Thank you for bringing attention to HG

The HER foundation contributed letters from our forums members for a show that featured Hyperemesis as a topic. The show aired in April of 2007.

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Thank you for bringing attention to HG

Postby daisyfairside » Feb 25, 2007 9:15 pm

Dear Dr Phil:

I am pleased to hear that you are going to address the issue of HG on your show. I truly hope your show brings attention to this debilitating and misunderstood illness, and furthermore, I hope you address some of the common misconceptions associated with HG.

I am in the midst of my second HG pregnancy. My first produced my darling two year-old daughter. With both pregnancies, HG hit hard and heavy around 6.5 weeks. It was much, much more than the simple morning sickness I had anticipated. It is a condition that is difficult to understand unless you have lived through it. It goes far beyond vomiting constantly. There have been days where I've found myself crying on the bathroom floor, dizzy, heart racing, in a cold sweat, shaking and crying. On such days, I've found it difficult to even muster the energy to make that much-needed trip to the ER for rehydration. It is difficult, if not impossible, to function as a normal human being with this condition. Working or taking care of a household is out of the question - there are days when managing a shower is a huge accomplishment in and of itself. I can't leave the house without a purse full of Ziplock bags in case I were to get sick out in public. And quite frankly, I only leave the house if absolutely necessary. I am presently 11/12 weeks along with my second pregnancy and have only left home to attend doctor appointments in the past six weeks.

But by far the worst part of HG is being forced to second-guess oneself. Friends, family, even doctors were skeptical about my condition during my first pregnancy. It was assumed that I had simple morning sickness and was being a "difficult" pregnant woman. I was told to eat crackers, drink ginger ale, wear motion sickness bands - what a joke! I was so sick, the slightest movement of bright light would trigger an episode... something a Saltine definitely couldn't fix!!! During my first pregnancy, I was finally taken seriously by my OB when my weight dropped dangerously low and I required rehydration. I was placed on medication... unfortunately, this led to further complications and I was left to worry about the health of my baby every day for the remaining 7 months of that pregnancy.

Luckily, I was blessed with a healthy baby girl and survived the ordeal. The HG eased at 20 weeks, but lingered in small episodes until delivery day. But, we are blessed. And there is not a day I take my daughter for granted.

When I shared with friends and family the news that we were having a second planned and much wanted pregnancy, a few were shocked. Perhaps I seem greedy or irresponsible to have a second child. I wanted my daughter to have a sibling, someone who would be in her life after her mother and father are no longer here. I knew exactly what I was up against and tried to make the most informed decision possible. I established a protocol prior to the pregnancy and had preconception care to address the HG issue. Even with those preparations in place, the HG is difficult and draining. I am on Zofran and STILL having several episodes a day. I feel guilt that I am not well enough to be the best mother possible to my daughter on days that the HG is at its worst. And I feel terrible that my husband doesn't understand it's not laziness, but crippling nausea and vomiting that keep me in bed on days that he's available to watch our daughter. And I feel embarrassed to walk into the ER for IVs time and time again. But, there was no way to predict how severe the HG would be, or even if it would present again. And, there was no way of knowing how I would respond to treatments. Women who have already suffered one HG pregnancy can only educate themselves and prepare as best as possible, but truly, anything can happen. It is a gamble.

My HG pregnancies are incredibly mild compared to some of the ladies in this forum. I've managed with ER trips for rehydration and Zofran... there are many who must maintain IVs and feeding tubes at home and are on a variety of medication combinations. And there are so many that have been forced to make the difficult decision to terminate their pregnancies. These are women who planned and wanted their babies and were backed into a corner that left them with no other options.

I hope that through your show, others can begin to understand that HG is more than a woman unable to handle the usual aches and pains of pregnancy, as we're so often treated. It is a real, physical illness, not an imagined or psychologically-induced condition. And it is time to bring enough attention to HG that women can get the support and help they need during such an already emotionally fragile time.

Thank you.
daisyfairside
HG Expert
 
Posts: 1907
Joined: Oct 04, 2005 1:19 pm

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