by PamelaRose » Mar 01, 2007 3:32 pm
Shiny white porcelain sweats drops of cool water as I crouch down, retching acid and bile and blood. Stomach empty for another few minutes, I slowly shuffle my bruised, emaciated, IV-dependent body back to bed. During what is supposed to be a happy, glowing time, I cling to life and hope fervently that my unborn baby survives. Most days I pray to live; sometimes I beg to die.
This is the reality of hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. While the vast majority of pregnant women experience some degree of sickness, hyperemesis strikes only a few out of every thousand. There is no known cause, though theories abound, and there is also no cure, though treatment is progressing. HG, as it’s called in experienced circles, is characterized by weight loss, dehydration, nutritional deficiency, and electrolyte imbalance, and severity varies from woman to woman. With my moderate HG, I vomited once or twice an hour ’round the clock during the calm times and every 10-15 minutes during rough stretchesâ€â€
Pamela
4-Time HG Survivor
*Brody (8-11-98 )
*Avery (1-24-01)
*Reilly (12-16-02)