anyone here have hyperemesis??

mrs.a.butler · January 2010

I've been "dealing" with it for about a month I guess. I started loosing weight 5/6 lbs in almost 2 weeks. I was put in the hospital 2 times this past week for IV fluids. (monday and thursday).

I've tried zofran and phenergan, neither work. I've tried morning sickness magic, and all the "tried and true" m/s things (ginger, saltines, gatorade...etc)

I am on potassium pills for a week because my potassium was soo low from the vomiting. And I'm on pelvic rest from spotting, which they think is due to all the vomiting irritating my cervix.

We are talking about getting Home health care to do at home IV's. I'm nervous about doing this because I'm worried about getting a PICC line.

I didn't vomit yesterday because I had the IV's the day before. I haven't today, but I'm super nauseous and the feeling is just getting stronger. This is what happened after the last hospital visit, good for 2 days, the third day I wake up and it's back just the way it was.

So, my question is, how are you/have you, dealt with this??? I'm running out of steam. I feel like a bad mother to my ds because I have to sit around so much, just so I don't get sick MORE.

aliciablair22 · January 2010

Oh yes...this was the total beginning of my pregnancy up until around 23 weeks. I had home health care who put a midline in my arm. They were SO nice and it really made a difference getting fluids and zofran IV. The midline wasn't a big deal. kind of annoying but honestly worth it.

I would really give it a try as I tried every option available to me before giving into getting the home health care.

KYmama9286 · January 2010

I did! I can totally relate to your story--I ended up going to the ER for fluids at least 6 times before my midwives ordered my home health care (granted they ordered it at 7 weeks, I just was really really sick! If you have found that the fluids at the hospital help for a few days then you will be amazed at how much having the fluids 24/7 at home will help!

I too had a PICC line and let me tell you its MUCH preferred to regular peripheral IV's...the home health company started me w/ just regular IV's but with those there is much more maintenance (they can only stay in like 3 days before needing to be changed) and they could come out, blow my veins, hurt, etc. eventually I had no more good veins to start an IV line so my midwives ordered a PICC and I was in love! So much easier, really low maintenance (they will have to come check it 1x a week to change the dressing, check your arm for swelling, etc.)

Are they planning on doing a zofran pump or anything like that in addition to home fluids/picc line? I had a zofran pump which helped too b/c the oral zofran wasnt really doing much but the pump allows a continuous flow of zofran throughout the day plus if you start to feel extra nauseous you can give yourself a bolus (1 large dose) in addition to the continuous flow..Another reason I liked my PICC line is the pump could be connected to it--before I had the PICC I had to essentially give myself a shot in the belly to get the injection site started which I really didnt enjoy but it helped so it was worth it, once the PICC was inserted everything went through there (including if my dr ever needed any blood drawn)

As you can tell I had alot of experience with this, feel free to PM me w/ any questions, or even just to vent--I am more than happy to share my experiences with you or you can check out my blog

https://laurensrealreality.blogspot.com

if you go back to entries from the beginning of my pregnancy I documented my hyperemesis experience as well as my home health care experience-HTH!

ToBeMrsT · January 2010

I've had it with both my pregnancies.

With this pregnancy I ended up with home health care for IV hydration. I had it hooked up for 5 weeks. By the time it was hooked up I'd already lost 16 pounds and was miserable. My IV was left in 24/7 and it was only fluids. I live in a weird area where we couldn't find a company that was able to do both a zofran pump and the fluids. Since I had dealt with HG before I knew that that fluids were more important for me. I kept taking my zofran orally. Zofran was more helpful to me in my first pregnancy than this one, but it did help some this time. With the fluids being pumped into me 24/7 I was able to eat enough and make it through the hardest parts. If I had to worry about fluids and food I wouldn't have been able to do it. Every time I drank something I threw up, but since the fluids were taken care of I could eat and not worry about drinking anything. And I pretty much didn't drink anything for those 5 weeks. My nurse came to check my IV site and switch it out every 3 days and that got old because my veins were shot.

Once I stopped the IV fluids I was able to drink enough and eat enough to get by. I was still really tired (I still am), but I wasn't throwing up that often. I'm still on zofran at this point, but only 4mg a day. I expect to take it the whole pregnancy just like I did when I was pregnant with my son. With his pregnancy I took it all the way up until I gave birth.

You should check out the hyperemesis website. They have forums that you can post on with lots of women going through the same thing.

bjmyangel · January 2010

I had it BAD. I was literally in bed from 5 weeks to 13 weeks...when my husband finally took me to the hospital. I was hospitalized for almost a week and sent home with home health care. I had an IV 24/7 and was getting Zofran through a pump that went into my leg. That worked pretty well but my veins were so weak from being so dehydrated for so long that my IVs kept blowing after a couple of days. They ended up giving me a PICC line for fluids and medication. It was great for the first week and a half. Then the nightmare of my life started. My PICC line started oozing fluid and it hurt. I went to the ER, thinking the line was plugged up or something. Come to find out that I had developed DVTs (blood clots) in my arm from where the line went in all the way into mu chest! I was immediately hospitalized. It took a while for the doctors to decide what to do. It was very scary. I ended up staying in the hospital for almost 2 weeks while they stabilized my blood. I am now considered super high risk. I take a shot every morning and every night to keep my blood from clotting more. To get me "over the hump" with the hyperemesis, they put me on steroids for a couple of weeks. It worked amazing! I do still take Zofram (the oral dissinigrating tabs worked for me, the regular pills did not) and Phenergan on a strict schedule. My doctors don't want me to even try to stop taking the meds because they are so afraid of be becoming severely ill again.

So, after that long story, I would say do NOT get a PICC line. Pregnancy causes changes in the way your blood clots. You could end up in a lot worse shape if you get the PICC. Ask to be referred to a perinatologist (also called Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor). They should have more experience with severe hyperemesis and should be able to get you onto a medication or a group of medications that works for you. Good luck!

mrs.a.butler · January 2010

thanks ladies. i'll look into everything.

and bjmyangel - that is exactly the things that I'm worried about!!! ugh. I'm so sorry you are dealing with that.

Brooke208 · January 2010

I had hyperemesis with both pregnancies, it was worse with DD. I was high risk with DD but not because of the hyperemesis. They talked about a PICC line at first but I started getting better so it wasn't needed. Actually, the Zofran started working. I had to take it the entire pregnancy though and still got sick at least once a day while taking it.

My friend was really sick and had to have a PICC line. She said it was easy to get used to and helped her feel better. At about 18 weeks she woke up one day and felt perfect and they removed the PICC.

Hope you feel better soon!

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