Really sick

LegacyUser · 14-08-2015 9:29am #1

Hi all

I am so miserable right now, at 6 wks, I am constantly nauseous and vomiting more and more, couldn't keep water down this morning, forcing a banana into me now, think I'll be seeing it again very soon, and I am sitting in work, on a reception desk, looking like hell on legs, trying to smile and say good morning to all who enter. I've never felt so rough ever, first pregnancy and it's taken any excitement out of it. I work, go home, fall into bed, eat, vomit, repeat.

I'm beginning to get scared now that it's going to be one of those pregnancies that some women have where they projectile vomit for the entire thing. I am looking at the april 16 thread, so jealous of people saying they have to watch what they're eating cos their appetite is so huge. I would give anything to have the opposite to this and it's so scary. I told my GP on the phone yesterday and she just said, oh, that's part and parcel of being pregnant. But it's gotten worse since then, not holding water down is making me worry. I've tried the whole shebang, nibbling on crackers in bed before getting up, small meals, bland foods, ginger, ginger biscuits - 7 up, which is the only thing that seems to work but I need to keep water in more than soft drinks. The thought of reaching for a cracker and I am wretching. People saying eat tiny amounts constantly is making me queasy reading it, it isn't working at all, I just have no appetite and am constantly wretching. Does anyone have any advice or should I just call my GP back? It's so crap, nobody knows except my husband and me, so I can't even confide in anyone.

Little Miss Cutie · 14-08-2015 2:36pm

Hi OP,

My only advise is to eat what you appeals to you.
I found ice-pops helped keep my fluid levels up at the start.

I have no secret cures, I'm 18wks this coming Monday and am still being sick. It is not as stressful now as it was at the start as I am only sick in the morning and from leaving work in the evenings. And then just queasy during the day.

I found eating and drinking absolutely nothing in the morning helps cause there is literally nothing to throw up. I also think sparking water helps!

shedweller · 14-08-2015 2:42pm

My wife ended up on a drip nearly twice a week during her second pregnancy. Could eat almost nothing (four star pizza was one of the few things she could keep down!)
The pregnancy hormones made her really really ill and a few years previous she became similarly unwell while on the pill. It took a few years of that nonsense with her gp before it was finally figured it out.
Best of luck

January · 14-08-2015 3:05pm

If you cannot even hold water down watch out for dehydration, you do not want to end up in hospital on an IV drip.

Hypermesis is a real illness and it needs to be treated, if you don't feel like your GP is doing enough, seek reassurance from a midwife in your local maternity hospital.

Novella · 14-08-2015 8:59pm

I had hyperemesis for the first 20 or so weeks of my pregnancy, beginning at 6 weeks pregnant, and was admitted to the hospital for IV fluids on multiple occasions. I was always told that if I was throwing up liquids, I needed to go to the hospital. Quite often, I'd drink some water and just vomit it straight back up. It's horrific.

I was prescribed an anti-nausea medication at about 13 weeks (though offered it before that point, I just wanted to wait until I was out of the first trimester) and I took it on and off, just to be able to eat and drink sometimes. I lost approximately twenty-five pounds and even now at 37 weeks pregnant, I am not back to my pre-pregnancy weight.

I completely feel for you. I was miserable for the first few months of pregnancy and I really thought that it would never end. It's not just draining on you physically, it is mentally and emotionally draining too. Please don't suffer. If your GP won't listen to you, call your hospital. While some nausea and vomiting is considered to be a routine part of pregnancy, it is not normal or healthy to not even be able to keep water down. Take care of yourself.

Also, I just noticed that you said that you can keep 7 up down. Drink that. I know it would be better if you could drink water but 7 up is better than nothing. I was actually able to drink Lucozade in small amounts and my doctor always said it was better to get some fluid into me than none at all.

cyning · 14-08-2015 11:52pm

I had hyperemeseis too... And like the others have said drink or eat what works. Crackers used murder me: seriously impossible to eat! Salt and vinegar taytos, mint crisp bars and small amts of coke were what got me out of hosp a few times: it was a nurse who suggested the salt and vinegar taytos. I really hope you feel better soon: go with what works for you

iguana · 15-08-2015 9:34am

I found that I could absolutely not tolerate dairy when pregnant. A small glass of milk would make me sick for days. Once I eliminated dairy at 22 weeks I went from constant vomiting to feeling relatively normal. Coke helped massively too, which seems strange but cola syrup is a common nausea remedy in south America. At times there was no way I could keep water down but I could keep coke down. Though it is super full of sugar so if I was pregnant again I'd try to get a bottle of cola syrup and mix that with sparkling water. Soda water (not sparkling water) with lime juice and a little sugar used to help too.

ceecee14 · 15-08-2015 1:06pm

I had terrible "all day " sickness when I was pregnant, I used to vomit all day but I was never admitted to hospital thank god. My doctor advised me to sip on lucozade sport and make ice pops out of it. It was the only fluid I could stomach. I lived on cream crackers for 12 weeks. If you can,try not to get too hungry as I found getting hungry made me sicker. Just find something that you can stomach and stick to it. If you can't keep any fluids down, go to your doctor or hospital. Hope it eases for you soon x

theLuggage · 15-08-2015 1:17pm

Being that sick and uncomfortable is not part and parcel of being pregnant! I hate this attitude when they are perfectly safe things to do or take to help pregnant women feel better.

I was very ill like you around 5/6 weeks when it kicked in and lost a ton of weight (which won't matter for the baby by the way, they will still take from your body stores what they need so don't worry about that part at all). I was prescribed Cariban at 9weeks when I first saw my consultant and it worked like a dream! I had housebound before, carrying my vomit bowl with me around the house, it was woeful. Cariban worked great for me and I soon felt an awful lot better. It is basically an old school antihistamine (which are safe in pregnancy, even early preg) combined with vitamin Bs, not sure which ones. They were expensive but worth it! And the Coombe actually have a deal with the supplier and they are priced more reasonably in their own pharmacy. I'm currently 37 weeks and my baby is doing fine and so am I! Was able to stop taking them around the second trimester, a few weeks into it.

Please don't suffer and be fobbed off by "Well that's just pregnancy for you". That is absolute BS. No need to be suffering when there are options available.

LegacyUser · 17-08-2015 3:48pm

theLuggage wrote: »

Being that sick and uncomfortable is not part and parcel of being pregnant! I hate this attitude when they are perfectly safe things to do or take to help pregnant women feel better.

Cariban worked great for me and I soon felt an awful lot better. It is basically an old school antihistamine (which are safe in pregnancy, even early preg) combined with vitamin Bs, not sure which ones. They were expensive but worth it! And the Coombe actually have a deal with the supplier and they are priced more reasonably in their own pharmacy. I'm currently 37 weeks and my baby is doing fine and so am I! Was able to stop taking them around the second trimester, a few weeks into it.

Please don't suffer and be fobbed off by "Well that's just pregnancy for you". That is absolute BS. No need to be suffering when there are options available.

Thank you all for your replies. The reason I replied so late is I ended up on a drip in hospital. I am slowly recovering. I was also given Cariban, so here's hoping. It's the worst feeling in the world. Thanks all

LegacyUser · 17-08-2015 3:58pm

Hi thank you all for your responses, I ended up in hospital on a drip and tho those who said "you don't want to end up in hospital on a drip", well of course no one wants to, it's the only way it can be treated and it's unavoidable if you're not holding fluids in though, so there's not really anything else to add to that.

Attitudes even within the hospital itself varied greatly, the first woman who saw me said "oh so you just found out you're pregnant, now you're being sick?" in a very sarcastic manner made me want to smack her. The night nurse I had on duty was so kind and said that hypermesis is completely under rated and not enough sympathy goes to those who have it. I had lots of midwives telling me there's nothing you can do, you'll get sick again and just be back for more fluids, is that really the best thing to say toa first time pregnant woman who needs some kind of reassurance or a kind word at least? But I was also given Cariban, and I did get a lot of understanding as well as a few sneers, I guess that's life. I never, ever want to feel that again, I wanted to die. Fingers crossed it won't get that bad again even if I'm a bit sick. Thank you all of you and the best of luck with your pregnancies and/or families.

LegacyUser · 17-08-2015 9:08pm

I am 9 weeks on my second pregnancy and I am very very nauseous but no vomiting.

First time round, the nausea returned at 30 weeks (again no vomiting though). The doctor prescribed me with Losec at 30 weeks for the nausea because she felt it's tough enough to be pregnant and get through daily life, never mind dealing with crippling nausea and vomiting. Thankfully it passed quite quickly for me at that stage, so I never took it, but you should revisit your doctor - or find another one, if you're that sick. Unfortunately it will only get worse before it gets better.

But I can testify that it does get better

Bayley1 · 18-08-2015 9:32am

Hi, I'm just having a moan really. 13 weeks and im still so sick. I fainted last Thursday and had a headache for nearly a week - doctor says im dehydrated and said I could take solpadene instead of paracetamol for the headache as the paracetamol wasn't working. Ive been off work since then. Im just exhausted! Trying to get water into me but it's so hard when feeling so ill. It's a vicious circle. Im so fed up of feeling like crap. I know I'm lucky im not as sick as some people on here but just needed a little moan.

Bayley1 · 18-08-2015 9:37am

cyning wrote: »

I had hyperemeseis too... And like the others have said drink or eat what works. Crackers used murder me: seriously impossible to eat! Salt and vinegar taytos, mint crisp bars and small amts of coke were what got me out of hosp a few times: it was a nurse who suggested the salt and vinegar taytos. I really hope you feel better soon: go with what works for you

I have tried the salt and vinegar taytos a couple of times and they have worked. This sounds funny but they are my hangover food. The sickness feels similar to a hangover some days so thought it was worth a try and it does work. I might try the mint crisp today

rockinmama · 18-08-2015 10:06am

Just saw this thread now, I had hyperemesis all throughout my pregnancy, I don't want to say the sickness is more than likely going to leave you at 12 - 20 weeks as it didn't for me, but it's more than likely going to leave you!

I basically subsisted on apples, orange juice, mini chocolate muffins and guacamole for the whole 9 months (still find the smell of ginger will make me nauseous as I tried it so often in many forms that it added to my misery in the end!). Baby came out at 8.5 pounds and is as healthy as a horse so don't worry if you don't get to eat all the things you're supposed to. Wasn't able to keep down any of the supplements like Folic Acid but Doc said not to worry as I had been taking it for months before hand while trying for a baby. At 12 weeks I was so sick I was at a weight I hadn't been since 25 but again Doc said it was fine as I slowly started putting it on after going on anti nausea tabs (was so sick at the start that had to use another form of aural tablet...

)

I was fairly rough for the whole thing but just took it easy and tried to be as upbeat as possible as the more you think about being miserable you will be... I know that's a really annoying thing to say when you feel rubbish but at some point it'll make sense... probably when you've had the baby! ha!

Little Miss Cutie · 18-08-2015 11:41am

Bayley1 wrote: »

Hi, I'm just having a moan really. 13 weeks and im still so sick. I fainted last Thursday and had a headache for nearly a week - doctor says im dehydrated and said I could take solpadene instead of paracetamol for the headache as the paracetamol wasn't working. Ive been off work since then. Im just exhausted! Trying to get water into me but it's so hard when feeling so ill. It's a vicious circle. Im so fed up of feeling like crap. I know I'm lucky im not as sick as some people on here but just needed a little moan.

Hi Bayley,
That is tough, if you are having trouble with plain water maybe try sparkling or 7up.

I'm 18 wks now and still sick quiet a bit but I find sparkling water much easier to drink than still water. It is true as well I find if I am getting a little dehydrated the sickness is much worse.

theLuggage · 18-08-2015 9:50pm

So-Sick wrote: »

Hi thank you all for your responses, I ended up in hospital on a drip and tho those who said "you don't want to end up in hospital on a drip", well of course no one wants to, it's the only way it can be treated and it's unavoidable if you're not holding fluids in though, so there's not really anything else to add to that.

Attitudes even within the hospital itself varied greatly, the first woman who saw me said "oh so you just found out you're pregnant, now you're being sick?" in a very sarcastic manner made me want to smack her. The night nurse I had on duty was so kind and said that hypermesis is completely under rated and not enough sympathy goes to those who have it. I had lots of midwives telling me there's nothing you can do, you'll get sick again and just be back for more fluids, is that really the best thing to say toa first time pregnant woman who needs some kind of reassurance or a kind word at least? But I was also given Cariban, and I did get a lot of understanding as well as a few sneers, I guess that's life. I never, ever want to feel that again, I wanted to die. Fingers crossed it won't get that bad again even if I'm a bit sick. Thank you all of you and the best of luck with your pregnancies and/or families.

Oh my god, it's those attitudes I find so ignorant and annoying! The sickness you can feel is absolutely horrific, and I was never so bad to be hospitalised so I can only imagine that level! Thank god you were given something and I hope the Cariban starts to work for you like it did for me.

Don't be in a rush to stop it either if it works. Wait until your second trimester at least and then taper it down instead of stopping completely. I found I had to still take the night time double dose to stop getting sick/retching in the morning but was fine during the day without it.

Babooshka · 20-08-2015 1:48pm

theLuggage wrote: »

Oh my god, it's those attitudes I find so ignorant and annoying! The sickness you can feel is absolutely horrific, and I was never so bad to be hospitalised so I can only imagine that level! Thank god you were given something and I hope the Cariban starts to work for you like it did for me.

Don't be in a rush to stop it either if it works. Wait until your second trimester at least and then taper it down instead of stopping completely. I found I had to still take the night time double dose to stop getting sick/retching in the morning but was fine during the day without it.

OP here logged in cos moderation takes so long. Thanks for that. I got out of hospital last Monday and only started being sick again this morning. the nutritionist called me Tuesday and told me not to take the Cariban unless I was being sick so I didn't start it yet. If it keeps up I will be though, especially going back to work next week. This honestly sucks, I am so happy to be having my long awaited child but honestly, nothing prepares you for this.

LegacyUser · 20-08-2015 2:37pm

It's probably no use to you know but just to let you know,

on my first i was the exact same, i couldn't keep a glass of water down, i probably should have went to hospital but never actually did get sent there, most days i was surviving on nibbling cream crackers at times of severe nausea and i couldn't eat/drink without it coming back up,

i think at one stage i resorted to force feeding myself crunchy nut cornflakes just to get "healthy food" into myself if even for 10 minutes before they came back up i figured it was better than nothing (sorry if TMI), to be fair i still can't eat them since then so i don't recommend it with foods you like

it was utter hell, and lasted into my second semester, but it made the birthing process a breeze as nothing is as bad as it, so feeling like that is definitely underrated by those who haven't experienced it, it certainly toughened me up

this time round (second pregnancy) i was terrified of it happening again (it's one of the reasons i waited so long before trying again) but this time i get headaches and nausea if i don't eat by a certain time, so i'm on "little and often", and every-time i throw up i swear i'm just counting my blessings it's nothing like the last time when i could spend 15 hours a day going forwards and backwards to a bathroom.

so if you do go for another one just note you may not get it again. and most importantly it's not going to last forever, in another few months you'll have a large sleep depravation you'll be thankful for

rockinmama · 21-08-2015 9:00am

OP as long as the doc says it's ok to take the anti nausea just take it if you feel that bad, it saved my life as nothing else would help, I think if I'd heard someone say ginger to me again I would have punched them in the face... I wish you fresh air, very little motion and a go to food or drink that you can take for the whole pregnancy without feeling like sh*t.

Millem · 21-08-2015 10:09am

OP I had hyperemesis for my entire pregnancy....it seriously wears you down mentally and physically. I did get a bit of relief from sipping coca cola I didn't take any tablets but one of my friends did and found them great. I spent the majority of my pregnancy on the bathroom floor or in bed. If you have to go out give yourself loads and loads of time to get ready, bring a plastic bag and don't be afraid to get sick when you need to. I would arrive at my destination with a bag of sick or sick on myself or get sick in the front garden or all of the above!!
Mind yourself, all the sickness will be worth it

Neyite · 21-08-2015 10:22am

I thankfully never got sick, but it was my biggest fear of pregnancy. What I learned though is to listen to your body - if it's telling you that months of one flavour of crisp is all it wants, go with it. Your baby will get the nutrients he or she needs from you stores. You'll feel like death warmed up, but junior will be grand.

By the way, I was told to eat crisps when I was badly dehydrated once due to another illness by a GP - the dehydration depletes your salt stores I think so you need to restore those, and crisps are usually easier to digest than a glass of salt water. Munched my way through 12 packs of C&O Taytos and felt much better for it.

And that nurse who was dismissive - I'd have reported her.

Babooshka · 21-08-2015 3:21pm

Hey thanks all

I am in bed all day. I went onto the Cariban. How anyone could be expected to do a days work while suffering this is beyond me,doc signed me out for another week, my arms are barely able to lift a glass to my lips, and I have to drag myself downstairs to force myself to eat something I don't want.

Anyone who has to do this with kids already should be given an OBE or something more useful. I can't even mind myself. Hopefully the Cariban begins working. Thank you all for your words of kindness, this is particularly lonely and isolating, a day feels like two, time just drags by and every minute you're praying for the nausea to f*ck off. I know I will have a different set of problems to deal with in 6 weeks more than likely, but this one, well, I'd swap this one for lots of other stuff, to be honest. Something smells so bad in my fridge every time I open it, and the fridge is spotlessly clean, the sens of smell is unbelievable, my husbands deodorant after his shower sets me off first thing, he's going to be banned from spraying in here for the next 3 months!

theLuggage · 21-08-2015 7:25pm

Hope it works soon! And as the others say eat what your body tells you, even if it's junk, baby will still be grand and you can improve your diet if needed when u feeling better. Little and often can be good too.

sambucus nigra · 21-08-2015 7:32pm

So sorry to hear you're feeling this bad.

I also had to take an anti-histamine for hyperemesis - they work (AFAIK) by calming down the Chemo-Receptor-Zone in your brain that gets inflamed/irritated by all the pregnancy hormones floating around, giving rise to the nausea.

I always found it took 2-3 days to take full effect, probably because the inflammatory response isn't overcome immediately. What I mean to say is don't be too disheartened if you still feel crap tomorrow, it might take the weekend for the meds to have their full effect. I think that you should have a pretty good idea by Monday if they're working for you or not.

Just though I'd mention, I tried to come off the meds a few times (prematurely as I discovered each time!) and found that the same rule held - I would still feel okay the day after coming off them but day 2 was dodgy and by day 3 I was back to throwing up water/bile every 15 minutes. Wish someone had told me this beforehand!

HG itself really is dehumanising, especially when you factor in the guilt of being unable to dedicate time/energy to college/work/kids/relationships. Virtual hug to you, hang in there!

greenorchard · 21-08-2015 8:35pm

I had hyperemesis too, it was a horrific experience. I found it very depressing being so ill and at a time when you should be enjoying being pregnant!
Like others have said just eat whatever you can. All I could tolerate a lot of the time was sugary foods & drinks. I felt terribly guilty about eating so badly but you really do need to just eat & drink whatever you can tolerate. At one stage all I kept down for 3 days was a can of coke & a few mouthfuls of plain rice!
I found ice pops great too, they can be easier to manage than water sometimes. Get plenty of rest & I hope the medication helps you.

Novella · 22-08-2015 6:07am

My heart honestly goes out to you, OP. The first few months of pregnancy dragged by for me and I thought I'd never get through it. Take care of yourself, you poor thing x

Babooshka · 26-08-2015 11:42am

rockinmama wrote: »

OP as long as the doc says it's ok to take the anti nausea just take it if you feel that bad, it saved my life as nothing else would help, I think if I'd heard someone say ginger to me again I would have punched them in the face... I wish you fresh air, very little motion and a go to food or drink that you can take for the whole pregnancy without feeling like sh*t.

I know, right, everyone suggests ginger and crackers as if you hadn't googled every possible known help, it's so frustrating when they do, you really do want to punch them. I haven't been able to log in, I've just slept for days. I was really bad again yesterday, and today is a little easier, they've told me I can take an extra tablet at night also so maybe that will help going back to work next week. God knows, it only takes one wrong thought or a smell to set it off, but if I don't get out of this room soon I am going to end up in a straight jacket. At least 75% of my food and water are staying down, it just depends on the day but it's better than last week so that's something.
Toast is my friend, as is cheddar cheese and small meals like single serve spaghetti hoops and beans, it's a start!

Just wanted to thank you all again for your kind words as they gave me some comfort in my tomb! Best of luck to all of you. B

rockinmama · 27-08-2015 8:50am

Ah spaghetti hoops, I hear you!
When you go back to work, keep a few bags in your pocket just in case (i recommend using the biodegradable bin bags as they don't smell, every little helps!), a mindfulness breathing app to listen to (I use Pacifica as it has these breathing coach things you can listen to, as stupid as it sounds I needed it on the way to work to tell me how to breathe slowly on the rocky bus and it wasn't the cacophony of music on radio as that would make me nauseous too) and something that has a smell you can stomach to sniff when needed, even if its a bar of soap or lipbalm or whatever, it took me ages to cop that i didn't have to walk the long way from the bus to work to avoid a noodle bar, a burrito bar and a Subway, i just rubbed citrus smelling stuff on a scarf, wrapped it round my face and walked the normal way... it was summer though so i did look a little nuts...

Hope you get out of that room soon!

Emmadilema123 · 24-09-2015 8:37am

I'm so glad people are talking about this. I'm 13 weeks pregnant on my 3rd pregnancy. I've had hypermesis on all of them up until the day I give birth so I expect this one to be the same. The worst part is the pressure you feel to continue on as normal as nobody really understands how difficult it is. I've gotten to this point by pushing myself but now the wheels have come off completely and I don't have the energy to push through anymore. I get up at 5 for work and the last two days the vomitting is so frequent I literally can't get myself out of the house. Icalled in sick yesterday and today and now I'm mad at myself for not being able to get it together. I hope it's just a bad week and I'll be back on track next weekðŸ˜«

Little Miss Cutie · 24-09-2015 8:49am

Emmadilema123 wrote: »

now I'm mad at myself for not being able to get it together. I hope it's just a bad week and I'll be back on track next weekðŸ˜«

Ah Emma, try not to be so hard on yourself! The pressure to be "normal" is terrible but I think we need to just say no to things.
I'm 24 weeks today and still sick far more than I expected!

Really sick

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