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?

I completely agree with you Charlie. I had sickness with DD (all the way through but not quite this bad) but the absolute joy of having a newborn makes the sickness diminish into nothingness (clearly, or else I would not be here again!!!).

I also think that the depression is mixed with the sickness. I feel very low this pg, I did not feel like this last time and I had a lot of other stress going on. But physically I felt in good shape and could focus on being excited at becoming a mum, all the new feelings, movements, bigger belly, kind words by others. This time, I want everyone to eff off and leave me alone, I just want it to be the end already, I feel myself sinking into despair sometimes and I am sure its the sickness. This is not normal morning sickness, this is not something we can manage along with weak bladders and sore boobs. Food is a major source of our lifestyle, and ours has been turned upside down. Food, which used to be one of my biggest enjoyments is now something I fear. That is going to affect our psyche.

How many weeks are you Yank? (I promise I wont say it will pass soon, I don't want to be hit on the head!).

My gp prescribed a travel sickness pill for me last year when I was very sick, I could only keep down ice cubes, not water and had a toddler to look after. I can't remember what it was called and can't do a mn search on my phone. (Sorry, that's not very helpful)

He said the pill was hardly used for travel sickness anymore but mainly prescribed for pregnant women as they had never had any problems with it.

Another one advocating the meds.

I am now 18 weeks pregnant with #3, and still being sick several times most days. I have had to come off of the pills as for some reason they started not working well, but I had about 8 weeks of loveliness with them.

meglet was it cyclizine? That is the one that seems most often prescribed.

I just want to warn everyone on this thread (I haven't time to read it all atm) that antenatal depression is a very real thing, and often accompanies hyperemesis.

There are a few of us on here suffering, from the feeling a bit blue, to the wanting to end it all There is help available.

Just googled it and the brand name is Avomine. It made me groggy and sleepy, for the first 48 hours I took the full dose of 2 a day and had my mum to help out with ds just so I could rest and get some food into me. After that I used to take it the moment I got ds into bed, that way I could shower and the tablet would have enough effect for me to sit in peace and eat dinner in the evening, then I could go to bed. It allowed me to have breakfast without throwing up, but I didn't eat much in the day as the tablet had worn off.

I was very depressed during those weeks . I love my food and being active and I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders when I got better.

Pavlov, I'm 25 weeks. On antidepressants for the AND, but only just (in the last week) have been put on one at a dose that seems to be helping. Or maybe it's because the sickness isn't quite as bad as it was before.

Very much agree the two go together. I've got the additional joy of SPD, so my mobility is not the greatest, and I've gone from being a strong 'little pack horse' to not being able to lift the laundry basket. Feel like someone has kicked me in the crotch all the time, and my lower back is always hurting. This started around 16 weeks, so I'm sure it has contributed to my AND.

Get very irritated when I need to be sick, but can't move too fast and worry I won't make it to a suitable receptacle!

The only thing that worked for me was Zofran (odansetron) - I was on it for 4 months at huge expense to my medical insurers (I was in the US at the time), but before I started taking it I literally couldn't lift my head off the pillow without throwing up.

And DOWN WITH GINGER!

Also suffered from antenatal depression - have never felt so feckin miserable in my life as I did when pregnant. Am dreading the next one.

SPD and HG Yankncock - that's really unfair
Sorry you have been suffering so long. When is baby due?

I was sick for 40 weeks in two pregnancies. Hated every minute of being pg.
The only consolation I can offer is this, although I lost so much weight I had two huge healthy babies (8.5 and 9lb) so clearly the babies managed to take what they needed.

yank oh that is so awful for you, no wonder you are suffering from AND, you poor thing! Makes my upchucking seem to pale into insignificance!

Apparantly, according to DH I am rude and unreasonable. Because, he had allegedly cleaned the kitchen and it just needed my 'finishing touches' and in fact it was a fucking state as was much of the rest of the place. He had apparantly worked hard this morning to do it. Erm, do what exactly? Anyway, I called him at 4:40pm to ask him if he had spoken to architect to check time and tell him to get his ass back as I thought he was due at 5pm. I also told him I was cleaning the kitchen, and it was a right state. He came in arsey cos I did not ask him how his afternoon was, I am not interested in what he does apparantly. Er not at that precise moment, no. FFS.

Also, I got up, ate slice of bread and cheese spread, had a shower, tidied the bathroom, tidied the kitchen (apparantly it could only have taken me 10 mins, not the 30 mins it actually took), hoovered the front room, threw up. According to DH, out of all of that, seeing as I have been in bed all day, and not been sick, it must have been the cream cheese. Clearly not getting up, as I am not always sick when I get up. [grrrrrr], sorry, I know that is a winge and a half, but it needed to come out. and relax!

Mumwhensdinnerready - for the whole 40 weeks twice .

I just wanted to thank all you ladies, everyone of you, for 1) not mentioning ginger in the 'have you tried it yet' context, and for letting me know what to try from experience not guess work, and for reminding me I am not alone in this, and that in fact, I have it very mildly compared to many people. You are stars and very supportive

Am due 25th August. 'Unfair' is exactly how I feel about it all. Sickness, depression, pain--I never expected to hate pregnancy so much.

Am a bit happier now because we know the sex (Boy!), and that was what I was hoping for (not that I would have cared, but it was my secret wish until we found out). And he's a little wiggly, kicking thing. Feeling him move all the time now, and sometimes moves more to things like DH playing the guitar. I'm sure we're being silly, but we like to pretend he is responding to what we're saying or things I'm eating. During conversations with DH, I'll gesture to my belly and say 'He says "thump" to that'. I do feel pregnant now, rather than just ill! That goes a long way, because I know it will end some day.

pavlov, I firmly believe all the jostling around with the cleaning/hoovering is the likely culprit! Being very still after eating really helps me not bring it back up.

Sorry if I'm repeating people, but haven't had time to read whole thread.
I really would try to change GP, is there another in the practice you can go to? My GP was great, prescribed drugs (which didn't help) was able to offer acupuncture (free, on nhs) but when I told him when I moved I felt worse, and had to sit very still after a meal he rightly deduced that indegestion tablets might do the trick. I can't tell you how many chewy rennies I ate durning pg. They didn't stop be feeling shit, but they did stop me chucking up which did help a lot.

I think there are different types of sickness and different things work for different people.

Can't tell you how amazing I felt when I gave birth, it was just fabulous to feel better (and having the baby was quite nice too)

I hope you start feeling better soon x

If your GP won't prescribe "proper" anti-nausea drugs, have you tried over the counter motion sickness medication? It may help (fingers crossed!).

I've heard that pregnancy vitamins can increase sickness - it's the folic acid I think. You don't need to take that now so maybe stop those and see if it makes a difference?

I was prescribed 3 different things from gp and tbh none of them worked. I did have acupuncture which definitely relieved it.. that and constantly eating.

I've not read all of the thread either sorry.

What I will say is that I was only prescribed anti-sickness drugs after being hospitalised - and the first time I was in (I was in 4 times with second pregnancy, always on a drip and very dehydrated),I don't think they gave me any drugs. I think they are a last resort because of the possible side-effects.

I know this is probably no help AT ALL, but IME nothing really works except for rest and time. I must have had four different types of drug(normally not orally, because they came back up again). I think one of those four did some limited good.
Apparently it often goes after 14 weeks.

Eating whatever I could when I could helped to build up my strength - so if I ever felt like eating, I'd eat as much as I could manage and drink even if it all came back up again. That meant 2 weeks of croissants dipped in hot chocolate at one point! My GP said it didn't matter what I ate so long as I ate something.

Keep drinking to avoid headaches.

My DH made me ginger tea with fresh ginger tea every morning before he went to work for about three months. That enabled me to get up. The bands didn't work for me, in fact looking at them made me feel sick.
Hope it starts to improve for you soon.

you have my sympathy, i had this with both my pregnancies. Managed it better second time round with better advice from the doctor - increasing fluids in the form of jelly, ice lollies and watermelon.

Was prescribed avomine both times it made me drowsy but helped. Hope you feel better soon !

So sorry to hear you are suffering HG is the most horrendous thing. I had it with my 1st ds, I worked shifts at the time and being sick in the street following a night shift led me to get signed off work for a month! The only thing that worked for me was sleep, sleep, sleep. My thinking was that if I was asleep I wasn't throwing up.

I was so exhausted I sometimes slept for 17 hours out of every 24. The vomiting went from 6-7 times daily to once daily by the time I was 17 weeks. At that point I used to have breakfast, go to work, throw up and have breakfast again!

By about 28 weeks the nausea reduced and I was only sick once or twice a week.

It really is horrible and certainly in the early weeks if I had been offered a termination I would have accepted even though ds was so wanted.

With second ds I had weekly acupuncture and although I still felt very sick I was probably only sick a dozen times. I know it is expensive and I'm not sure where you live but there are acupuncture colleges around the country that offer treatment that is supervised by students at around £10 a session. Hope things begin to get better foryou.

You have my sympathy, hyperemesis is truely awful. I had it with my dd and for the first 5 months i felt like i was on my way to deaths door. The only respite was going to sleep. As for tips, i tried everything there was to try, acupuncture, travel sickness bands, ginger til it was coming out of my years, none of it worked and i ended up in hospital, where i was given cyclizine, an anti sickness drug and that was the only thing that worked, and made life bearable. If you feel that bad and cant eat or drink enough, id go to your doctor and request antisickness drugs. I was worried about the side effects but tbh i felt so ill at the time i would have tried anything if they said it was safe. My dd was born very large and healthy, how she managed to survive on a few sips of water and two spoonfuls of cheerios a day is beyond me! I hope you feel better soon xxxx

My consultant prescribed stemetil, an anti sickness, when l was pregnant with my second. It really helped . It kept the nausea at bay for a few hours at a time- just long enough to keep a bit of food and drink down! He reassured me that it was safe. I just wish l'd known about it during my first pregnancy!

Wow, lots of posts, thanks for the continued advice and support everyone, hopefully this will help not just me, but the others suffering too.

greenbeanie - yes I have had acupuncture, but unfortunately DH was made redundant a few months ago and it cost £45 for the first session (ouch) and £35 for the additional sessions so we had to knock it on the head, it worked for a few days, and the acupuncturist recommended 2-3 sessions to sort it out properly. However, I live in Plymouth which has a huge medical university so I will go and see about the students! Great idea!

picante I had not been taking the pregnancy vits as I could not stomach them. I only took them for one day this week, or rather two days, but they came up promptly the second day!

This is the 1st msg i've posted, so hope it's ok. I had terrible morning sickness with both pregnancies, to the point where i was being sick every 20 mins throughout the night. Awful. i discovered by mistake that children's Carvol vapouriser made a big difference and really helped. i recommend it highly. Good luck

rachel - good first post !!! I wonder why that worked? Do you think it was the menthol smell? Maybe it worked like peppermint - I think i might have some around from DD !