New to HG site

[mare01]

I just found the messages and am even more depressed after reading the board. I have had HG since week five. I am now at 15. I am on Zofran and Phenergan. I have been in ER twice and the hospital once for IV's and med injections. I have lost 20 lbs but have gained back a few. I have been on disability and bed rest since week five. I was hoping I would get some relief and return back to work at week 16. But after reading everything on this site, I am hopeless. I still get sick every day. Luckily I have a wonderful husband. But I am losing it watching really bad tv all day! Does anyone know if there are any negative effects of trying to work while suffering from HG?

[Natalie]

Hi
Re: negative effects of trying to work when you have HG.
From my experience - I tried to return to work in the midst of my HG. I managed to con myself (very temporarily) that it was 'mind of matter', that it was all in my head, I wasn't really nauseous, I wouldn't be sick at work and that I could cope with working. I was working as an Occupational Therapist in a busy London teaching hospital. I couldn't even make it onto the wards - the smells! Also, the movement of travelling on a crammed tube there and back (pot in hand!) and the walking around didn't help the nausea. Plus, I was physically and mentally exhausted from the weeks of sickness. I sat with my paper basket next to me and spent most of the time dry heaving into it! At lunchtime I gave up and went home. All I found was that it put me under much more pressure. People (colleagues and patients) were relying on me to turn up for work and carry out the work to my usual standard but I just couldn't. I also felt guilty for letting my team down which added to the pressure. Stress is known to make HG worse so if at all possible, minimise it.
I was lucky and was able to return to work full time at week 24.
If you think you might be able to manage it you could always ask to go in and try for a couple of hours or maybe change your duties to something more manageable. Would they be amenable to that?
Anyway, good luck with whatever you decide.
Natalie

[sickly]

I can sympathize with you. I am now 27 weeks with twins and still suffer from HG. I was on Zofran pump from week 7 until about week 17. Have also had to have several IV's and am now on Zofran ODT 8 mg. It is getting better though. So hang in there.

[Ivydragon]

You are very unlikely to wake up suddenly and be all better - you've been sick so long already that even if you felt suddenly better . . .

1 - you're still pg, and even normal pg gals are very exhausted

2 - you've been very ill for a long time, and serious illness takes time to recover from. You don't wake up one morning to find that the HG is gone, and you are full of energy and vitality. It just doesn't happen that way.

You need to look for and concentrate on small gains, small accomplishments. ie:

Are you able to drink more (and have it stay down) compared to yesterday/last week/last month?

Are you able to brush your teeth w/o gagging?

Are you able to shower on your own?

Can you watch a food commercial w/o getting nauseated?

Can you brush your hair - do you have enough energy to do that on your own?

Ask yourself these same questions in a week, in a month. Slowly, slowly, bit by bit, you will see improvement. If you're not able to care for yourself day to day, there's no way you can work. Catch up on picture sorting, read some books you've been putting off, get really involved in this forum, baby shop online, etc. There ARE things to do when you're waiting so long, so miserably to cook this baby.

You asked if anyone knew of any risks of working w/ HG. Yeah, I do. I've watched women for three years fight HG, after experiencing 2 HG pgs of my own. Time and again, working women plunge down the hole of HG hell faster than non-working women, suffer more stress from co-workers/bosses/etc. than women who are home facing the worst of HG, and push themselves to recover faster and resume life faster - reducing amounts of sleep, increasing amounts of stress, and fighting far worse nausea, and sometimes nausea, not to mention reduced immunity to disease. HG is a balancing act. If you don't get enough sleep, if you get a cold virus, if you get a UTI, or eat too late at night, it can rear it's ugly head of relapse - and that doesn't even take on what work does.

Women determined to go back to work too early relapse faster than just about anyone besides those who are testing to see if their drugs really work (or are forced to wean fast - both cold turkey - not a good idea), or who suddenly fall very will with other ailments.

You have to decide if your health, and that of your child is more important than a job. I know you're stir crazy - there are other ways to keep your mind from going too nutty!

HuGS, and see you in the 2nd trimester folder,

Andy

[PamelaRose]

Hugs to you--we've all been at that hopeless place, but there really is light at the end of the tunnel. And the children that come out of this--absolutely worth every moment of suffering. You can do this! You're in that icky place now where the full impact of HG is hitting. Most of us were conned into believing it would magically lift at 14 weeks and we'd be cured. Instead, you've passed that mark and you find yourself nowhere near normal. The reality of HG is worst when you're well enough to realize how sick you really are, and it sounds like you're there now.

I guilted myself into returning to work at 10 weeks with my first full-term pregnancy. I made it 3 half-days before leaving work, calling my husband, and checking myself into the hospital for a major rehydration. It nearly killed me, and to this day I don't know how I did it. If I ever did entertain delusions of returning to work with the other babies, I merely had to think about getting there to bring myself back to my senses--I couldn't handle showering without passing out, exhausted, for hours; how did I really think I was going to make it to work, much less get anything accomplished? I know you're desperate to get back to your scheduled life, but HG has control now and you will pay for it with a major relapse if you try. Like Andy said, HG is about little victories--focus on the things you can do, not what you wish you could do. That will come later.

Hang out here, and you will find plenty of hope and inspiration. Please let me know where you are and I'll line up a buddy for you, someone to check in and give you a shoulder to lean on. Best wishes!