My story of HG

[Jenny]

My story of HG is a long one, so I will do my best to keep it brief. Warning, it contains vivid memories of HG and the death of our son.

I found out on my 20th birthday in 1988 that I was pregnant with my first son. The first time I threw up, I couldn’t stop smiling, it all felt so real, so amazing to me. But it didn’t take long to get to the point that I was hospitalized. The medications available in 1988 were not at all helpful to me. I had reactions to all of them which were almost as bad as the HG itself. One made my eyes feel like they were literally on fire, I would sob with cool washcloths over my face, and felt sicker than ever. One made my head turn to the side and my eyes roll up in the back of my head. It was horrible. The only treatment I responded to was IV fluids, everything else made me feel much worse.

When I was hospitalized for a week, they had me in a room with a woman who had just had a mastectomy. The nurses would come in to drain her wounds and I could hear the suctioning sounds and threw up every time. We were right across from the nurse’s station, and they were making and burning popcorn all day and night. It was absolutely horrible for me. One time I asked for help b/c my emesis basin was full and I was still feeling very sick. My blood pressure was down to 85/46 and I was too dizzy to walk to the bathroom. The nurse said she was too busy and took the basin and left it on a shelf still full, across the room. I just had to turn my head and throw up down the side of the bed.

My next pregnancy was exactly two years later. I went to the doctor because I thought I had the flu, but it turned out I was pregnant. I spent twenty weeks very sick and untreated because the medicines didn’t help.

My third pregnancy was an unplanned delight, just 15 months later, but caring for two toddlers while being so sick was very difficult. I would put my two older sons in their play room with toys, while I laid in front of the door to make sure they couldn’t get hurt or leave the room. I just laid there on the floor with my small bowl I could spit into and dry heave into. I hadn’t had any fluids in weeks, so there was no need for a large bucket, all I ever threw up was bile and blood.

Twelve years later, in 2004, I remarried. My new husband very much wanted a child, and I warned him about HG and its horrors. We decided to try anyway. My three teenage sons were committed to helping me when I got sick. There is no way you can describe HG to someone who hasn’t seen it though. I really don’t think my family knew what they were committing to. The first few weeks I just had morning sickness. I felt ok at times and at other times, I felt pretty bad. But I had enough of the good times to keep myself hydrated.

Then at twelve weeks my world came crashing down. I went from throwing up just a few times a day, to throwing up non-stop. I called my doctor who said “If you feel worse tomorrow call me.â€Â