A Bit about Me

Welcome to our Forums! Whether currently battling HG, planning a future pregnancy, or just needing a place to learn and be heard, start here. Sign up for a support buddy and tell us about yourself.

Moderator: PamelaRose

A Bit about Me

Postby PamelaRose » Jul 17, 2005 5:14 pm

Welcome! This forum is a place to find support from others who have been through HG--the Buddy System pairs expectant moms with survivors.

My name is Pamela, and I've been through HG 4 times. My husband and I have been married for 13 years and have been blessed with 3 beautiful children. In 1996, we got a crash-course in HG with our first pregnancy. After a month of undiagnosed HG ("Morning sickness is mind over matter," I was told), I miscarried our baby at 12 weeks. My second HG was treated with Phenergan and Reglan and hospital rehydrations. The illness let up after 14 weeks, and I was off of the meds by 25 weeks. Our son Brody was born 8-11-98. With our second child, the standard approach to antiemetics did not work, and I survived the first 14 weeks with frequent clinic and hospital rehydrations. Daughter Avery was born 1-24-01. My last bout with HG was my most difficult, but I was proactive and coped so much better with a PICC and daily home rehydration, along with Zofran and meclizine. HG kept its grip throughout the pregnancy, but daughter Reilly, born 12-16-02, was worth every second of it. Now that our family is complete, we spend our time at home in Minnesota working on our farmsite and 1914 home. I am a high school English teacher during the school year and wanna-be decorator and gardener during the summer.

I have left HG behind me, but I am committed to helping others through their illnesses. I vividly recall the nurse who came into my hospital room to check my IV back in 1997. "Don't worry, you're not the only one," she said. "We see a few women like you every year." WHERE? To this day, I have yet to speak with another HGer face-to-face, let alone someone from my area. I vowed then and there that I would not be silent, that I would speak out so no one else suffered alone. I have wonderful family and friends who helped in every way they could, but only another survivor can truly touch the heart of HG. Working with HER and HuGS, I have journeyed through HG again with several moms, and I look forward to supporting others. I did not choose to have HG, but I can choose to use my experiences to make a positive difference in someone else's life.
Last edited by PamelaRose on Apr 06, 2008 2:52 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Pamela

4-Time HG Survivor
*Brody (8-11-98 )
*Avery (1-24-01)
*Reilly (12-16-02)
PamelaRose
Forums Administrator
 
Posts: 6263
Joined: Apr 05, 2004 8:34 pm
Location: Danube, MN

Postby amerie » Sep 13, 2005 2:44 pm

Hi,
im amerie and this is my second pregnancy. I suffered the full 40 weeks with HG on my first child and literally felt like i was dying everyday. Its been 10 years since i was pregnant and that horrible, heavy feeling has hit me for six. As understanding as everyone is around me i still feel that its trying for them. Ive yet to meet another sufferer and would love to have contact with someone to share my feelings and emotions with. Its hard to take one day at a time when you feel so bad!! Ive read a few posts and havent heard of any of the medications stated on this site. Ive been prescibed cyclizine but am unsure of how safe it is to use. Im only 8 weeks pregnant and have been admitted to hospital already and had the doctor out. Any help.guidance and support would be very much appreciated.Thank you and take care.
amerie
New Member
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Sep 13, 2005 1:07 pm
Location: wales, uk

Postby PamelaRose » Sep 13, 2005 6:35 pm

Welcome, Amerie. I'd love to get you in contact with my favorite HGer from Wales! Just send me an email or a PM by hitting a button at the bottom of this post; give me your email address, and I'll be in touch.

Oh, and Cyclazine is one of the common choices in the UK. You can find out about the safety of meds in pregnancy at Motherisk--www.motherisk.org. Hugs to you!
Pamela

4-Time HG Survivor
*Brody (8-11-98 )
*Avery (1-24-01)
*Reilly (12-16-02)
PamelaRose
Forums Administrator
 
Posts: 6263
Joined: Apr 05, 2004 8:34 pm
Location: Danube, MN

New to the Forum

Postby HeatherHall » Sep 27, 2005 11:21 am

Hi my name is Heather and I am from Columbus, OH. This is my first pregnancy about 9 weeks. I don't even see my doctor for my first visit until Oct 3. For the last two weeks I have been suffering with severe nausea. I called my doctor's office and they sent me to the ER for IV and phenergan. Two days later I called back (crying of course) and they determined that I might have HG. They had an at-home facility (wonderful people) come out and give me three days worth of IV treatment and a pump containing Zofran. This is the first day that I am actually feeling better and eating bland food (keeping some down). Very nervous, scared and emotional about what is going on. I was glad to find this site and would love to have a buddy to talk to.
HeatherHall
New Member
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Sep 27, 2005 10:46 am
Location: Columbus, Ohio

Postby BrandiJK » Sep 27, 2005 11:46 am

Hi Heather, and welcome. Congrats on your pg, even if it is filled with HG. I am sorry your having a hard time, but I must say, very thrilled with your doc and med. care!!! How fantastic that they jumped right on the bandwagon with HG, and even sent you home supplies and went strait to meds!!! This is amazingly wonderful, and something I LOVE to hear!

I am sure you are very scared right now, esp. w/ the first pregnancy. HG is just not what one expects when they fantasize about having a first baby. I am glad you found this site. Lots and lots of wonderful and supportive women here, plus tons of valuable information.

Stick around, and remember to take it one moment at a time. Check out the first tri folder, and the humor section is a great help too. Getting on those meds so quickly can help you out so much! Please let your docs know how impressed we are!
The only thing worth stealing is a kiss from a sleeping child.
BrandiJK
Master of HG
 
Posts: 4547
Joined: Aug 05, 2005 12:38 pm
Location: California, East Bay Area

Postby PamelaRose » Sep 27, 2005 7:08 pm

Welcome, Heather. I'm always happy to get HGers in touch with one another. Just send me an email by clicking the button at the bottom of this post. I just need your name, location, and email, and I'll get everything lined up. Hope the pump is helping!
Pamela

4-Time HG Survivor
*Brody (8-11-98 )
*Avery (1-24-01)
*Reilly (12-16-02)
PamelaRose
Forums Administrator
 
Posts: 6263
Joined: Apr 05, 2004 8:34 pm
Location: Danube, MN

Postby poutyangel » Sep 29, 2005 7:44 pm

hello, my name is angelique and i am from il. i first suffered from hg with my first daughter who is now a healthy(hyper) 5 year old kindergartener. i was so weak and sick that some days i literally thought i was going to die. i was surrounded by bouncy,happy pregnant women who never even threw up, so sometimes i was made to feel as though i was being a baby. i had broken blood vessels in my eyes, bleeding from the throat, throwing up 5-10 times a day, and my dr didnt seem to see a problem. my dh even seemed unimpressed until i had dropped about 30 lbs and had to be hospitlized and medicated. i loved my child but i couldnt enjoy my pregnancy until the 7th month.

i am currently 13 weeks pregnant with 2cd child. this time i thought i might be spared but again it happened. after losing 22 lbs in 3 weeks i called my new dr. and she immediately put me on phenergan 4Xper day. although i was too sleepy too function for about a week it has been a god send. i can actually drink a glass of water again.

im so glad to see that there are ladies like me who are not whiny,or crazy but truly have a problem and are willing to demand support and proper medical care.
poutyangel
Welcomed Friend
 
Posts: 80
Joined: Sep 29, 2005 7:04 pm
Location: Il

Postby PamelaRose » Sep 29, 2005 9:00 pm

Welcome! Congratulations on your new pregnancy, and for finding a doctor who has your best interests at heart. And those sickeningly healthy pregnant women? We call them "fluffy bunnies," and you will get a good dose of therapeutic laughter in the Vent forum. :D
Pamela

4-Time HG Survivor
*Brody (8-11-98 )
*Avery (1-24-01)
*Reilly (12-16-02)
PamelaRose
Forums Administrator
 
Posts: 6263
Joined: Apr 05, 2004 8:34 pm
Location: Danube, MN

Postby ann » Oct 03, 2005 9:10 am

Hang in there, Nicky! You've been through a tremendous ordeal, and your feelings about your pregnancy are perfectly understandable. I, too, am pregnant a second time, and also feel "nothing" toward the baby. Its hard to "bond" with something that is the source of such misery! With my first pregnancy, the HG was severe, and I can remember feeling even more anxiety--even anger-- toward my own baby. She was born healthy, but extremely irritable (due to reflux and digestion issues). So even after her birth, it took a very long time for me to feel more than stress and anxiety about motherhood. It was five years before I could even consider the thought to conceiving again.

I know that right now, your misery is unrelenting and seems unending. For me, the minutes seem like hours, and the hours like days, and days weeks. This time will pass...and your children will be with you forever. Keep in touch with us for encouragement, perhaps a buddy, and support.
Ann
ann
Welcomed Friend
 
Posts: 55
Joined: Oct 01, 2005 1:50 pm

Postby BrandiJK » Oct 03, 2005 11:20 am

Nicky, I am sorry you are having such a hard time.

Your not alone in feeling nothing, in not having that budding excitment. I think that is what I am the most jealous about in other 'normal' preg. moms. Dh tries to help, we go window shoppig for baby stuff, but I have yet to buy anything.

This is the first pg of mine where the excitment just isn't there. My first I was horribly sick, but it was my first. My second was mild. This time, I just want for this whole experiance to be over. I often question if this was the right choice, and have had times of regretting the decision to concieve and we even had to work at concieving this baby. So many problems have arrisen w/ the HG in my personal life as well as my sanity (it feels like, anyway).

But, experiance tells me that bonding does come in time. Sometimes not asap (it took a long time and lots of work w/ my first dd) but it does come. A mother loves her children, even if they do not bond instantly.

And, hate to sound flaky or like a bad cliche, but it is true. When this baby is born, the HG is normally over as well. That's when the excitment can come flooding in, the love, the bonding, the amazement. Will you be up to doing this again? Why even worry about that now?

Also, your fighting to just make it from day to day. It consumes your world, that just making it. But think of it another way. Look how far you have come and what you have endured for this baby! Your bonding, your feeling something, because your making it. It's just not the textbooks joy healthy preggos feel. It's the sacrifice you are making. I don't know if that make sense. I just know the worst I can do is devalue the effort it is taking to bring this child into the world by doubting myself and adding guilt to the whole ordeal. I am doing the best I can, and you are too.
The only thing worth stealing is a kiss from a sleeping child.
BrandiJK
Master of HG
 
Posts: 4547
Joined: Aug 05, 2005 12:38 pm
Location: California, East Bay Area

Hi all!

Postby overthisinWI » Oct 14, 2005 2:07 pm

My husband, myself and our 10-month old beautiful daughter just moved, and on the day we arrived I got pregnant again. I guess breast feeding and taking the pill aren't really that dependable in view of what is meant to be! Anyway, I had a wonderful, perfect midwife and OB back home, who worked through my 8-month HG last time - we tried absolutely everything possible - and though few things besides IV's had an impact, I was so glad that they saw me whenever I needed it and sent me to the hospital upon glancing at my gray face and dried out skin. So now I am pretty low - I really believed that I would not get HG again. But since week 4 it has been getting worse and worse, every day. I know how to schedule vomiting now, from my last pregnancy, and I know what to eat that won't be too gross to throw back up - I am keeping down small amounts of food a day, so that is good. ANYWAY, my point is - can anyone recommend an OB in the area that has dealt with HG - I have an appt scheduled already with one, but the nurse who set the appt seemed to not have any idea what hyperemisis was. I am just really scared - SO, anyone in southeastern WI know a good doc?
overthisinWI
New Member
 
Posts: 2
Joined: Oct 14, 2005 1:44 pm

Postby PamelaRose » Oct 14, 2005 8:19 pm

I'm going to paste your post in the "Need to Find a Physician" forum and see if anyone has a suggestion about a good doctor in SE Wisconsin. I've got a couple of volunteers in Wisconsin who may be of help, but I think they're further west. The best you may be able to do is to call local OB offices, tell them you're newly pregnant with a repeat HG pregnancy, and ask the doctor or nurse to call you back if there are openings for new patients. If you find a doctor who's willing to call you back, or whose nurse doesn't try to brush you off as hysterical, or whose secretary doesn't sound befuddled when you mention hyperemesis, then it's probably a decent place to check out. Good luck!
Pamela

4-Time HG Survivor
*Brody (8-11-98 )
*Avery (1-24-01)
*Reilly (12-16-02)
PamelaRose
Forums Administrator
 
Posts: 6263
Joined: Apr 05, 2004 8:34 pm
Location: Danube, MN

Postby Cin » Feb 27, 2006 7:42 pm

Hello, I'm Cin and I'm 16 weeks. I was quite sick with my first two pgs, but I think it was just the bad end of morning sickness, and not full-blown HG.

I started taking diclectin at week 6 of this pregnancy, but things continued to get worse, and last week it peaked when I ran out of pills and couldn't get ahold of a doctor. (I live in Northern Canada, and getting a doc can sometimes be rough when yours is out.) Puking 5-6 times a day, dry heaving over and over, into the ER twice for fluids and IV meds. Formally diagnosed with HG -- but looking at this board, I think I have a mild case!

Today is the first day I have felt like myself for weeks, though I can't figure out why. I ate M&Ms today, and a Subway sub! I went to work! I'm so happy I could cry -- but I'm terrified of tonight. I find work exhausting, and exhaustion brings on the barfing.

The truly hilarious part of all this is I'm a health reporter for CBC Radio, and until my last pg I'd never heard of HG.

Would love a support buddy -- anyone around here tried to keep working?
Image
Mom to Alex, 12 -- NVP
Isaac, 10 -- NVP
Naomi, 8 -- HG
Edward, 4 -- avoided clinical HG through aggressive pre-emptive treatment and pure luck (aka medicated fluffy)
Cin
Forum Moderator
 
Posts: 5302
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 7:14 pm
Location: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Postby PamelaRose » Feb 27, 2006 9:01 pm

Welcome, Cin. You may well be coming out of the worst of it at 16 weeks! At this point you'll have good days like you just had, followed by a couple of terrible "what was I thinking" days. That give and take will continue, and you'll see good days outnumbering bad. Just remember not to push it too much, or you'll meet our wicked friend, the relapse.

Many women are able to return to some semblence of normal life once the worst has passed; I went back to work after the vomiting lifted with all three of my children. It was a struggle, and I'm sure people suspected me of drug abuse the way I popped pills to ward off nausea and vomiting, but I made it to delivery with little more than fatigue and ever-present nausea. Hope you're able to continue, but don't push yourself! If you'd like a buddy in your area, just email me and I'll be in touch.
Pamela

4-Time HG Survivor
*Brody (8-11-98 )
*Avery (1-24-01)
*Reilly (12-16-02)
PamelaRose
Forums Administrator
 
Posts: 6263
Joined: Apr 05, 2004 8:34 pm
Location: Danube, MN

Postby Cin » Feb 28, 2006 12:27 am

Thanks, Pamela.

It's funny, thinking back to what a good day was with my other pgs and a good day now -- a good day now was a "bad" day then! Ever-present nausea is right. But I only hit a 4 on the puke-o-meter today, rather than a 10+ for the opast few weeks.

I'll try not to overdue it -- stress really aggravates it, I know. Curse of the working mom, I guess. :roll:
Image
Mom to Alex, 12 -- NVP
Isaac, 10 -- NVP
Naomi, 8 -- HG
Edward, 4 -- avoided clinical HG through aggressive pre-emptive treatment and pure luck (aka medicated fluffy)
Cin
Forum Moderator
 
Posts: 5302
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 7:14 pm
Location: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Postby *Tricia* » Mar 29, 2006 3:10 am

Hi i'm new here and my name is Tricia. i'm 24 and 5 months/20 sum odd days and this pregnancy has been really difficult for me..... i've been dealing (if you can call it that) with this since December of 2005 and it's been getting worse nothing has been working and i'm all over the place uhh sorry i don't know if i'm supposed to say much on this thread so i'll make one.
*Tricia*
New Member
 
Posts: 6
Joined: Mar 29, 2006 2:48 am
Location: canada

Postby Stephigirl1 » Apr 03, 2006 9:59 pm

Hello All!!!
My name is Stephanie. I am 11 weeks pregnant, and I was diagnosed with HG about 5 weeks ago. I was hospitalized twice. Most recent about a week ago.(7 WHOLE DAYS) YUCK!! I am happy to be back home! I have experienced HG before, but we lost our little one at 9 weeks in September of 2005. I really want to say how happy I am to have found this website. What a relief to know there are more ladies who can empathize with me. I am currently at home with a PICC line. It is working great so far. I also have an at home nurse who sees me once a week. My doctor is great. He was able to get me help right away! I am just taking one day at a time. It is a real blessing hearing all of your stories.
Stephanie
Baby in heaven Sept. 2005
Charis Evangeline 10/23/06
Ezra Emmanuel 6/3/09
HG Survivor
Stephigirl1
Been There Done That
 
Posts: 148
Joined: Apr 03, 2006 9:13 pm
Location: Orange, CA

Postby m.ij05 » Apr 04, 2006 7:22 am

Hi there Stephanie! I'm glad that you found this site too! When I was going through my first pg I felt as if no one had ever experienced anything like it before and it is comforting to be able to talk to others who have been through the same thing. I hope that this site continues to help you through your tough time. It is wonderful that you have such a pro active doctor. Some women don't recieve help until much later. I also had a PICC line and it was definitly a life saver for me. My daughter will be 5 in a few days and she is our little miracle. Good luck to you and your family!
Ingrid
m.ij05
Opinionated HGer
 
Posts: 923
Joined: Feb 11, 2006 4:25 pm
Location: Colorado

Postby ncgirlinmn » Apr 30, 2006 5:23 pm

Hi ladies,
I'm so glad I found this website! My name is Anna and I'm 35yo and 16 1/2 weeks along with my first baby. (I had one m/c a couple of years ago.) I started getting sick around 7 weeks and thought it would go away eventually. At 11 weeks, I threw up so hard I ended up in the ER with a cerebral hemorrhage. They kept me in for two days. After that the things got worse.

Eventually I called my OB crying hysterically that I was losing my mind and someone had to help me and they had me come in right away to get rehydrated. They also hooked me up with Matria. I had an IV in my arm 24/7 and was taking 8mg of Zofran every 7 hours with not much improvement. I now have a PICC in with a Zofran pump and and IV pump that I'm only doing overnight now.

I actually have good days now and then, but I've had some of the darkest days and thoughts I've ever had. I don't feel pg, just fat and sick. Sometimes I'm afraid I will not love this baby because I can't feel anything toward it now. I know from reading that this isn't necessarily the case, but it still worries me.

I'm on short-term disability from work now and I'm anxious to be able to get back. My husband is a doctoral student and teaches a couple of classes as well as runs his own business out of our house. All that is to say - he doesn't make much for money! Stress levels have definitely risen around our house lately.

Thanks for listening to me and I look forward to getting to know you ladies better.
Anna
DSS Matt - 17
DSS Tyler - 14
DSS Bryan - 14
Angel - 08/04
Sam - 10/10/06 (HG wk 8 - delivery; stroke at 11 wks)
ImageImage
ncgirlinmn
Been There Done That
 
Posts: 379
Joined: Apr 30, 2006 4:41 pm
Location: Bloomington, MN

Next

Return to New to the Forums

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

cron