Hyperemesis Gravidarum

Hyperemesis gravidarum (from Greek hyper and emesis and Latin gravida; meaning "excessive vomiting of pregnant women") is a severe form of morning sickness, with unrelenting, excessive pregnancy-related nausea and/or vomiting that prevents adequate intake of food and fluids.^[1] Hyperemesis is considered a rare complication of pregnancy but, because nausea and vomiting during pregnancy exist on a continuum, there is no clear boundary between common morning sickness and hyperemesis. Estimates of the percentage of pregnant women afflicted range from 0.3% to 2%.


in other words, i define the term as "not fun." there are a lot of other things i could say that would probably be inappropriate, so i'll just leave it at that for now. at the risk of sounding negative and full of self-pity, i have to say that i wasn't expecting pregnancy to be physically the worst experience of my 23 years. i feel like i've had a deadly form of a hangover and every morning i wake up like i'm in the movie groundhog day. it's the same nightmare again and again. i usually start feeling a little better towards 8 or 9 in the evening. just in time to start feeling exhausted from a days worth of vomiting and emotional hopelessness. i also try to procrastinate bedtime, because as good as it feels to sleep, it is interrupted by startling dreams brought on by the medications i'm taking as well as the dreadful time-check to see how many hours are left before my prompt 5am vomiting session.

yes, i am a little bitter.

on the sunshiny side of the coin, i like to say that the ER is my favorite place to dwell during this "HG" hell i've been living. besides the long IV needle that has been placed in my arm or my hand each time, it is quite a pleasant experience. being pumped with 6 liters of fluid in less than two hours feels more refreshing than anything else i can think of. the IV drugs are also quite calming and feeling the nausea dissipate minute by minute is like heaven to touch. i'm also lucky in that i've seen my beautiful babies little face more times than a woman in a more comfortable pregnancy gets to see theirs. i have to say it is not worth the struggle to stay hydrated and nourished though, to worry that the baby might be suffering the effects. i would be ok not getting to see the little grape. it is an immense relief though, after days of vomiting and worrying, to see the tiny little flicker of a heartbeat screaming to the world that all is well and growing. this last visit, they were able to use a regular ultrasound machine to see into my uterus; whereas the last two times they had to scope me vaginally. the belly ultrasound is MUCH more comfortable.

during pregnancy, the most important thing to strive for when dealing with morning sickness and the like, is hydration and nourishment. this is not easily accomplished when vomiting happens more often than not after eating AND drinking. water is no longer a big part of my diet. i only drink water after i've actually eaten a decent sized amount of food and been able to keep it down without any nausea. gatorade has been my main staple as far as hydration and liquids have been concerned. once in awhile, if i'm not feeling too bad and i'm sickeningly tired of gatorade, i can usually keep down some sierra mist or 7up. some good foods to stick to are crackers, bananas, bagels (cream cheese only after my stomach has been filled atleast once prior,) french fries, pickles, cheese (again, only if my stomach has already been full,) cheeze-its, pretzels, and apples. those things are usually safe most of the time. the biggest problem i've faced is if i throw it up once, i feel a slight aversion to it after that and have a hard time eating it again. this cuts down on a lot of foods that would be good for me to eat.

i try to break down and have doug take me to the ER anytime i vomit more than 6 times or if i haven't been able to keep any liquids down for about 2 hours. this is because once the vomiting up liquids starts, it usually doesn't end and i become so dehydrated, the amount of vomiting increases. the last time i went in, i was pumped full of half my liquids before i had to use the bathroom. that means i was pretty dehydrated, so from now on i'm going to go in much earlier.

so at 9 weeks and 5 days, i'm going to the pharmacy to pick up my third prescription and also found out i have a slight urinary tract infection (caused by the vomiting and trouble urinating). My main goal last week was to feel well enough and not be too tired to make it to work, but the goal for this week is to stop vomiting and be able to keep down enough foods and liquids that i don't need to worry about the baby's health and continued growth. the problem with most of the meds that are prescribed for this condition is that most of them make me tired and a little bit loopy. in order to be well enough to return to work, i've got to have enough energy to make it through the 6 hour school day with six teenage boys with lots of energy. i'm not there yet. hopefully this "sickie" part of my pregnancy is over by magic week 12. two weeks and two days and counting. if not, hershey med should have a room ready for me in the psych ward on 24-hour watch. hehe.

doug and i are taking ten week belly pictures very soon... i checked my references before deciding i wanted them to make sure i was supposed to have a ten week belly - apparently i should have "thickened slightly at the waistline," so i'm good. god knows i'm not gaining weight from food because i've struggled to keep it down. gatorade does have lots of calories though =o) my next pre-natal appointment is friday, so i'm sure i'll take a sec to blog about that. i'm also going to spend a few night at my grandparents house to give doug a break. he has been working full time, been on full time cook and clean duty, dog duty, and take care of pregnant sick wife who needs prescriptions picked up and frequent drives to the ER. he's such a champ. his dedication has been amazing. although i do remind him frequently that this is mostly his fault.




<3


p.s. i just went back and read through the first part of my blog and realized what a wonderful word "unrelenting" is to describe this condition. it's perfect.