Hyperemesis Gravidarum Support and Research Forums

I had HG the entire time my last pregnancy. This time, I have it again. I'm 11 weeks along and feel terrible.

When did HG hit you the hardest and when did you start to get some reprieve?

Hi! Welcome to the forum.

HG's typical peak, regardless of how severe your HG is, is about 13 weeks. The more proactive you are, the better, w/ peaks at about 11 wks. Most severe HGers don't seem to come out of the worst until about 14/15 wks.

What are you doing proactive? What meds or treatments are using to fight HG? Knowing those things can help us to figure out if you're getting the best treatment possible for HG.

You only have a few weeks left of the worst. It doesn't mean that it gets automatically better, you already know it doesn't from experience, but you're right in the very worst few weeks of it, and it does tend to ease off a bit soon (ok, soon according to my time-line ~ I know soon to you is 5 seconds).

Keep us updated, and there are other gals not so far off from how far you are along, so you are certainly not alone.

Hugs, Andy

I didn't even try the Benedictin/Reglan/Phenergan this time because it was worthless last time.

I have a PICC line in. I've done daily lactated ringers, then daily ringers with dextrose. All while on oral zofran.

Now, I'm doing 12 hours worth of TPN every day and IV zofran. (32 mg a day)

I am not eating or drinking. Well, I'm eating a tiny tiny bit, but I am literally drinking NOTHING.

My lips are peeling apart. I'm spitting blood even when I haven't recently puked (and am only puking 2-3 times a day). I'm nauseated ALL DAY and NIGHT - with the worst of it in the evening.

I am in misery. I just need to stop this nausea. I can deal with puking. I can do the TPN and the IV zofran. But the nausea is pure hell.

I was like you, even when I could dtill eat small amounts, I stopped drinking completley, and always spent a few weeks on IV fluids only while still nibbling a bit of food. Then I would stop being able to do anything. I actually continued to get worse until about 14/15 weeks, and didn't make any improvement until past 20. After about 28 weeks I could tell that I had gotten better although if I ate I was just as bad as before, so I ate nothing until I delivered.
I found that if I tried to do fluids or TPN at night I would still get dehydrated during the day and although I would feel better in the morning after the fluids, I did much better when I did it continuously and didn't have the rollercoaster of daily dehydration/rehydration. I know you have a little one which may make doing it for 24 hours harder, but it may be worth the hassle.
Using meds that did nothing on their own, may still help if you are adding them to the zofran. The other thing you can try is meclizine which is over the counter, it didn't do much for me, but when I could hold pills down I took it just to try something. It has worked wonders for others though.
I know I'm repeating myself, but I really think some pepcid would be a good thing for you. If you can't take pills, you can do a little bag (piggyback) in your IV at the beginning and end of your TPN, try to get it going before the weekend so you don't have to wait til next week.

Oh, and how about something for sleep?
I resisted this for a while, but whenever I was awake late or in the night, the nausea was even worse. Several of us have taken Ambien and some even found that it helped with the nausea too. I didn't get that boost, but I did feel less desperate with regular sleepI took it every night from maybe 20 week until delivery and was sure I was getting addicted, but I never felt the slightest need to take one after delivery.

I have no trouble falling asleep, but I'm a night owl - so I tend to stay up until 1 or 2. Plus, I start my TPN at 9pm so it will run all night and I have to prick my finger for blood at midnight. So, I just stay up to do that.

But, I get MUCH sicker as the day goes on. I start the morning feeling crappy and progress to completely unfunctional and wishing someone would put me out of my misery.

It's funny. Reading the stories of the other women here make me burst into tears. I am not a crier, but it is such a relief to know that there are others out there that have a clue - i can't help myself.

I was about to post the same thing because I am 12wks and feeling worse now than I have the whole time. I can't even look at food sometimes without wanting to vomit. I have to say your symptoms are much worse than mine--I am still able to eat and drink, but as you said, the constant nausea is wearing thin on me. This is my fourth HG pg and it is by far the easiest one. The thing I attribute this to is my extremely aggressive medication schedule that I started before I got sick. I did not begin to feel horrible until 7wks this time, which is a record for me. I am taking Zantac 75mg twice a day, Vit B6 50mg three times a day, Gas-X at least twice a day, Unisom 25mg at bedtime and Zofran 8mg at least once a day, but usually twice. I have been blessed that at night while I am sleeping, I do not feel sick at all, so that is my favorite time! To me, the difference with this pg is that I have kept my stomach acid down and stayed on a regular course of meds instead of trying to treat myself once I was already sick. With my first two pg, we did not even HAVE Zofran to use, so needless to say, that was pure hell with Phenergan only....I was sick until 18 wks and 22 wks with them. With my third pg, I did have Zofran, but I didn't start it until after I was sick and I did not do the B6, Zantac or Unisom. I was on Zofran until I was 34 weeks with her. (BTW, all of my pg have been girls). I am so tired of being sick already and want this part to be over, but I do feel blessed that I have been less sick this time--I pray you can add some meds to your protocol and get some relief--I think the acid and gas is what makes me feel more nauseous, so maybe the Zantac and Gas-X would help. Also, the Unisom at bedtime is a must for me--I sleep well and as I said, it is the only time I do not have nausea!

I am glad to hear that 13wks is the peak--maybe I will get past this sooner than I think--I can only pray......thanks for all the support from others too!

Checking your blood sugar at midnight seems cruel. Are they really abnormal? I found that the internists that would start my TPN always wanted lots of blood sugars, but after a few days of never seeing one over 80, I stopped checking them. We checked them with my blood draws once a week and that was fine.

I met a nurse once who worked at a hospital with a large high risk unit - they kept all of their hg patients who were on TPN in the hospital in their "ob ICU", they would draw blood every day, and check blood sugars every 6 hours. She was aghast at the thought of home TPN. I probably would have killed myself if they did that to me!! Can you even imagine!!!!!

Blue Eeyore,

Is there a possibility that you could try steroids? Many practioners will not prescribe them before 10 wks, but you are past that point and when Zofran and TPN is leaving you so miserable, and I can hardly believe that on TPN w/ a PICC line you are still so dehydrated your lips are cracked. Steroids may be worth trying. Sometime perinatologists will prescribe them if a regular OB will not.

Andy

I may have to try that. I asked the doctor about it and he seemed really nervous and didn't really entertain the idea. He is a fabulous doc, but I think I'm his first experience with such severe HG.

He did, however, agree to put pepcid in my TPN and ever since I've been doing that, I feel SO much better that I can't believe it. (It's been 2 days so far). I don't know if it is a fluke. But I hope I continue to feel at least this good if not better. I have had the nerve to try some food and sip liquids. For me, that is a MAJOR accomplishment.

That is great! I really think that for severe HGers, stomach acid is playing a really big role in how miserable you gals feel. I'm so glad your DR. was willing to try this! I am glad you are rejoicing over small accomplishments. Recovery is all about small accomplishments adding up to slowly regaining your health. Take care, and I doubt it's a fluke, as they usually occur independent of other changes, and not linked to them. Time will tell, though. If you can slowly get liquids and solids in a bit more each day, then there is hope you will not need the PICC and TPN long term.

Huge hugs and keep us posted.

Andy

Hi there

My sister got HG starting at 6 weeks and then it ended approx 15 and half weeks. The worst just went overnight. She of course still had residual HG symptoms. She still spits her saliva all day every day and she has had episodes of vomits and occasions of feeling nauseous. But from week 15.5
onwards she no longer took any medications for HG. She suffers now from I guess regular preg symptoms ie extreme hearburn and backache etc etc.

Kat

Chedasha,

I'm glad to know your sister hasn't suffered miserably the whole time! I felt reasonably normal for the 2nd 1/2 of my pgs, although I would relapse back into the hospital if I went off my drugs, so no drugs past 15 weeks is really great - she must feel so free.

Hug, Andy

Thanks Andy!
Yeah she knows she is lucky in the HG scheme of things. She cannot even comprehend how anyone manages to get through the whole pregnancy that sick.


Kat