Thank you for raising awareness of HG

The HER foundation contributed letters from our forums members for a show that featured Hyperemesis as a topic. The show aired in April of 2007.

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Thank you for raising awareness of HG

Postby bibliojo » Mar 01, 2007 1:19 am

Dear Dr. Phil,

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for publicly acknowledging HG and raising awareness of this awful illness by doing a show on it. I hope that through your efforts and the efforts of others, people will have a greater understanding of HG and more money be put into research to find a cure for it.

HG runs in my family. Several women, including my mother, have all experienced HG. In fact, if my mother had not listened to her doctor's advice, I would not be sitting here today, writing you this letter. I don't know why I thought I would escape HG, but I did, and so I was blindsided by it in June 2002. This is my HG story...

After 9 months of trying to get pregnant, my husband and I found out we were expecting our first child on our 3rd wedding anniversary. We were thrilled! This was a child we had hoped and prayed for. Three days later I had my first bout of morning sickness. To be honest, I was excited -having the typical nausea and vomiting pregnant women have made the pregnancy more real to me. But over the next couple days, the nausea and vomiting worsened and didn't just last in the morning. It lasted all day and all night. I started to be unable to keep anything down, vomiting numerous times a day. I went to my doctor who prescribed Diclectin but it didn't help combat the nausea and vomiting. At 7 weeks - only a week and a half after we had learned we were expecting - I was admitted to hospital. I was kept there four days while they rehydrated me and administered intravenous drugs in an attempt to stabilize the out of control nausea and vomiting. I was sent home with instructions to take 3 different medications for a total of 16 pills a day. My doctor said she had never seen someone so sick during pregnancy in her 25+ year career as a doctor.

The minutes of each day dragged by so very slowly. Unable to work, I had to go on sick leave for almost 3 months. Sounds, light and movement all bothered me so I spent most of my time lying in bed in a darkened room with my puke bucket beside me. I spent hours and hours crying. I wanted to be put out of my misery. I half-wished for a miscarriage, fleetingly contemplated abortion and entertained thoughts of dying. Over the next several weeks, I had to go to the hospital many times to be rehydrated and was at 13 weeks admitted once again for another four day stay. I was one of the fortunate ones in that my HG went away at 18 weeks and the nausea and vomiting subsided at 27 weeks. The rest of the pregnancy was uncomplicated except for pre-eclampsia diagnosed in the 38th week for which I was put on partial bed rest. Our son, Lukas, was born a day before his due date in February 2003, a healthy 7lbs 7oz. His name means "bringer of light" and he has indeed brought so much light and love into our family. However, the adjustment to being a mother after having an HG pregnancy was not easy for me. While I was sick, many people had said to me "It'll be worth it in the end." I clung to that promise and pushed myself to live another day through the HG. But the feelings of resentment and bitterness towards my son for making me so sick lingered after birth. I ended up being diagnosed with PPD and PTSD and went through months of counseling in order to deal with those feelings and negative thoughts.

In January 2006, after trying for almost a year to get pregnant, we were ecstatic to learn that we were once again expecting. We were prepared for HG this time, thanks to the HER Foundation's fabulous website and forums. I had a high risk OB who had previous experience in treating HG, we were going to try new and stronger medications and begin the medications before things got bad. Family and friends had been lined up to help us out when I became too ill to watch my son. The preparations paid off for us. While I again had HG, it was not as severe. Yes, I was on five different medications this second pregnancy, taking 24 pills a day, and was still unable to work for three months again, but I avoided any hospital stays, only needing rehydrations in the ER. Instead of losing 20 pounds as I did with my son, I only lost 10 pounds with this pregnancy. Our daughter, Katya, was born this past October and she too has added so much joy and love to our family.

Like so many others who face HG, I long for another child, but because of this terrible disease, doubt that I will be brave enough and strong enough physically and mentally to battle the HG monster once again. And so I must strive to be content with the two beautiful children I have now. But I can't help but worry about what my daughter will have to face when she decides to have children, having had a mother and a grandmother who have gone through an HG pregnancy.

HG has changed my life in a profound way as it has for thousands of other women too. Some deal with the lingering emotional pain of it long after birth while others struggle with the physical side effects from having their health seriously comprimised for months. For me personally, it has been very hard to write this letter to you. I have spent hours lying awake at night over the past week thinking of what I might say. Sitting here and writing about my HG experience has taken me back to some of those dark days. But I knew that I must add my voice to the many brave women who have already told their stories.

So thank you once again for bringing widespread attention to this awful illness. I hope that through your show, doctors and nurses will become more knowledgable on how to treat HG and people all over the world will come to see and understand how truly devastating HG can be.

Sincerely,
Joanna
Vancouver, BC, Canada
HER Forums moderator, Trying to Conceive and HG Outside of the US
2 HG pregnancies
Lukas - February 2003
Katya - October 2006

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bibliojo
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