Severe Morning sickness and teaching - Help!

[lineky]

I am 7 weeks with sever MS. Had to leave work yesterday (Secondary teacher)after only 2 days back with kids. Nauseus all the time and light headed, can't use computers etc. Went to GP as I'm losing weight too, who gave me Prochloperazine which have just made me even more lightheaded.
I just don't know how to handle work - I have told the head and business manager (who helpfully informed me she never suffrered from MS0. I feel like a fvraud but really don't know how I am going to get back on Monday as even sitting upright is a challenge.
Any suggestions????

get signed off work.
doc would only have given you drugs if they felt it was a real problem, so I don't imagine they will have an issue with signing you off.
You are NOT a fraud! If anyone else doesn't get the difference between normal light MS (which you can work through) and severe MS/hyperemesis then that's their problem, not yours.

Thank you kathyis6incheshigh That really helps

You will find lots of support on here for severe MS. The first time I had it I wasn't on MN and the worst thing was that no-one (including most doctors) seemed to get it.
There have been many threads ranting about people who tell you to eat a ginger biscuit and then it will all go away

Hope you feel better soon! Is this your first baby?

It is my first and it has all been a lot more stressful than I expected
A couple of women in my department were pregnant last year and seemed to sail through which is why I found it hard to go off!
I have been reading the MS threads - at least I know it will stop eventually. MY DH thinks its hillarious I've never been this thin in our 15 years together. Normally I would be delighted but if one more person at work asks what my secret to weight loss is I might punch them.

Agree with CATHY, get signed off! I'm a lecturer and suffered in all of my 4 pregnancies. Each time I thought I;d manage but even getting to work was impossible for me. Agree, it doesn;t help when others talk about their lack of sickness!

I was throwing up in plastic bags in my office with my first 2 - I really can't recommend it, so get yourself signed off!

I was certainly not prepared for it with my first. In fact I was unprepared for the whole 'feeling crap at the beginning of the pregnancy' thing - I sort of assumed it would start off gently and get worse but then the sickness hit me like a train
All worth it for the lovely children though (currently playing nicely together at my feet .)

hyperemesis - severe MS - it's a thin line. Not many peple are really that aware of it.
get signed off. I was signed off for 10 weeks with another preganacy related problem - 4 weeks specifically for hyperemesis. mY SCHOOL COPED WITHOUT ME AND THE KIDS SURVIVED and the supply cover was grateful to get a terms guaranteed work. The GCSE results probably won't be spectacular for some groups but hey they have to pass the exams and those that want to do well - will do well. The littlies you should have to worry about

ask gp about the different drugs - cyclizine, stemetil, buccastem ( this one worked for me) i STILL THROW UP EVERYDAY (I'm due today ) and ended up get hospitalised x 2 - including this week! ( I lurrve my saline drip!!) baby's fine but you can do some serious damage to your kidneys and end up with ketosis ( your body eats it's own fat reserves I think- that why you lose weight as well as not be so hungry) You need to be 100% in secondary teaching ( or primary for that matter) . Don't let anyone let you feel guilty about this - theres a lot of this about in teaching . more than likely you will be quite normal and it will all clear up around week 15 but it is stressful and irritating when people say "try ginger" or "ooh I never had it". You learn coping strategies - when I went back to work I had my special bowl , water , toothbrush kit and even the naughtiest class kinda got used to me disappearing for 5 mins and a warning to behave whilst I was out. But when I was signed off I was not fit to work - I could barely shower or eat at week 10-16. Even if you can still function at most levels a week off will not hurt kids in the slightest and the head will need to sort it. That's their job! To run a school smoothly even when all is not going to plan

pls check your wee! if it's dark - that means you are getting dehydrated. If you have "coffee ground vomit" you should get to hospital asap. The weight loss - well it's about the only bonus I lost stones but not a diet I would ever go thru again. I want more children and I know I'll have to go thru it again most likely

good luck- you have my sympathy - it's utter misery

Thank you all for your advice its good to know I'm not the only one and your right, it is the head's job!
isoldeone you must be excited - I hope your wee one arrives sone so you can leave the vomiting behind (well yours anyway).
It's the start of a new session so I'm sure I can catch them up when I get back. At the moment I don't think I'll be in on Monday. Today has been bearable but only as I stayed in bed till 10 then went back for a couple of hours this savo and spent the rest of the day flat out on the sofa. Even the thought of 4EN8 makes me feel ill!

lineky getting signed off is definitely best option - I only had 1 week of vomiting but struggled on at work (teach in college) and had to keep rushing out of class / going back in with wet shoes and hair having rinsed out sick was not a pleasant experience. good luck

Had dreadful MS for 5 weeks - flat out, couldn't eat a thing, couldn't even enter the kitchen, mother (who is a teacher) luckily stayed and looked after me. Husband had kidney infection at same time! Anyway Dad in law is a OBGYN in the States -and told me to take Unisom (doxylamine succinate is the active) which my mother in law took when she had MS with my husband for the full 9 months. (obviously I had tried everything else under the sun by this point) He sent me the drugs and a bunch of the research as well, supporting it's efficacy and Safety for MS (although normally used as an antihistamine for mild sleep aid). Anyway from one day to the next I went from totally debilitated to being able to travel to Scotland and do a hard weeks work and eat, and no MS since. Completely understand what you're going through - and good luck, I'm 11 weeks now and never want to experience MS again!

I have been off theis week but don't seem to be getting much better! Still struggling to eat and even sitting up is a struggle. Dr's again tomorrow so will ask about CCally suggestion. I just want it to stop!!!

Lineky I sympathise.... I am a primary teacher and had bad MS, but not hyperemesis - but it was still bad enough, ie throwing up o train on way to work, sick in the classroom bin, sick in the cupboard, lying in the cupboard all through lunch (only dark place in school) - it was horrid. I really think you need to be signed off. People have been signed off for much, much, much less severe and debilitating things I am absolutely positive. And as others have said - It's the Head's job to get cover, not yours. Two women were pg at my school the previous year as well, and they had nothing sickness-wise so I too felt a bit of a fraud - I now realise I wasn't at all. I am still sick most days (28 weeks) but don't feel a tenth as bad as I was at the beginning. I hope all goes well at your Dr's and that you are starting to feel a bit better soon.

Hi Lineky - hope you had some luck at the DR's. I know what you mean about just wanting it to stop. I know when we went to Boots to try and find an English with the same active ingredient we didn't have much luck, but it must be available somehow!

*an English brand

Oh, I agree - thank goodness for being able to post about feeling REALLY sick. I never post on these things but lurk and read, but with this pregnancy I have had enough!!

Lineky, i hope you get signed off. I am a university lecturer and am dreading the return to term if I am still this sick, which would make it impossible for me to teach. People who aren't sick just don't get it (if another person tells me that they felt a bit queasy but the wristbands/ginger/whatever saved them I might snap!) You know it's bad when NONE of the home remedies work for you. And when it's your first, it's the worst.

I have to say I have found it better this time as I've chosen to tell a few more select friends that I am pregnant, so I am not just lying aroud suffering and pretending to be well.

Very frustrated right now as we have had no childcare this past two weeks (nanny on hols) and as am Canadian NO family and I have been holding out till Monday when nanny returns. But forgot it is BANK HOLIDAY and so no nanny till Tues which means another day of struggling on my own (Dh has to work)

Bit of a hijack but I wanted to join in the sympathy\rant

Still off spent last 4 days in hospital. Out now but really drained but I have now accepted that me and sproglet come first - school will just have to bloody wait!
I am eating a bit now and hopefully things will improve!!

There is nothing worse then ms. I'm ttc and all I can think about is dealing with the sickness when I'm pregnant again!

Oh god I can sympathise I had ms with first 2 and then hyperemisis with 3rd and 4th, I though I would die, I was on a drip from week 7 to 8 and then again in week 11. I was given avomine the first time which made me sleep while throwing up, yes that is possible and then they gave me metrocy.... or something like that. I was sick till week 34. I did get pg again and this time they gave me medication from week 4 and I was not as bad, I managed to stay out of hospital.But people just don't get it, I couldn't even have water in the same room as me without being sick, If anyone says to me now that they have morning sickness I have to answer that they managed to get out of the house they are fine. You have my sympathy and I hope you improve soon. xx

Hi Linkey. Poor you! It's awful isn't it. I had hyperemisis & ended up being signed off for 8 weeks in total. It started when I was 6 weeks pregnant. I can happily report that it has now vanished without trace which feels like a miracle!(am now 15 weeks) There really isn't much you can do apart from trying to eat & drink when you can & taking what your doctor has given you. Personally I found the anti sickness pills did nothing & phenergan made it worse. I had to accept that there was no way of working in that condition. If you have already been hospitalised then you really should be signed off for at least a month. At least if you know you have a month off you can concentrate on resting & looking after yourself rather than worrying about coping at work. It really is horrendous & as much as I kept hoping it would get better sooner it took as long as everyone said it would. Allow yourself the time to recover & then sue the little one for loss of earnings when it arrives!

Hi everyone. This advice will probably get a big thumbs down from some people but if you were suffering as bad as i was it is maybe something to consider. I went from being in bed all day, throwing up, constant nausea, feeling like i was going to faint everytime i stood up and having to get a permanent babysitter for my child whilst the other half was at work to feeling a bit sicky and rubbish at meal times but back at work and able to look after my son in a couple of days. You may think im about to try to sell you miracle pills but the only thing i did was to forget to take my prenatal vitamins for a couple of days. It will not work for everyone as im aware there are conditions women can get whilst they are pregnant and nothing at all helps. (God you lot really need a medal!) I have decided to stop taking the vitamins and bought folic acid tablets to try will have to really clean my diet up to make sure the baby is getting all the nutrients he/she needs. Just thought i would share this as i heard if you decide you dont want to stop taking the vitamins even switching the brand to ones that contains less iron can help. Hope you all feel better soon x

Hi Ladies, im feelin for ya's, cum on myself to look for sympathy cuz i dont feel like anyone understands. Ive a constant sickness feeling all the time, always hungry and if my belly rumbles at all i need to run to the bathroom. This is my secong pregnancy, my first was with twins and i really hoped my ms was so terrible first time because it was twins but oh no, im as bad maybe even worse this time. im only 8 weeks and if i remember rightly i was 14/15 weeks before it went away last time, im depressed at the thought of feelin like this for nrly 7more weeks. So unfair, my mother said she never had ms, my sis had a baby a few months ago, she never had it either, i work from home and look after my boys as well and i just feel drained, ive no energy to do anything. For those of you who have the option get signed off from work, your well entitled to it!