is like and at least I am able to eat and drink some bits etc.

Back home. Welcome to Rebcoba, chj17 and Mamaoftwooo. You have already had great advice from Thumberline, Stewielouie, Zaalfruit and others. As you are veterans, you don't need my normal spiel about 'have you got kesostix, as while they're not the best test of dehydration, hospitals do take their measurements seriously' ' 'a good anti acid can make a big difference to the nausea' and 'do full sugar, coke, ice lollies, and the juice of tinned fruit can make a big difference' etc. Mamaoftwooo I am sorry about your miscarriage. Every pregnancy being different, given your encouraging early scan, it may well be that you are not gong to suffer as badly in this one. Violent retching is very unpleasant. stewielouie The retching at work sounds awful.Does Xonvea make you as sleepy as the other meds? Coffeewithmyoxyg3n I am glad that the GP has been helpful and that the vomiting episodes are reduced. heartbroken22 I'm glad that you got into contact with Pregnancy Sickness Support and hopefully they will soon be able to give good advice. Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked.

Hello ladies, thank you to everyone who sent me messages of hope a few weeks ago. I did in fact have a sickness bug, but I am now pregnant, I’m excited but more scared to be honest. My little one is two this week and he is reaching the challenging stage to say the least 🤦🏻‍♀️
I have had medication prescribed today but the doctor specifically said that I shouldn’t take it unless I start to feel nauseous or start being sick. Obviously that goes against all of the advice and evidence from pregnancy sickness support 🤷🏻‍♀️🤯 so I feel very confused! Any advice or experience from people who have taken pre-emotive meds?

FTMworrier Congratulations. Wishing you all luck and I hope someone who can advise better about when to take pre-emptive meds comes on soon to advise.

So I spoke to a very empathetic doctor today who prescribed Ondansetron today, how long does it need to work? I took one this evening but still gagging and retching and no appetite.
He also referred me for an urgent blood test to check my thyroid, he seemed to think that excessive sickness in pregnancy can be related to that taking in to consideration my low BMI. So I feel hopeful I have been listened to if nothing else.