Help! Hyperemesis/unplanned/ what to do?

[momtoS]

Okay so I found out I was pregnant yesterday.

I get severe hyperemesis when pregnant. So, it really isn't a matter of if but when...I could have one day before it hits...or maybe a week.

What should I do? I think today I am going to try to conquer my mountain of laundry.

Then I should prepare foods if possible.....

Then......what should I prepare for for the sickness? My last pregnancy was only 5 months of severe illness, with one of those months so bad I didn't leave the house.

First pregnancy I was sick 7 months.

I generally have 20+ vomitting sessions a day........

[rhiOrion]

what types of things have worked best to eat in your previous pregnancies? stock up on those, if you can. and stock up on snacks and easy meals for your kids.

have a discussions with your DH now about what kind of help you're likely to need.

did any meds work at all last time? if so, ask your dr/mw to go ahead and write the rx.

clean your toilets. nobody wants to puke in a nasty toilet.

are you the type of puker who makes it to the toilet? if not, get some trash cans ready.'

blah. i feel terrible for you!

[lillymonster]

I used zofran last time, stopped me from puking but I still had stomach upset, terrible heartburn and all around someone punched me in the gut feeling. I too did the vomiting 15-20 times a day w/o it. Mine last 26 weeks last time, not too long as most. Problem with zofran is severe constipation.

I did start zofran this time, however, I am also trying zantac. I still threw up a few times this morning, but my stomach does not have the gut wrenching sick to my stomach feeling anymore and I can actually eat and have the desire to eat. I am also going to try chiropractic care (in fact I was going to post a question if anyone had success with it). This time I am not throwing up as much, but my stomach just HURTS, and I lost my desire to eat or drink. Drinking water was like drinking acid, it burned in my stomach.

Unfortunately it also seems to be one of those things that you have to keep trying stuff to see if it works. I will say so far, while it's bad, not nearly bad as last time and it can be control with drugs a little better.

For me stuff like ginger and b6 pills have made me feel even worse this time.

[etsdtm99]

i agree with the pp -- easy meals for the kids - i bought frozen foods because i didn't have time to make-freeze before i started feeling gross.. i let the laundry and cleaning and everything go for the most part.. i just made a decision not to get upset about it cause that would just make me feel worse .. luckily my DH was supportive of my decision..

[JessieBird]

Oh poor you. I can totally relate. I didn't think it was possible to be sicker than I was with DS. Everyone told me it would be easier the second time around so I was totally unprepared when it hit hard and suddenly. I ended up in the hospital with severe HG for most of March.

If we are lucky enough to have a #3 I will know better and will get prepared early the way you are. PP had great suggestions. Do what you can about the housework and cooking now but then tell the family that there may be tough times ahead and that household stuff may slip for a while. We lived on scarmbled eggs and and frozen pizzas for four months - I'm only just now starting to cook again at 22 weeks - and I felt terribly guilty about it but everyone will survive.

This website has great advice for families: http://www.hyperemesis.org/family/faqs.php

I would also encourage you to get meds now so that you are prepared and don't have to wait a week to get an appointment, etc. It only took three days of vomitting for me to end up in the hospital, severely dehydrated and unable to stop the puke cycle. I was determined to use only natural remedies during my first pregnancy and honestly I got so depressed that I prayed for a miscarriage every day for five months. This time around, I was even more sick so the health of the baby was at risk and I gave in to the meds. I'm so glad that I did and I wish I had the first time around so that I could have enjoyed the pregnancy more. I feel confident that the meds are safe and they've made me able to function and participate in family life.

Take care of yourself and take this seriously. I really hope it turns out not to be as bad as you are expecting!

[mediumcrunch]

Being proactive is key. Get to the OB/midwife NOW. Starting meds before you get very sick will often keep the severity down.

[neveryoumindthere]

I hope I am not minimizing this condition, but what about acupuncture?
I had the most severe 24-7 nausea (of my 4 pregnancies) this time around and I was going to acupuncture sessions for something unrelated. After the very first session it was down by at least 50% and after the 2nd session it was totally gone!

There is also a pressure point in the middle of the inside of your wrist that is supposed to help with nausea.

I hope you get some relief!!

[boogiebearlove]

I feel your pain!

I feel your pain. I've had hyperemesis with all 3 pregnancies (I'm 17 weeks on my third right now). The first time was livable, because I didn't have any kids to care for yet, and I didn't have a job or school to worry about. The doctor gave me Reglan, but it didn't do anything. I just puked 20 times a day until about 16 weeks, and I was fine. The second time was much harder because I had a 2 year old. I tried to get help from my family, but they were almost useless. They didn't understand how sick I really was. I was given Zofran that time, and it really reduced the vomiting. This time, I knew to get Zofran right away. I have heard that treating immediately can be effective in reducing the severity and length of it. But it didn't. The Zofran didn't really work for some reason, so I ended up in the hospital for 5 days because I was losing weight rapidly (5 lbs in 3 days). In the hospital they were able to control the nausea by mixing Zofran with Benadryl. I have no idea why the Benadryl helps, but it does. I can eat again I still have some nausea, and if I don't eat regularly (every 2-3 hours) I may puke. But if I eat regularly, and take both pills every 6 hours, I am functioning. I tried to go off of the Benadryl and just take the Zofran and I started puking again. So for some reason, what worked for me last time doesn't work this time. The medication helped, but for 8 weeks I was still in bed. I could not get up except to pee, from severe dehydration, fatigue, motion sickness, etc. I'd black out going downstairs. Once I was able to eat regularly, I was scared to get up and do things for fear of throwing myself back into the vomiting cycle. But I'm on the other end, and I made it.

We are not planning to have any more kids, though. It's just gotten a little worse each time, and I don't feel like I could do this again. It is completely debilitating. This time we did have to hire a full time nanny - we had no other options. We live far away from our families and I could not get out of bed for those 8 weeks. It was an unhappy expense, but it made my life a tiny bit easier. I still felt awful, and it was awful being away from my kids for so long. My 4 year old son thought I was dead for a whole day! And I had to wean my 18 month old daughter. I couldn't be around my kids because I could smell them and it made me sick - even if they had just been bathed. I could smell their hair and breath and soap. I could smell the paper in some books I read! That has lessened some.

Anyway, that's my tale! I truly feel for you - I know how nervous you must be going into this and not sure what to expect. And I know how horrible this condition can be. But you will get through it. It DOES end. And then you will have a precious new baby Your body still works, it just has a few kinks and it will work them out on it's own over the next few months

[Calleiah]

Im on my third baby, and this one has been the roughest in terms of HG. Go to your doctor NOW, get meds now, and if necessary, talk to your doc about getting a Zofran pump lined up just in case. The zero down time on medication through the pump is lifesaving. I just reached a point on the oral meds where the second they started to wear off, I was immediately sick, which meant that getting more meds down got harder and harder, till it was eventually impossible and I had to have IV hydration/meds. Plus, if you ever start to get dehydrated, the medications taken orally will not be as effective. This time I actually got to the point where I could not eat at all, and was really only getting a max of 100 calories a day. Having the pump and the nursing service was wonderful, they could come out and give me an IV if I was too dehydrated instead of going to the ER, and I could call them anytime 24/7 to adjust my pump for extra meds. It got me through the worst part of it. I stayed on the pump for 2 months and was finally able to move to only oral meds. I can't imagine how bad I would have been if I hadnt had the pump. <hugs>

[MaerynPearl]

I had HG with my first two (diagnosed with DS, never got it diagnosed with DD but pretty sure it falls in the HG category)

This time was SO much easier. I got nausea and vomited and the like, but it was by all definitions morning sickness, I only got actually sick in the mornings (felt sick other times in the day but could eat without throwing up then)

I hope the same for you!

Otherwise... theres a lot of help out there, it may take a while to find what works for you (with DS I didnt, unfortunately, I stopped getting the HG before I found something that works) but if you give something a week to work (for medicines, not the stop-nausea-right-now tricks like ginger and lemon) and it doesnt seem to be cutting through at all, move on!