hyperemesis and general unwellness...what can I do?

[pavlovthepregnantcat]

I am sick of feeling unwell. I feel really really unwell.

I have been signed off for 3 weeks with hyperemesis, this being my 3rd week, due back to work next week.

The sickness is improving somewhat at 13 weeks (today) This time 2 weeks ago, nothing was staying down. Now I keep down more than I sick up, but I am also eating less. I am fine for fluids now, much better than last week.

But overall, I do not feel better, I feel groggy most of the time, I sleep a lot, does not make a difference. I have an almost constant headache, most food makes me feel sick/be sick, bowels feel like I am going to have a tummy bug although I do not have a tummy bug. I am moody, grumpy, snappy, feel hot although no temperature. I do not feel pregnant, I feel unwell.

I have had 2 sessions of acupuncture but what with DH being out of work, can't really afford any more right now (£35 a session). I have acupuncture bands, am trying to eat as healthily as I can, but not eating very much.

I am quite sick of it right now, I want to feel just abit more human.

Any tips please?

felt really sick today and cant shift it, probably cos I ran out of tablets and thought id have breakfast before retrieving prescription from the drs, but didnt even stay down ten mins. think I will be heading for bed when I've put ds to bed even though I had plans to sort out the house as it is getting to be rather pig-sty like.

how funny pavlov re the peanut butter! Last night i was about to go to bed and had the biggest urge for peanut butter on nutty bread. Luckily i had some but felt naughty afterwards as ive been told i shouldnt have peanuts due to allergies in family.......... has anyone else been told this??? peanut butter is 1 of my fave things u see mmmmmmmmmmmmm

tried 1 cyclizine on weds was sick and yesterday decided to just have a little medicinal cannabis! i ate all day- pasta, cereal, chips!!!!!!, fruit, cheese i know i cant do this all the time...............sigh!!!!

rookie - yes I heard about peanuts and allergies too. DH had exczma as a child, but not as an adult, but did not tell me this until after i was pg second time, and I noticed DD has a slight rash!!!! . BUT, I am of the opinion that eating this is better than not eating anything at all, i just need to eat food.

re: cyclizine, it can take 2-3 days for it to start working, its not an immediate reliever unlike some of the drugs which can be prescribed. But at least you have something you have found to help.

Trikken - I am sorry you have been feeling awful. How are you feeling today?

i think the jury is out on eating allergenic foods such as peanuts. some say to avoid it. others say exposure in the womb is helpful. so who knows! i think if you crave it and can stomach it, might as well go for it.

sorry you're so sick trikken. i think i'm doing well. haven't vomited since monday i just realised. just tired a lot, but i guess that's being pregnant isn't it.

Hiya, am feeling ok so far but ive not tried eating yet. Had my cyclizene tho.

My husband has asthma so I probably shouldnt eat peanut butter but Toby is fine, and I ate copeous amounts when pregnant with him as it never occurred to me not to, so Im thinking it will probably be ok.

Oh f*ck it, been sick this morning! Woke up early after mega-stressful day yesterday so that's probably why.

Oh Kathy sorry to hear you have been sick are you able to go back to bed for a while? Is today likely to be stressful too?

Trikken, fingers crossed the drugs work. I find I can't eat straight away when I get up, need to wait about 2 hours or so. I have had drugs, and just had crumpets and peanut butter. They don't feel happy there, but here is hoping...

I hope everyone improves today

hello - just wanted to add my tuppence worth. Had awful ms for dd1 until I was 7 months and was sick all through labour, with dd2 it was until 17wks and again until 22 wks with this pregnancy. Am 25 wks now and it has lifted (just in time for the SPD and heartburn to kick in ) Reading thru all this I'm thinking that it has been HG all 3 times and that I have not made enough fuss - thought I needed to be hospitalised to have that...but I guess if you don't tell anyone then they can't help you!

It all sounds so familiar - not coping with any cooking/food/driving/shopping/working is torture; losing weight when pregnant (have always lost at least a stone in the first trimester); rubbish hair and peeling skin; retching bile (not always sick cos you're not eating or drinking anything etc etc). You ladies all have my sympathy...and people don't understand why you are not over the moon about pregnancy (I am NEVER doing it again...altho no3 wasn't exactly planned !!)

And DH was supportive - but he didn't get how bad it was...took him a while to realise that I wasn't being lazy not wanting to do night feeds for DD2 (she was 9mo)...just that I dreaded getting up cos I had to factor in the 3am retching session on my way to her

Anyway..didn't mean to bleat..just wanted to suggest the thing that worked sometimes for me. I know this would probably go against medical advice etc but you don't actually care at that point do you? I found that if I started sipping a bottle of SlimFast milkshake first thing and thru out day - it took the edge off the nausea...some days I could even stomach a little food. It needs to be early and slowly though. Probably similar to the MaccyDs shakes except with extra vitamins!!

Having read through this thread I think that I should have gone to the docs for some meds though!! mebbe next time....gulp

oh poor you suffering for all your pregnancies with no help . I was just like you in first pregnancy, I sort of thought the Dr would tell me if there was a problem, not the other way round. If I just said I was being sick, and did not impress the urgency, I guess they would not know how bad it was. This time, I learned very quickly that this was more serious than morning sickness, aftter not being able to funciton at all at work or home.

You'd have thought I would have learnt wouldn't you? I even got the midwife at my 12wk scan to take my blood pressure cos I had been having horrible migraine attacks. She has written on my notes that I was dehydrated; and I could barely produce a dark cloudy sample for that hospital appt and the results (4wks later) were possible infection. Bit late to investigate at that point.

Have moved house so I am in a new area for this pg and have new midwife (very young inexperienced mw); and as I am low risk 3rd timer (am lucky with this) I have very little contact with her. Haven't even seen a doctor for any of my pgs; and my feeling is that I don't want any contact cos the mw here is so rubbish. I saw her for the first time in 8 wks yesterday and she didn't even ask how I am feeling. It all seems to be about filling in forms. And I am such a stubborn proud cow that I just want to be left to get on with it. Am normally feisty and pushy but not when it comes to my own health apparently.

The only thing is - here I am just a few weeks on and it wasn't till I read your thread that it all came back. Amazing how quickly my stupid hormonal mind forgets and the body moves on! Just six weeks ago I was in hell. Although DH does remind me often that I have been a tired-miserable-puking-fun-person to be with for 13 weeks

I wish I had seen a thread like this earlier - I didn't even know you could get meds for help. Well done Pavlov for starting it Hopefully it will help other people out there to not be such a numpty like me!

Anyway - I am glad that other people are finding a little relief with tablets. I know that it is awful to live through - especially when you are expected to be going to work & looking after other dcs when you can't even function yourself You all have my sympathy - I hope it eases soon for you suffering ladies x

Hi all, been offline for a while thanks to broken laptop screen.

Tiredness and stress definitely a factor for me too. I was signed off work for a couple of weeks and felt sooo much better, only now I feel a bit guilty because immediately following the two weeks sick leave, I have two weeks annual leave booked so I will be away for a total of four weeks... that said, I went to the seaside yesterday with dd and the IL's and I feel crap today. If I do anything more strenuous than sitting on my fat arse then it takes me a few days to recover my energy levels and for the nausea to stop

It's half term this week, thankfully the IL's are here for a few days, they've taken dd to teh seaside again today without me so I can have a quiet day at home. Still lots of hoovering and ironing to do though

I hope everyone is feeling OK. I haven't been sick for a few days and have been eating reasonably well. I'm 24+6 today and am still a stone and a half lighter than I was at conception... good job I had some spare weight to lose... I haven't lost or put on so much as a pound since I stopped the rapid weight loss so I'm obviously not eating too badly now.

I don't believe this, I was sick today! I am 27+3, FFS!

I woke up feeling nauseous, thought I would just eat something and it would pass. Had melba toasts with a bit of butter spread, something I've never been sick on. Still didn't feel any better, and finally decided to go upstairs....and barely made it before one of the most violent sessions I've ever had. It came out my nose! Felt so weak I had to have a bath to get it off me as I didn't think I could stand up in the shower.

Now have discovered I may have burst a bunch of blood vessels in my face (started a thread about that as I'm not sure).

Grrrrrrrrr.....not happy!

Oh poor you Yankncock.
Hi Tigerfeet

poor you yank. the violent sessions are really the worst. hope it's not back too much.

Oh Yank that is not good. How you feeling now? Any better? I absolutely hate being sick through my nose, it really hurts.

I have not been sick today, but I have had no energy whatsoever. it is really upsetting me, as I just cannot do anything. I went into town with DD, DH and a friend to get some bits and bobs and by the time I got home I could hardly stand up, I feel so tired I am getting out of breath . I just want to feel like me again. I used to be so energetic, DH would always be telling to slow down. I used to be able to eat anything I liked and stay a size 8 as I burnt so much energy. Now I have turned into the most sedentary person I know! And I am feeling awfully nauseas its horrible.

Also, I have lost 3lb since I was weighed by midwife at 10 weeks. Thats ok isn't it? Not too bad? I was 9st1lb and now I am 8st13, so its not horrendous, but it upsets me as I should be putting weight on, not losing it. I weighed myself in Boots as I don't own scales! Least I have a marker for next week, hopefully I will be back on the up.

pavlov, that's not too bad at all re the weightloss, considering your condition. i feel that you'll put it on at some point. i told the midwife at about 12 weeks that i'd lost 2kg and she realy wasn't phased at all. she said she had a lady who was sick her whole pregnancy and still had a healthy 4kg baby.
hopefully at some point you'll start to eat again and the weight will follow, i've now amazingly put on 5kg (or not so amazing given my sweet tooth!)

audrey - I have eaten a significant amount more in the last week than I have before - since I was medicated, so I am guessing that it has helped me put the weight back on, or at least stop more falling off. Dr had told me two weeks ago when medicated at first, not to weigh myself. I guess I weighed even less then! I know I did in fact as my face has filled out somewhat even with the little I am eating.

2kg! thats a lot isn't it?

2kg definitely seems a lot, though i'm sure others have had worse, but it now seems amazing that my body has just compensated for it over the last 2 months.

I feel pretty okay now, but every time I look in the mirror I am shocked by the weird red rash-looking thing covering my face! I mean, I haven't been looking my best in pregnancy (stopped plucking eyebrows, quit wearing makeup, skin gone spotty, dark circles under eyes), but this is a whole new level of looking rough!

pavlov & audrey, glad you're gaining a bit of weight (or have stopped losing). I'd lost about 5lbs initially, but gained it back, and then another 10 now (most of it just recently).

was it the violent vomiting that did it? did you find out?

Oh i meant to say...my gp is a love. When i spoke to him on phone this week to get sick note for work, i had said my vomit was really acidy. I just picked up my sick note from surgery, and he has left with it a repeat prescription for Gaviscon Advance - large bottle without me asking for it, and him saying he would. How cool is that? See he knows me too well, as he clearly cares now . Last time I was pg, different gp, same surgery gave me prescription for a generic version of it, tasted vile. This is proper gaviscon YEY!

It has to be the vomiting....on the thread I started, someone said there's a name for it (forgot it already) and she had it for most of her pregnancy due to hyperemesis. DH had a theory that I had heat stroke (due to vomiting, headache, tiredness & red face) but I was only out for about 10 minutes to hang some washing and otherwise was inside all day. I'm sure I would have noticed it in the mirror if it had been there before the puking!

Supposedly it will fade, hopefully soon as it really looks rash-like, like little red pin-pricks all over my cheeks and nose especially, but even some as far down as my jaw/neck. I'm picking up my friend at the station tomorrow, and told her she'll spot me due to my glowing red face!

Pavlov don't worry too much about your weight loss, I'm sure you'll start gaining a bit more soon now that you're eating more. With DD1 I lost 12lb in the first 14 weeks, with DD2 it was 7lb and this time I've lost 5.5lb. Mind you I started heavier the first time and have got progressively lighter each time. Both DDs were a good size despite my waning figure!

And hoorah for your GP!

has anyone been suffering with anaemia due to sickness? I am often breathless after little exercise, so tired it is untrue. I am also pale, but that is quite normal for me so hard to tell! wondered if i might be a little low on iron? have been trying to up iron related food, and vit c - had salmon yesterday, eating wholemeal bread etc.

I am going to start taking pg vits again, stopped as they would not stay down (yes including vit b6 )

pavlov, i had my iron levels checked a few weeks back and they were normal, but i am also experiencing unbelievable tiredness, faint dizzy episodes, shortness of breath etc.
might be worth getting it checked as it's just a blood test and so easily treated, but maybe it's just hte kind of pregnancy we are having

alternatively you could just try taking some spatone or floradix for a week (if it would stay down ) and see if you feel any better. woudln't do any harm.

i had really busy days on friday and saturday and today i could hardly get out of bed. i felt so good fri/sat, but clearly paying the price today. i really don't know how to pace myself, i just wish for a bit of energy to run around with ds and also not be a complete zombie in the evening with dh.

bless everyone on this thread for making me feel more normal with this pregnancy. i feel so guilty for making a big deal sometimes, but i really really don't feel well a lot of the time (even though i haven't vomited for a whole week now).

i read something about week 27 of pregnancy saying: now you're nearing the end of the 2nd trimester the surge of energy you felt may start to fade ...

i HATE reading things like that. where is my surge goddammit, where is my surge!?!?!