Advice please - 10 weeks and really struggling with sickness

[hazelm24]

I’m 10 weeks today and since Sunday I’ve been feeling the worst I’ve ever felt. Each day has been hell since then but yesterday was by far the worse. I’ve been being sick countless times (and there is no relief when I am sick) constantly nauseas, weak as hell, can’t even lift my head. My stomach feels like it’s in bits. Heads pounding. Same again today, it’s been keeping me at up night, I'm so restless and I'm too much discomfort to sleep. Whole body is aching. I had to get my partner home early on Wednesday (he works away) because there’s absolutely no way it’s fair on my son to be left with me like this, I feel so bloody guilty. On cyclizine which I got when I was about 7 weeks but doesn’t do anything and was making me feel asleep at work. I don’t know what to do but I can’t continue like this. I’m drinking lucozade but just bring that back up to. I’m occasionally forcing myself to eat something but it’s really hard and the thought it eating it repulsive. I wasn’t this bad with my first. Just hoping for some advice, has anyone been through similar and can help?

At first I did think it was a bug because my son had been poorly for a few days but at this point I just think it wouldn't still be going on and think it's definitely pregnancy related.

Contact pregnancy sickness support. There are more medicines than cyclizine you can take if you have hyperemesis, sometimes it’s a combination of more than one.

You need a GP appointment and an assessment for dehydration, and whether you need to be admitted.

Cylizone and prochloperazine didn't do much for me either. Ondansetron has been a lifesaver though - I've been sick once in the last four days and I was being sick eight times a day. You need to go back to the doctor's asap.

Yes I experienced similar with my 2nd and it was hell so I sympathise. Even the slightest whiff of the toast from the toaster or my dh aftershave sent me dashing to the loos.

I ended up taking an over the counter anti sickness tablet that the GP suggested. It worked a bit but not completely.

Stay strong 💐

DP is saying to contact GP again too which I will when they open but it's so hard to get an appointment, last time I rang for an appt to get some medication when I was given the cyclizine I was practically begging for an appointment after being offered one in 8 weeks and told nothing else they could do, then one just magically appeared. So will brace myself to ring again and hope someone kinder answers!

Also the first time I went to a GP they didn't take it seriously and didn't want to prescribe anything. I felt like they were just fobbing me off which was annoying. Also don't get me started on the 'have you tried eating ginger biscuits' from people.

Are you keeping any liquids down, when was the last time you were able to keep any water down? If you haven't been able to I would worry about dehydration and consider contacting 111, they may want to admit you.

You can also go to A&E and say you can't keep food down. They will hopefully refer you to the gynae department who were a lifesaver during this pregnancy.

I've been drinking mainly lucozade, which I know isn't the best but it's the only thing I could face. Trying to sip water but I can't stomach it. I haven't yet been sick this morning but haven't ate or drank anything yet really apart from half an ice pop, apart from that I feel the same, I think I will be sick soon. I've managed to get an urgent appointment for this morning so hopefully can get some different medication and see what they say. Anyone who has tried different meds to cyclizine, did they make you as exhausted?

I've been WFH all week due to how I was feeling but work are ringing me later to discuss next week and are expecting me to go into the office, I honestly couldn't think of a single thing worse at the minute, it's even been a struggle to wfh at times this week due to how awful I've felt and been so busy.

rehydration sachets are good, sipped with ice. Week 10 is normally peak. Try doctor’s again if no better in a week

Does anyone know if you can get a fit note that requests you to work from home for a certain time period? I've never had a fit note before or been off for more than a few days, but I feel I really need to put my health first at the moment above struggling into the office.

With cyclizine I found that it worked best and the sleepiness was reduced if I kept the doses really consistent, so exactly an eight hour gap. Hope GPs can help but worth a try in the meantime. Much much sympathy, it’s awful.

Cyclizine floored me. You do get used to it but it is a sedative, as is prochloperazine. Overall they didn't really work for me. I got a fit note for the doctors, had four weeks off as I needed bed rest from throwing up so much and am now back fill time on ondansetron which is honestly amazing. It's really really really given me my life back.

Since your doctors are shit, maybe try your midwives, they'll know a way forward. Charity Pregnancy Sickness Support is also brilliant.

Also ondansetron doesn't make me tired at all. Only downside is constipation but you can get lactulose. Sorry your doctors have been so shit - HG is fucking awful

@NorthernExpat is so right - taking the meds religiously is super important as I think they need to build up to a certain level in your body to work properly.

I ended up on a combo of cyclizine and prochloperazine. I also did a short of metocoplamoride (or something like that) which worked the best for my nausea but completely knocked me out - like I couldn't function at all and spent 5 days in bed. The tiredness from cyclizine wore off after a few days in my experience. I know a lot of people swear by either ondadestron or xonvea (sp?) so def worth pushing for different meds until you find what works for you.

Best of luck - it is awful while it lasts!!!

OP, you have all my sympathy. I remember this well.

In the end Ondansetron is all that worked for me. It doesn't make you drowsy.

I would strongly suggest that you may benefit from a visit to A&E because once you can't keep liquids down, it's the dehydration that makes you feel even worse. The correct medication and then some IV rehydration can make a huge difference. You can get ketostix at the chemist to check for ketosis too, which they do take seriously.

Good luck.

May sound crazy but try sniffing hand sanitizer seemed to help me!
but definitely speak to your GP for help. I had nausea allll day and night for 16 weeks.. hell !!

Thanks all for the advice. So the GP advised to take the cyclizine maximum dose until end of weekend and see if I'm any better (as I think I mentioned I hadn't been continue to take it regular as it didn't seem to help and it was making me on my knees with exhaustion) she said the tiredness was just pregnancy tired and nothing to do with the cyclizine which I was surprised about because it even says on the box can cause tiredness and have read many people say the exact same thing.

She said if on Monday to send a e-consult on if I still need the different sickness tablets (the ones that have been mentioned here) but said they only recommend taking them short term (some I think was around 5 days but she's sent me some info over to read) but said that they do come with more risks which worried me and I need to read more on.

She also offered me a fit note for work to be allow me to continue to WFH, I hope my employer is ok with this.

Can I ask for those who've took the ondersartan how long did you take it for and was everything ok with baby?

OP I took Ondanestron for the majority of my third pregnancy and DD is completely fine, no issues at all. I took it from about 7 weeks all through, though from about 20 weeks the dose was reduced. The Pregnancy Sickness Support website has good information about medications.

As for work, I was signed off completely for about 3 months with my third pregnancy, and certainly for weeks at a time with my first and second.

So I've rang my manager as she had requested this afternoon to let her know how I was getting on to see if I would be well enough to come in next week. I told her that the gp had gave me a fit note with 'you may be fit for work if can work from home'. It says on the note if they can't support that then the employer will treat the form as 'not fit for work' note. My manager said to wfh next week but she needs to check this out for after that and has came back to me to say she has referred me to occ health. I don't know if that is then trying to overrule the gp note? I've never had a fit note before and never had an appt with occ health so not sure on how it all works. Plus the occ health wait is around 5-7 weeks wait and the sickness could have eased by then anyway.

You definitely need to take maximum dosage of your meds, it is honestly the only way they start working at first. Occ health at my work have been pretty good - does she know you're pregnant? Pregnancy sickness is recorded differently (i.e. doesn't affect your record!)

Please contact pregnancy sickness support- they have loads of info and advice, much more specific and specialised info than the GP. If you need other meds for weeks and weeks then that’s a risk balance to decide down the line.

Can you keep anything down? I’m surprised the GP doesn’t want to see you.