Hi all,
After months of planning I have finally settled on how I want my HG treated. I have met with my new OB dr and he is in agreement to this plan of action. I thought I would post it in order to get input from you guys and also to give the Canadians that visit this site something to go by when they create their protocol as there isn't any Canadian protocols on this board yet. So, here it goes...
Prior to TTC (for at least 6 months time):
- Take regular vitamins
- Take 100 mg vitamin B6
- Take 1 mg folic acid
- Be tested for H.Pylori
Upon a positive pregnancy test:
- Begin taking Diclectin 4 times a day. Increase this to 8 times a day
as the nausea worsens.
- Continue taking vitamins, B6 and folic acid. If I become unable
to tolerate vitamins as I did last time because of the iron in them, I
want to try taking a children's vitamin.
- Take ginger capsules - 250 mg every 6 hours
- Drink LOTS of water!
- Phone OB to schedule an appt ASAP
- Tell friends and family about the pregnancy so we can actually be
happy and excited about telling them. Also too so that people know
what we're about to go through and are then able to volunteer to help
out.
Medications as the nausea increases and vomitting begins:
- Add Gravol (Dramamine) - 50 mg every 4 hours
- Add Ranitidine - 75 mg twice a day
- Add Stemetil - 10 mg every 8 hours (I haven't tried this drug before
but my dr suggested it so I thought I would give it a go)
- If this combination of drugs does not work, I will go off the Stemetil
and add Maxeran (Reglan) - 10 mg every 8 hours
- Add Ondansetron (Zofran)
Hydration:
- Always have a cup of ice chips with me. Attempt to keep down 1 ice
chip every 15 minutes.
- Look into buying a snow cone machine so somebody can make me
slurpees and be able to control the amout of sweetness of the slurpee
(I don't tolerate the sweetness of slurpees well when pregnant)
- Have lots of jello on hand, particularly strawberry and raspberry
- Try fruits such as watermelon
- If I can't keep anything down beyond 48 hours, see my doctor
immediately or go to the hospital if I can't see my doctor right away.
- Have an NG tube inserted if I continually can't keep anything down.
Care for Lukas:
- Buy videos, colouring books, puzzels etc to entertain Lukas while I'm
ill
- Babyproof our bedroom so that he can play in there while I lie in bed
(right now we just have a gate up barring access to the room)
- Accept (and even ask) for help with cleaning and meals from family
and friends
- Plan pregnancy so that hopefully I will go through the worst of the HG
while my MIL and sister are on holidays and are more able to help out
- Ask friends to watch him a day or two a week and/or
- Put Lukas in daycare/hire a babysitter as finances allow
- Lukas and I move back in with my parents so they can watch him
while I rest
Support/Care for me:
- Go on short term disability if I happen to be working when I get
pregnant
- Be more closely monitered by my dr than last time
- Ask for a referral to the Reproductive Mental Health Clinic so that I
can see a counselor before I get very depressed. Hopefully this will
prevent my PPD from occuring again.
- Phone Motherisk in Toronto
- Get lots of support from these forums
Other concerns I have but have not yet worked out a solution to them (I think we may just have to wait and see what happens once I actually get the HG again) are how am I going to get places if I have to take Lukas somewhere, like to the doctor or to daycare? I couldn't drive when pregnant last time. Also how am I going to handle Lukas' fears about me being sick? My ds gets very upset when he thinks something is wrong with me. And how I am going to get the support that I need to make it through the HG when I can't handle looking at a computer screen and reading??? I really don't know what I'll do about these things.
Anyway, so I think that's about all that I've prepared so far. If anybody has any more suggestions, I'd love to hear them!!
Joanna