Just spent 4 days in the hospital...

[missamethyst2u]

So I stsrted with severe nausea snd vomitting this past Monday. By Tuesday night I c. alled the On call OB for Zofran cause I couldnt take it anymore and actually thought I should go to the ER for fluids. On call doc told me no need to come into ER and to just drink gatorade and I would be fine. I took the zofran which stopped me from vomitting and i drank gatorade but when i woke up on Wednesday I knew something wasnt right. Since my OB is out til Sept 1st I decided to just go see m. PCP. She took one look at me and did a urinalysis and called the hospital and admitted me. They diagnosed me with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (Rachael, I soooooo feel your pain and will be sending you a PM when I get the energy to sit at thecomputer again) It took 5 liters of IV fluids before I was remotely hydrated and peeing more than twice a day. I ended up getting a total of 11 bags of fluids and Zofran every 6 hrs. I am currently fighting my Ins. Company since Wed to approve the. Zofran cause right now I am having to pay out of pocket for it and its about $30 a day (4 tablets) and its adding up quick I still have nausea on zofran but not throwing up. Great news is baby is doing great and was swimming all around

P.S. please overlook all the errors in the post. I was typing it on my phone and having issues.

[rachelandtyke]

I'm so sorry you are dealing with HG, Heather!

Do you have a Costco anywhere you can get to (or a friend can get to - I asked if someone could pick it up for me and they said yes)? You can get 90 8 mg zofran (regular tabs, not ODT) there for $34 without insurance AND you don't have to be a Costco member! They have the ODT, too, but they are more. That was my plan until I ended up with the pump. Even though they are a "club" they are required to let anyone use the pharmacy due to federal regulations.

I also recommend you check out HelpHer.org - they have tons of info on HG and support boards as well.

[missamethyst2u]

Rachael, you are a lifesaver! Just called the Costco nearest to me and I can get 50 ODT Zofran for $49!!! I told the lady I was paying $30 a day for 4 and she was shocked! Thanks again for letting me know!

[rachelandtyke]

Yay! I'm glad that will work for you.

Here are some of my HG survival tips (based on what has worked for me):

- When I am dealing with HG, I don't get hungry. I all of a sudden just start feeling more sick. In fact, at the hospital, I would dry heave when I needed to eat. Counter intuitive to try to choke down food, but it was what I need to do. At home now, I try to eat something about every 2 hours. Doesn't have to be a big meal or even a small meal, whatever you can get in is great. I have been known to try to make myself take one bite every 5 minutes. It might take an hour to get an entire sandwich in, but it's a whole sandwich!

- All drinks must be ice cold and I must drink them with a straw. I can not tolerate any water. My 2 current drinks of choice are decaf sweet tea and decaf dr. pepper. A little bit of caffeine is OK. Some people do well with 1 can of coke each day. There is something about the syrupy sweetness that helps. Other drinks that have helped at other times are lemonade and Canada Dry ginger ale. I can't touch water the entire time I am pg!

- Don't drink at the same time you eat. Wait a good 20-30 minutes after eating to drink. Small sips frequently does better than drinking really fast.

- If it sounds good, try it! Things that I survived on with DD and DS, aren't desirable now. My food intake consists of: scrambled eggs, toast with peanut butter, toast with strawberry jam, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, GF chicken noodle soup, waffle fries from Chick Fil A, and Hot Tamales.

- I chew gum or suck on altoids when I'm not eating or drinking. For me, cinnamon gum has been a top pick, even though I can't stand it when not pg!

- You may need to avoid dairy, it can be hard on a HG tummy. But some people do OK with it, so you can try it if it sounds appealing.

- Some people have had success with ginger flavored things. It hasn't helped me once HG hits.

- If you've been taking prenatals, they may make you feel worse. It really is OK to stop them for now. I can take them up to about 6 weeks, and then I can't take any more the rest of the pg! My OBs have never been concerned.

- Avoid cooking smells as much as possible. I come out of the bedroom for a couple of hours in the morning, and the rest of the time I am in bed. Dh is on his own for making dinner for him and the kids. I'll give him suggestions, but I'm not making an apperance in the kitchen to cook. When I was pg with DD and dealing with HG, Dh ate a lot of canned soup for dinner for a while!

- Try to do as little as you can. Expect if you have a busy day to feel worse the next day. If you are overtired, you will feel worse.

- Staying hydrated is really more important than eating a lot. Your zofran isn't as effective if you are dehydrated. You will also feel worse if you are dehydrated. Don't be afraid to go in for fluids if you are getting dehydrated again.

- Sources of hydration without drinking: soup, jello, canned fruit (often more easily tolerated than fresh fruit), fresh fruit if you can tolerate it, popsicles, applesauce

- You may need to shower in cooler water than you normally would. A shower as hot as I usually like them makes me feel worse.

- potatoes in some form are often well tolerated. in the past it's been mashed potatoes or baked potatoes with cheez whiz on it. This time, it's been waffle fries, lol. I was scared to try them because I thought surely they wouldn't do well because they are fried, but they have been a huge success.

That's all I can think of for now. Feel free to respond or PM with any questions! I hope geting on the zofran with good dosage around the clock will help you immensely!

[rachelandtyke]

Opps, can't believe I forgot this!

Zofran is incredibly constipating. You need to take something daily to combat it. Some take Colace. I use Miralax or Dulcolax Balance.

[missamethyst2u]

I can't believe how much we are sooo alike with HG (I wonder if its the same for everyone with it?) Like you, I am just NOT hungry. I really have to make myself eat and if its more than about a half cup to a cup of something I feel even worse. I also cannot tolerate water at all! Which is funny since I craved ice water for the first 9 weeks. I am living off Sierra Mist and 100% apple juice which I load the whole cup with ice to water it down a bit and I drink it with a straw as well. Those reusable tumbler cups with the straws are great! I am currently staying at my parents house and I don't dare come out of my room if they are cooking or recently cooked cause one whiff and I will throw up right there (and it has happened twice so far!) Its sad when I don't feel like I can stay at my boyfriend's house cause the bathroom seems too far away

I can't do dairy, ginger doesn't help me either and I can't stand ginger ale blah! I am glad you can tolerate peanut butter I ate some PB crackers in the hospital and was miserable all night I do very well with Jello (who would ever think you can live off Jello lol) and also canned peaches but they too have to be cold. Surprisingly, I do very well with potatoes too lol. I can handle Wendy's fries as long as they are fresh and I do well with baked potatoes. Also French toast is something else I learned I can do but just not a lot at a time and only a lil bit of syrup. Popcicles are ok most of the time. Applesauce however is not, I immediately threw it up at the hospital while taking zofran I think it was more of a texture thing.

I learned after a warm bath and a warm shower that I have to do lukewarm because both nights in a row I threw up immediately getting out the shower/bath. The constipation hasn't been a problem but thats probably due to the crazy amounts of apple juice I am drinking lol. My prenatals are the Bellybar chewables OTC and most days I can't get them in me but I do try to take at least one (supposed to be 2 a day) whenever I have eaten a "decent" amount of food. They are really only pushing them for the iron cause mine is a lil low and I can't get iron pills down. I have liquid iron as well but ummm yeah riigghtt They also found out I have barely any B-12, my level was like 100 and I was put on injections everyday in the hospital and on 5000 mcg every other day at home and I will have to have an injection every month.

I feel soooo weak and tired, yet so sore and tired from laying in bed so much. I honestly felt better while in the hospital as sad as that is. I already feel like I am getting dehydrated again. I go Wed morning for another U/S and then they are working me in at the new OB's office that afternoon with the NP so she can check on things and see if they think I am dehydrated. I have no problem going back for fluids because I feel much better after I get them.

I have vacation planned for the beginning of Sept for 10 days at the beach I have already paid for (been booked since Jan.) and now worried I won't be able to go and that if I do I won't be able to enjoy it I have my elective gender 2d/3d/4d U/S scheduled for while we are on vacation and am very excited to go but worried at the same time. I can do lots of relaxing while there but its a 6 hr car ride there and it doesn't seem like I will be able to go out and do much.

I see you are due 3/6 I am due 3/2! I just realized we were due so close! I have a feeling my due date is going to get changed though cause baby has been measuring ahead for quite some time now and going by U/S I am due Feb. 27th. My 30th bday is Feb 13th so that sounds like a GREAT day to me I am over the moon and excited to be pregnant and I really don't want to complain about being sick but I do wish I could relax a lil more and be able to enjoy it a lil more you know. I know in the end every bit of this sickness will be sooooo worth it!

[rachelandtyke]

If you have to take 5000 mcg B12, I found 2500 mcg B12 sublingual tablets at Costco. I have to take a certain amount of folic acid, B6, and B12 every day, but was able to find sublingual versions of all of them. Used to have it in one pill by rx, but can't afford it without insurance.

My EDD is by the first u/s. It's off a bit I think, but not more than 4 days. My second u/s put it 2 days later, but OB didn't want to change it. We'll see what they say at my u/s next week.

Glad you're figuring out what works and doesn't work for you. A lot of it seems to be common among HGers, but we all have our own quirks.

HG isn't some minor issue, don't feel bad "complaining" about it. It's rough, and no one gets it unless they've BTDT or been close to someone who has.

Your apple juice reminds me of when I was first out of the hospital when the HG hit with DS. I drank a lot of white grape/peach juice then. I have a hard time even thinking about it now, lol. You may even find that something that you really like one day is repulsive the next day and you can't make yourself go back to it.

We traveled for Christmas when I was dealing with HG with DS. 9 hour car trip to Florida. It was nice to be somewhere different! It wasn't as fun as other times there, but it was nice to relax in a different location. I get tired of my bedroom!

[dawn]

Sorry you're having problems with the HG. Glad Rachel was able to give some good tips. Praying that things ease up for you with that. (((hugs))) and yay for happy swimming baby.