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.

Hi all, I’ve finally reached the other side. My beautiful boy came 11 days early yesterday! Very painful but incredibly quick birth. Got to hospital at 5:15am and he was out by 6:43am! Not only did I suffer with HG but also PGP, indigestion constipation, low iron and UTI’s. It was horrendous from start to finish, and there were many times that I thought I wouldn’t be able to continue. Me and my partner even discussed other options. My mental health was also not good throughout, but I had amazing support from the peri-natal mental health team. This thread was so good through some of my darkest days, ideas and support from everyone. Those who are at the start of their journey it does get better and they are so worth it! You are stronger than you think! Lots of love to everyone.

I'm back with sad news. Mother died on Tuesday morning of pneumonia and a heart attack. She was elderly and frail, while my father died in middle age, but in some ways, losing a parent after having them so long is harder.Now for the tasks dealing with arranging the funeral, selling the estate, probate, etc.
It is also the end of an era, somehow. Also, my husband's own health problems associated with a back condition that has developed over the last few years are worse, and I have had to take over many of the things that he used to do.
I have thought for some time that I should pass my role as Mother Hen over to someone younger and more in touch with modern treatments for Hyperemesis, etc. After all, my daughter is now in her late twenties. I think now is the time I pass these threads over to somone else,or perhaps a group of you working togeher, if you wish to continue them. I am glad they have helped sufferers over the years.
This isn't because I no longer care, as I do, but because things have changed and I am having to cut back on many activities. Thankfully, while it may not seem like it, the attitudes of medics towards Hypeemesis are much more enlightened than they were when I started these threads about thirteen years ago. Thank goodness, GP's no longer usually withold meds until a woman has been admitted.
I am sure that it will be easy for you younger women with your ease with IT to create a new thread should you wish to , when this runs out at 1,000 posts, and link it to the old and all the rest of it (I often messed up thosed links). It only remains for me to wish you all the best as courageous women who always help each other, to say 'This Too Must Pass' and to note Roxster's happy news and congratulate her. Bless you all.

@LucindaE oh my lovely friend I am so so sorry to read this.
From the bottom of my heart I am so sorry, you're such a lovely person and I'm sure your mum would have been.

If you need to talk or if I can help in any way, please let me know.

Massive hugs 💐💐💐

Thank you @LucindaE for all your support. We are so sorry for your loss. We will miss you truly and i cant just thank you enough for all your support

So sorry to hear about your Mum @LucindaE
Thanks for starting these threads and managing them so well. I wish you all the best with everything ahead of you and also pray that your husbands health gets better.

Thanks once again

Hi all, I'm a long time lurker on these threads and finally feel like I have a bit of energy to be able to join, if you'll have me!

I'm 24+2 and due December 18th. This is our first pregnancy - and quite possibly last as its been pretty miserable for the duration.

Sickness started at around 6 weeks, various medications tried, all helpful hints and tips on these threads tried to varying degrees of success, hospital stays for fluids and I am finally seeing some improvements on Xonvea. Although reading the threads make me increasingly worried that maybe I shouldn't be on it.

I have mostly good days now where I am able to work. Albeit I do find myself bed bound again today with no obvious reason for it returning with a vengeance. I thought I had finally turned a corner but I forgot to order my medication in time a couple of weeks ago leaving me without for two days. Vomiting returned after 24 hours and took a week to get back to feeling semi human again. I won't be making that mistake again.

I look forward to being able to offer a hand hold and also receive support from you lovely lot. Thankfully I have a wonderfully supportive husband and family around to take the burden of every day life off 💛

@LucindaE I'm so dreadfully sorry to have just caught sight of your previous message.
While you may not have been aware, reading your supportive messages to other women throughout these 24 weeks has helped me massively.

9 weeks now and can't look at myself in the mirror.Look so aged ,hair not washed for 2 weeks.GP put me on cyclizine which made me insomniac. Awake whole night that I binned whole pack.My 16 months old and 4 years old suffering enormously with lack of attention from me.Gladly my 13 years old helps a lot.All 3 girls and its last pregnancy wishing for a boy .

Hi everyone. Hope you don't mind me jumping in. I'm pregnant with my second, second time I've experienced HG.With my first I had no support or info and it was unmanaged the whole way through. Really thought it might be different this time as I was proactive and went armed with info and demanded the meds. I've been on ondansetron since week 9, now week 13 and felt like it was becoming manageable but this week it's totally debilitating again. Sick all day long. I have a 3 year old and I'm missing so much with him, really feel like I wouldn't have done this again had I known I wouldn't be able to get it under control like last time :(

@Bunnymummy89 oh dear i can only imagine. This is my first pregnancy and first hg. So the plus side is no other kid to look after. Are there other family members who can look after and support the toddler for a bit?

a lot of women here also seek support and info from pregnancy sickness support. They have a phone line that you could ring regarding advice.

i am currently 28 weeks. Have been on ondansetron since week 12 i think. I tried reducing it but i keep on getting sick again so i am resigned to the idea that i just need to take it until due date. Unfortunately it has given me constipation so make sure you ask for some laxatives.

Hi everyone. I'm pregnant with my second 7 weeks. First pregnancy I had hg throughout and this second pregnancy I was fine until week 6. I haven't eaten anything and not drinking. I'm lying down all day and feel like I'm neglected my 4 year old. He has been having screen time all day, crappy beige food because the smell makes me sick. I don't know how I'm going to cope. I used ondansetron in my last pregnancy and had terrible constipation. I really really wanted this pregnancy to be different but nope. When did you feel that you needed to be admitted to hospital and What was your limit? I'm only asking as I'm going to be alone for 5 days as DH has a business trip that he cannot cancel and I don't want to alarm family just yet but it would be nice to know someone can take my 4 yo.

Hi everyone, I just wanted to share with all the women on this board that there is an end! I didn’t post but I read a lot of these messages while I was pregnant with my last baby and I found it a huge support. I had HG four times, with each pregnancy, but only diagnosed for two of them because they resulted in hospital admissions. I’ve had all the drugs, had all the doctors tell me I should just drink peppermint tea and be grateful because it’s “such a good sign”. I’ve felt the crushing guilt of neglecting my other kids while bed-bound or sleeping on the bathroom floor for months. I would vomit on every breath out for hours at a time, until my throat was bleeding, and only once I was “sick enough” to be given a drip at the hospital. I lost so much weight I thought my baby might not be safe, the doctor said that weight loss is normal in pregnancy and not to worry. I have a mouthful of new fillings. It’s hell on earth, and it’s so misunderstood, mistreated, ignored, downplayed, etc. My fourth and last baby is one now and hyperemesis is a distant memory. You will survive it, though it might not feel like it. I was suicidal and actually considered a late abortion with my last baby because it was so bad. It hasn’t affected my relationship with my babies or my kids who watched me go through it. They don’t even really remember it. It will be okay. Thank you for getting me through the dark days, I really appreciate it.

@saxamaxa I feel you. I'm now 15 weeks in with my second, also have a 4year old. Honestly I've just had to pull in all the favours and had to tell people really early, I'm signed off work and my mum has been staying a lot, helping with my son, cooking meals to stock up the freezer etc. My son has stayed with family a lot over the summer when he wasn't at school. Friends have taken him out to the park and popped in with food when I'm alone with him. There is no other way to get through it as you just can't do it all yourself. This has allowed me to rest and to spend little bits of nice time with my son rather than just surviving. If ondansetron worked well for you before you can take lactulose with it to ease constipation, this helped me although this is a liquid and a challenge to keep in itself. Ondansetron hasn't done much for me this time but ive just started on xonvea which has made a big difference. It's been a massive battle to get it and so frustrating it's taken this long but is worth it. I still feel dreadful but the vomiting has stopped most days and I can eat and drink so I can stay away from a and e at least. If you're eating and drinking very little I would be considering going in for fluids, I had ketones even when I didn't think I was any where near dehydrated enough to go in, was just at the gp for something else and ended up being sent in. I'd definitely want someone there to help while DH is away so you don't have the worry on your mind if you did need to go in but also so you don't overdo it because otherwise you'll end up super poorly even if you get through those days. I hope you have someone understanding who can offer help x

Melodramatic but I feel like I'm dying. My first pregnancy was nothing like this. I was sick once in the morning and then maybe once in the evening but always felt better after. It was manageable abd I didn't need medication.

I'm only 6 weeks pregnant. I feel nauseous 24/7, I'm sick 3-5 times a day and I can only stomach stodge. Today I've had half a packet of jacobs cream crackers, a granola pot and 2 lucozades. Whilst I'm eating I'm not eating anything of much nutritional value and I'm worried its only going to get worse.

Cyclizine worked for the first day but hasn't worked since. It just makes me groggy. I don't feel I can go back to the doctor because I'm keeping down fluids and have already gained 3lbs. When I'm sick it's the smallest amount so I'm not worried I'm losing what I'm taking in fluid wise.

I've tried sickness bands and eating first thing before moving. At the worst times I've regretted getting pregnant. Just so bloody miserable and thats not me!!

I have an early viability scan next week which I'm hoping goes well and gives me that boost/motivation.

If you're not coping and it's getting you down go back to the GP. We seem to think if we're managing to eat and drink a bit we don't need help but you're important too. The constant nausea is just as debilitating. My concern would be that although HG can kick in earlier, for me both times I started off like you at 6 weeks thinking I could probably manage and by the next week i was floored and couldn't keep anything down at all. Getting more than cyclizine can be a battle in the first timester, I was eventually able to get my hands on ondansetron but this didnt work miracles for me. I'm now on xonvea and things are so much better, the vomiting has almost stopped completely and I'm starting to feel more human again. It was a real battle to get but worth it and wish I'd pushed for it earlier rather than having to go through that battle when I was so poorly! They'll likely want you to try a few cheaper medications first, so personally I'd be getting back asap so if they don't work you have already tried and are ready to push for the good stuff when you really need it. Obviously I really hope it doesn't get worse for you, but I'd want to have the medication ready in case because the last thing you want is to argue or end up having to go to a and e when you feel so rough. Hope it's shortlived for you and your gp is supportive x

@LucindaE I'm very sorry for your loss. Although I am not a regular poster here I just wanted to say how much this thread helped me in my first pregnancy, and for preparing for my second. Thank you so much for keeping these threads going for so long and for supporting everyone along the way.

Hi everyone

I had hyperemesis in both of my pregnancies and now 4 weeks with my third pregnancy (last one was a MMC).

I'm trying medication before the sickness starts as per advice from Pregnancy Sickness Support - did anyone do this and it helped? Basically taking B6, Phenergan and Xonvea before the symptoms start and the evidence says this can stop it getting bad.

Having suffered so much in the last two I'm desperate for this one to be different as I've an almost 3 year old to look after too as well as working full time.

So yes - anyone that had a previous HG pregnancy, did you try treating the nausea/vomiting before it started and did it help?

Hi @SunSparkle I'm 5 1/2 weeks and I started taking pre-emptive cyclizine and B6 as per Pregnancy Sickness Support's advice. I'm getting a bit of nausea poking through in the morning and when I have an empty stomach. I'm not taking the full dose of cyclizine yet but gradually increasing it. It's too early for me to tell how much this will help but I had to try as I also have a toddler to look after now! Interested to hear from anyone else who has tried starting medication before symptoms started.

Hi @christmasbox ! What dose of cyclizine are you on and what are you working up towards?

how was your HG last time and what helped/didn’t help? Was your Gp on board with medicating before symptoms?

I'm on 50mg tablets for up to 3x/day. I've just been taking one before bedtime so far. They make me a little drowsy to start with so that's partly why I've started slowly with them.

My first pregnancy I had to terminate for other reasons at approx 16 weeks - the sickness was bad and the first gp I saw wouldn't prescribe anything which definitely caused me to spiral. I eventually saw a more sympathetic gp and was prescribed cyclizine but I learned that I would have to advocate for myself next time around.

I pushed to see a consultant before my next pregnancy which resulted in my little boy. Having a letter from the consultant on file definitely helped me get cyclizine as soon as I had symptoms which kept the vomiting to a minimum. I had nausea throughout and stayed on cyclizine until he was born. I'm fortunate to never have required hospital or stronger medication but the nausea is debilitating and I also suffered with excess saliva.

This time around I asked for cyclizine as soon as I knew I was pregnant and I think all of the above helped me get the prescription straight away.

@christmasbox you’ve been through a lot but sounds like you now have a plan and great consultant support.

i never saw a consultant in my first pregnancy or got great Gp support because it was peak Covid and they didn’t want to know. I should have been admitted to hospital for weight loss but they said I would get Covid and it would be dangerous to me and baby: it was horrendous.

with my last pregnancy I tried 6-7 medications in the 12 weeks I was pregnant but was still utterly debilitated.

im really scared for this pregnancy so determined to do anything I can to get it under control before it starts.

@SunSparkle I'm so sorry you got so little support during covid and that you had so little success with all of those medications in your last pregnancy - what an awful experience to go through. I have all my fingers crossed for you that things are different this time around.

Hi, just wondering why you are worried about Xonvea? I am trying to research which meds are safe and it’s so hard, any info you have appreciated

Hello Everyone!
I have good news!
I had my adorable baby girl about 7-8hours ago...
We are both doing well! Please keep the faith!

The only HG symptom that I am still struggling with is hypersalivation which has now reduced drastically! I'm so happy that I've reached the light at the end of the tunnel

Huge congratulations! How wonderful. Wishing you a full recovery