Help me with the Nausea, Please!

[Belleweather]

I've been feeling sick constantly now for almost two weeks. It's like a constant low-grade stomach churning which combined with the food aversions makes eating almost impossible, It's like being perpeutally stuck being starving but nothing ever seems like it would taste good to eat. In fact, nearly everything seems like it's going to make a precipate reappearance. :irked:

I'm feeling awful. I'm only eating about 1000 calories on a good day, and I know that can't be good for me or the bebe... not to mention that I haven't got the energy to get through any of my day to day activities. Every time it's time for a meal I end up in tears because I'm hungry and worried and everything makes me sick. I'm reasonably sure that I'll grow out of it eventually... I guess I just need reassurance and any suggestions anyone might have for what to do in the meantime.

[RachelGS]

Just popping in to your club because I saw your thread title. I am SO sympathetic. I have really been battling nausea as well and am on all kinds of medications. Without them, I can't stay hydrated enough to stay safe. There are great resources at http://www.helpher.org/forums/index.php (hyperemesis website). Hope that helps!

[zjande]

I don't know if you've already tried this, but this is what worked for me. I was super nauseas but it abated a LOT when I started eating a few crackers a few times per night & then the moment my alarm goes off, before I lift my head from the pillow.

[mtnsunshinemama]

I had great success with a prescription from my Naturopathic doc for B-6 cream that I applied to my wrists. It really helped better than anything else! and it was such a bonus that I didn't have to take it orally! Acupuncture can help too or sea-bands available at drug stores that put pressure on the acupoints at the wrists. I second the crackers in bed and small meals throughout the day.

[annapapp]

hi it's help me. alway does.
i eat biscuits all day and some baby tea or camamil tea.
do it when yot know u need it
andrea

[willemsmamma]

I feel for you, I really do. I had SIX very sick months... TWO TRIMESTERS!!! of what you are describing with my first pg. When I would start to vomit, my whole body would would contract, all the muscles in my body were so sore. I would tell everyone that they call it morning sickness because it starts in the morning and lasts till you fall asleep at night. People said I was literally GREEN I was soooo sick and throwing up bile...eeewh. I was still in school and my husband who is also a fellow student would have to walk me from building to building, me holding on to his arm, eyes closed, stopping occasionally to throw up from the smells that overwhelmed me (like fertilizer, formaldehyde from the anatomy lab...) I was so sick with that pg that I developed a food aversion and until getting pregnant this time have had a very hard time deciding what I wanted to eat (even after I was pregnant)
Here are the things that seemed to help me other than the usual advice to eat more often (which stems from the idea that m/s is caused by low blood sugar... which I thought was complete stupidity because it didn't really help me except to help me gain about 70 lbs during my pg!!!... there was more to my m/s than low blood sugar)

GINGER - you can cut up fresh ginger and put a slice in your mouth (hot, hot) or make a tea with hot water, or even (my favorite) make a little tincture by putting some in a blender with a clear alcohol like vodka or everclear... make it strong so that there is lots of pulp in it. then put it in a baby jar (the pulp should be just under the liquid) or let it sit a couple of days or a week then strain it and put it in a glass bottle with a dropper. What is nice about the tincture is that it is portable and you can pop it in your bag if you are on the go. You can add a dropperful to a glass of water or just put a few drops under your tongue to help settle your stomach. You can do the same with the pulpy tincture but you may find that the pulp gets stuck on the back of your throat and may make you gag if you don't have something to wash it down with .
PEPPERMINT - tea or even better, essential oil. Smells were one of my worst m/s inducers so I bought a personal aromatherapy diffuser necklace. You can find them online at several websites that sell essential oils. It is a necklace with a little glass vial that you stuff with cotton from a cotton ball and you put a drop of essential oil on the cotton. The heat from your body warms the metal surrounding the glass vial and gently diffuses the oil. Peppermint is by no means my favorite scent but it works wonders at relieving nausea instantly. Long term not so good but there were time when I would put a drop on my palm and rub my hands together and put them over my nose. (I know that you aren't supposed to make direct contact with essential oils without a carrier oil but I did what I had to)
LIMIT AMOUNT OF LIQUID - yes, make sure you are getting plenty of liquids because you are pregnant. I don't mean to decrease your intake. What I mean is that when there is a lot of liquid in your stomach it sloshes around and can make you sick. Try not drinking anything when you eat. and only take a sip every few minutes when you do.
PROTEIN - I know you have no appetite, but make sure you are getting enough protein. Sometimes that was all I needed.
NEROLI HYDROSOL - hydrosols are the water byproduct of the essential oil distillation process. Neroli is specifically for anti-anxiety which I'm sure you are starting to get every time you feel like you are going to throw up. (because if it's like it was for me, vomiting does NOT make you feel better). Not to mention that neroli smells absolutely heavenly. It's like, I can't describe it but I'm sure it will help. It's like getting an extra second or two of bliss... it smells so good that you just get caught up in it. I didn't get to use this for m/s but I did in labor... actually when I asked for it, everyone spritzed some on their faces as well. There is a website that explains all the different uses of the different hydrosols and also sells them. Don't remember what the site is (think it was like naturesgift or something) but you'll have no problems finding it if you look up "hydrosols" on Google.
CRANIAL-SACRAL THERAPY - I highly recommend you look for someone trained by the Upledger Institute who has all three levels of certification. CS therapy has to do with releasing tension on the dura (sheath) of the spinal cord and fascia (coverings) of the muscles. Without going into too much detail as I am prone to do :blah , CS was the ONLY THING THAT HAD A LONG TERM EFFECT on my m/s. My first session was a hour and a half. Going in I literallly had black and green circles under my eyes and my complexion was on the green side. After 1 1/2 hours of the therapist working on me and 1/2 hour of rest with lots of water afterwards and some fruit and almonds, I FELT AWESOME. My color was back, my circles were gone. The next day I woke up with only about 15% of the sick feeling I had had for the past 5 months. I had a couple more sessions with someone else (in my area) and continued to get better so that by the middle of my sixth month I wasn't sick anymore. Of course I would get nauseaous if my blood sugar was low but it was nothing compared to before.
Hope this helps some... Like I said I really feel for you. :o

just needed to add that with the essential oil and hydrosols make sure you buy organic. The distillation process is actually a concentrating process and you don't want concentrated chemicals around you when your are pregnant.

[kroonkles]

I'm finding that forcing myself to eat protein really helps. Usually it's the last think I want when I'm feeling so nauseous, but it actually works for a while - and I've never been a big protein eater, so this is an effort for me (I've always been one to run to the carbs when I'm hungry).

[RainCoastMama]

Ugh. I feel your pain. This PG is different from #1 - I have the stomach-churning, throat tickling low grade thing going on. NOTHING with #1. I'm convinced it's a boy this time :LOL

Just want to add: red raspberry tea in the 2nd tri; seasickness bands; acupuncture.

Dee

[Qerratsmom]

I was sick for 6 months with ds and 3 with the current pregnancy. With this pregnancy I forced myself to eat eggs every morning for protein and carried around ginger chews or ginger hard candies with me everywhere. These things really helped. You can buy the ginger candies at most natural food stores.

[A&A]

You can also buy ginger in caplet form.

Stay away from hamburger.

[Belleweather]

Ewww... even the idea of hamburger turns my stomach! At least we don't eat it regularly, so it's not something I'm likely to miss!

I'm doing a little better here... I had an extra 'suprize' visit with my Acupuncturist on Friday (Suprize because I'd scheduled it in Feburary at a different clinic than I usually see her at, and we'd both forgotten about it completely) and since it wasn't a part of my normal treatment, we didn't do any spleen/fetus stabalizing stuff and spent the whole hour JUST focusing on nausea points.

I'm not feeling 100% better, but it did really, really help. I've eaten two actual meals in the last couple days, and was able to go to the grocery store without vomiting (and really, you know the m/s is bad when the canned foods aisle makes you run from the store...) and I'm able to keep things like juice and simple carbohydrates down on a regular basis. DH is seriously thinking about kissing the acupuncturist, especially since he can't cook, and with the kitchen being a scary, scary place for me he was relegated to TV dinners and Ramen Noodles.

I'm still going to try the ginger and B6 stuff this week... I've also heard that papaya enzyme can help you keep food down after you've managed to eat it, so we're off to spend the family fortune at the co-op. I'll keep you posted on any success.

[Queen of Cups]

Help! I'm four weeks pregnant today, and I am sooo sick. I didn't have any real morning sickness until about 6 weeks with DS. Why is it so bad already? I was driving on the interstate today, and had to pull over twice to retch in the ditch... :( Is this normal? To be this sick this early?

[SoggyGranolaMomma]

Just joining the club. I feel the exact same way. My stomach gurgles and bubbles and while I haven't wretched yet, I'm sure I will anytime. I never vomit though. I just feel a constant undercurrent of nausea. I have found that protein foods help me feel better. Peanut butter and jelly crackers, cheese and crackers. Even peanut butter and fluff. I baked some yummy bread with leftover beer mash and it's REALLY good. I slather some PB on that too. PB is it's own food group in my first trimester! :LOL

[crazy_eights]

This is pregnancy #7 for me and I have never been this sick before. I went ahead and tried medication. I am taking Zofran, which really, really helps the nausea but what it doesn't do is give you an appetite. SO - I am able to tolerate smells and walk around only feeling slightly like I have an upset stomach, but I still can't eat!

[meagen]

I second the peanut butter thing! I've been through one jar already. On the days that I can't keep anything down, a mixture of Gatoraide (red) and gingerale is my drink of choice. Not that it does much good nutrition wise, but it's not that bad puking up :eyesroll Whatever you can do to get through it, at least it helps to know that others feel your pain! Good luck, and hopefully it will be better soon.

[tripleaces]

I've been so nausous for a week, two, three? I don't even know now.. I don't puke, just constantly, ALL THE TIME, feel like I'm going to. I hate it. I can't get anything done, I just want to lay in bed all day, food disgusts me most of the time but I'm constantly starving. Just wanted to pop in because I've been feeling so awful I don't even like to sit and type. :( I keep hoping it will just go away - felt nothing even close to this with #1!

Great suggestions, though, will have to try some of them. Oh, also wanted to add. The only time it seems to abate is when I'm nursing my DD. So that's pretty cool. :)

[bluebottle]

oy, i have been sick sick sick. i posted earlier this week and got good advice-

so far these things have helped me:

ginger. ginger ginger ginger. ginger and peppermint tea, ginger tea, ginger snaps, slices of ginger to suck on, gin-gins candies to eat when out, ginger ginger ginger.

swimming. i think actually this was just relaxing and that helped with some stress and that helped a little. vomiting all the time has been super stressful, and the fact that i wasn't able to, you know, think was stressing me out.

making sure i never smelled anything, ever. the windows have been open at our house for two weeks now.

never doing the dishes. something about the lukewarm dishwater was freaking me out.

protein. if i could keep it down, it seemed to help. a handful of almonds was usually kind-of manageable.

never anything with bubbles. i used to like mineral water when i was sick but oh that was a bad idea.

little sips all day long. i am a biiiiiigg drinker and it has been hard for me to not drink in big gulps. seems like a tiny thing but i am always thirsty and i would drink a big bottle of water before i remembered that uuuuughh it would make me feel bad. so i am just trying to carry water around all the time and take little sips all day.

yesterday i had an appointment with a doctor because the midwife thought i should go in, i think mostly because i was so stressed about the vomiting and not being able to concentrate or do anything. he prescribed promethazine hydrochloride (lergigan here, i don't know the US name) and i took some yesterday and immediately felt better. i don't know if it's actually working or if it's a placebo or what but i haven't thrown up since then - which is a pretty major improvement over vomiting every time i ate anything or smelled anything or thought about icky foodstuffs. i still feel bad and nauseous, but not overwhelmingly so - mostly just tired and icky.

so i will be taking this for the next few days anyway. not what i wanted to do (it feels wrong somehow, the whole medication-thing) but at this point i would be willing to do just about anything. last night i got a ton of work done and this morning i feel ok, and that feels good. i think that the anxiety over not being able to work was really killing me and making everything else worse.

i had no idea you could be so sick so early. the sickness was the reason i got a pregnancy test in the first place. bizarre.

good luck, guys

xoa

[crazy_eights]

he prescribed promethazine hydrochloride (lergigan here, i don't know the US name)

It's phenergan here in the US and it works well for some people.

[beachbaby]

I've been having good luck with Vitamin B-6. For the past 3 days I've been taking 50 mg. in the morning and have felt pretty good. :fingersx: that it keeps working!!

[BethHG]

With my last one, all I wanted to eat was icecream sudaes and potato chips for like a week. I know not the most nutritious, but at least it was something--I wwould put bananas in the sundaes though--that counts, right. I had a difficult time wiith a lot of food, but I managed small meals the best. Also, last time--smells made everything worse--I would go around while sniffing lemons, probably got really wierd looks, but it really helped me. I liked anything lemon (lemon drops, lemonade, sniffing lemons). I couldn't stand anything minty so I had to have cinnamon toothpaste, and cinnamon gum.

I am feeling a bit nauseous with this one, and I have some of those preggie pop drops, and that is helping me a lot right now. Usually, the morning sickness doesn't fully kick in until 7 or 8 weeks, so I am just going to have to wait and see.

[Belleweather]

I am feeling a bit nauseous with this one, and I have some of those preggie pop drops, and that is helping me a lot right now. Usually, the morning sickness doesn't fully kick in until 7 or 8 weeks, so I am just going to have to wait and see.

Oh god... don't say THAT. I've been feeling horrid since I was 4 weeks, and I can't imagine that I'm only now hitting the "Fully Kicking In" point. I think I'll just go hide in the closet with my airsickness bag until I hit four months, thanks!

:)

We called off easter brunch and easter dinner and are saving the lovely leg of lamb my mother sent for some time when I can actually eat food. This week, it's been down to Jello, Toast, and for some reason Limeaid. Lemon anything is the bane of my existence (The Lemon Pledge on the pews in church this morning got to me) but for some reason limeaid is okay. (??) I'm starting to be really worried about DH, who doesn't cook and isn't eating well at all... he's living off Ramen Noodles and Spegetti. At least it's finally reached a decent temperature outside, and should be in the 50's all week, so we're both wearing sweaters and opening all the windows and doors! The neighbors think we're nuts but it's really making a difference.

[BethHG]

Oh god... don't say THAT. I've been feeling horrid since I was 4 weeks, and I can't imagine that I'm only now hitting the "Fully Kicking In" point. I think I'll just go hide in the closet with my airsickness bag until I hit four months, thanks!

:)

.

Uh, sorry. I am just saying what it has been for me in the previous pregnancies. I am really hoping that this time it's not going to get any worse. Every single time, it's different. I would crave different foods with each and be toatally turned from different foods as well. What gets me really angry is that I am not that nauseous, but I don't like the foods that I normally like either--like chocolate. Yes, I know that is a good thing, but really--chocolate! I feel like mourning or something! :LOL

[neveryoumindthere]

even reading what u guys are eating to help with teh m.s is making me feel so sick :Puke

all i can handle is fresh lemon pieces sprinkled with salt :shrug

[crazy_eights]

I read an article about how to deal with nausea last night. There was a recipe for a cantaloupe-banana milkshake, which makes sense since bananas are supposed to be good for nausea. not sure how the cantaloupe fits in to the scheme, but hey, if it works. The other things mentioned were atomic fireballs (apparently many women swear by them) and lemons.

ETA - I've hit week 13 and I'm feeling much better. Whew! I think I felt the worst right before I started to feel almost totally better. Weird.

[Bex80]

Just joining the club. I feel the exact same way. My stomach gurgles and bubbles and while I haven't wretched yet, I'm sure I will anytime. I never vomit though. I just feel a constant undercurrent of nausea. I have found that protein foods help me feel better. Peanut butter and jelly crackers, cheese and crackers. Even peanut butter and fluff. I baked some yummy bread with leftover beer mash and it's REALLY good. I slather some PB on that too. PB is it's own food group in my first trimester! :LOL

Oh, I am with you! I am not a puker, but I almost wish I would so I could feel better. Why does it have to churn all day long???

Goibng to try the PB crackers and Cheese crackers. All I've gotten in today had been triscuits and a granola bar. :( (Not so much sad, as green! :LOL)

[MamaFern]

i have found a cure!

i gotr a book of homoepathic medicine from the library and looked at the morning sickness section and voila! SEPIA, IGNATIA, PULSATILLA. i had pulsatilla and ignatia at home ( the little sugar pills that disolve under the tongue) and it works! i havnt tried SEPIA but it is supposed to be the best. as soon as i take the two i have the nausia is instantly gone and it lasts 4 - 6 hours. i really reccomend getting some. at the health food store here its 6.95 for a vial of the remedies and they last a long time. i hope this helps!

[Bex80]

I'll have to try that MamFern...is there a brand name to look for?

I went out after class tonight and bought ginger candies and ginger snaps. I ate a candy and it was sweet, but spicy. My nausea dissipated! I was ablet o eat dinner after I got home. Here it is almost 3 hours later and i'm still okay....but I just gulped a bunch of water and am now getting little burpy. :(

How much ginger is okay for a day? And are those pregnancy teas really safe?

[Slackermom]

I started feeling really sick this weekend. I wasn't like this at all with DD...with her, I just had a little bit of queasiness in the evenings, and even that didn't hit until 8 weeks. Well, here I am at 6 weeks, spending my day trying not to throw up. On the one hand, it's very reassuring to feel this sick. But then again, there must be a less disgusting way of reassuring myself that all is well!

[BethHG]

Nausea is now coming in big time. I am going to lay down in a couple of minutes--not only do I feel sick, I am soooo tired! :p

[YankeeMomInVA]

This can be scary stuff... I was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum when I was 8 weeks pregnant....I couldn't eat or drink anything without it immediately coming back up... I was working in Washington DC at the time and I left work early one day because I didn't feel well and ended up puking ALL over the Metro just before Van Dorn Street!!!!!! I was so mortified!!!
I ended up losing a large amount of weight in a very short period of time and my hair started falling out from lack of nutrition...it was awful... I ended up home on IV therapy for 3 months with Zofran injected into my IV (the pills wouldn't work..I'd just throw them up the moment I took them!)

So... just watch yourself carefully... if you think it's getting really out of hand, go to your local pharmacy and pick up some ketosticks (they'll check for protein in your urine and let you know if you're in real trouble)... and check with your doc, too! The antiemetic meds can work wonders... I give Zofran three thumbs up!!

Good luck! I hope things get better for you!

[pixiedust]

So... just watch yourself carefully... if you think it's getting really out of hand, go to your local pharmacy and pick up some ketosticks (they'll check for protein in your urine and let you know if you're in real trouble)... and check with your doc, too! The antiemetic meds can work wonders... I give Zofran three thumbs up!!

Good luck! I hope things get better for you!

I second the Zofran. :) I hate to resort to meds while pregnant but if finally let me keep something down also. They gave me the Zofran tablets that dissolve in your mouth, they are tasteless so I can actually handle them. :)

[sleepies]

I am exactly like the original poster!

Thanks for the advice.

I printed some out and plan to start immediately!

Something has to work.

If I am like this for two trimesters...............I hate to think.


:surprise:

[Belleweather]

Ugh.

I went to my first prenatal appointment today, which involved drinking about a metric ton of water -- not a happy tummy after that, let me tell you! Of course, after they got done yelling at me for not having a full enough bladder for the ultrasound because I was vomiting up all their stupid water (everything was fine, and we got to see the little wormy thing that's growing into a baby!) the nurse asked me "Now, you *are* able to eat three to five small meals a day, right?"

And you know... I don't think that I am! I've been lucky to get like half a small sandwitch and a peice of fruit down, or toast and jello or a banana or something, but 3-5 'meals'? What does that mean, precicely?

So, now I'm all worried. Luckily, because of a stupid insurance SNAFU, I have parallel prenatal care with the Birth Center that I'll be delivering at, and their midwives do more of an eating diary thing, where you write down all your calories for a week and then talk about it. So hopefully, they'll be able to give me more guidance about whether this constant and unrelenting nausea is hurting the baby or not.