My second pregnancy was worse. I still couldn't hold anything down and my allergies were at their worst. My nostrils literally swelled shut and I had to sleep with my mouth open in order to breathe. I was hospitalized once for dehydration and put on an IV. That is when I found out that I was carrying twins. I lost quite a bit of weight too although I can't remember exactly how much. Unfortunately, that pregnancy ended in a miscarriage at 12 weeks.
This is my third and last pregnancy. I have suffered from HG again although thankfully to nowhere near the degree of sickness as with my other pregnancies. It was at around 4 1/2 to 5 wks that I started feeling queasy and throwing up at least four times a day. I constantly felt nauseous and the thought of eating ANYTHING would send me running for the bathroom. I was put on Phenergan (25mg) again after visiting the ER at 7wks because I hadn't held anything down for four days. I had only lost 6lbs at this point. I think the worst of it this time lasted up until my 12th week. It was a whole lot harder this time because I have my son to take care of and on some days I couldn't even take care of myself.
I think that a lot of people do mistake this for "regular morning sickness", but no one except those of us who has suffered through it know different. Sometimes the well meaning advice from loved ones who tell us to "eat crackers" or "eat small meals" leaves us feeling misunderstood and very alone. I for one, felt very alone and depressed to some degree. I felt isolated from my loved ones and sometimes felt like I was a burden to whoever had to care for me. I felt helpless and angry and frustrated because there was little I could do to help myself or make this horrible feeling go away. I'm ashamed to say that at several times, I contemplated terminating this pregnancy because I couldn't see myself spending another day wasting away in my dark bedroom, but I couldn't live with that so I decided to wait it out. Now at 14 weeks, I think that I can say that I am starting to feel somewhat human again and slowly but surely resuming the daily activities that not so long ago seemed impossible, like folding laundry or bathing. I still have the constant nauseous feeling, but the Phenergan calms it down enough to allow me to eat a little at a time. There are still some days when I have to will myself not to throw up what little I've eaten, but I close my mouth real tight, think about the little life growing inside me and tell myself that this, like everything else, in time will pass. My boyfriend is a God send and does everything that he can to help ease my suffering and make it better, but I know that, at least in my mind, there's nothing like someone who has actually gone through it to completely understand you. If I can be of any help to anyone, please feel free to contact me
It's great that your illness has been less severe this time around, and the fact that you can somewhat control the vomiting now is a good sign that you're beginning to come out of it. You may want to try adding a partner to the Phenergan--if you're still so nauseated and sometimes vomiting, it's not doing enough. Many women here find Unisom or meclizine helpful as pairings, though I'm wondering if Benedryl might not work and also help out with those allergies? If you go to the 2nd Trimester forum, ask about dosages. Balissa, who's a moderator here, used Benedryl successfully with her pregnancies.