My Hyperemesis Diaries: Recovery

This post is the third in a 3-part series on my experiences living with Hyperemesis Gravidarum. You can see my posts on Diagnosis and Treatment & Hospital, here and here.

Kate Middleton was hospitalised in early pregnancy thanks to Hyperemesis Gravidarum.

Possibly the hardest part to deal with in terms of Hyperemesis Gravidarum is the not knowing when it'll get better. At least I can take comfort that it will end but whether it'll be within the next few weeks, or months from now, is yet to be seen.

I've had varying opinions from a number of doctors; some saying things will improve by the second trimester at 12 weeks, some believing 16 weeks was more realistic. And then I read of ladies who've been so bad that they're still being sick whilst in labour. So far, I'm still suffering with no real end in sight. I have good days & bad days, and thankfully the bad days are becoming a lot less frequent.

At the moment I'm on a great combination of anti-sickness medications which means I can live day-to-day without being ruled by Hyperemesis. The only problem is that without them, things are unbearable. I've recently tried to cut out one of my two anti-sickness tablets, Cyclizine, but had little success. Within a few days of reducing the dose I found the nausea started to slowly creep back in. Out of pure fear I upped my dose back to the familiar and realised I clearly wasn't ready yet.

Due to the success of my combination of medication, last week I was able to return to work, although the exhaustion is still crippling me. Life has to go on. At least with my first pregnancy, when morning sickness was an issue, it was just me -- I could lie on the bathroom floor all day if I really needed to. But now, now I have John to care for and he has no grasp on the concept that Mummy isn't able bodied. He doesn't care that my body is crippled, feeling poisoned -- all he knows is that being in the house all day is boring and that when he's hungry he wants to eat, regardless of whether I do or not. This is where family support has been crucial, particularly on my bad days. I couldn't have done any of this without Iain, nor without my Mum coming to clean my house and taking John to give me a break.

If I had to give advice to someone suffering in a similar situation to my own, it'd be take it a day at a time -- even an hour at a time on those really bad day. Try not to search for the end as you'll just upset yourself when the time you'd thought things would improve passes you by. Seek help if you're really suffering -- like I've said before, I was extremely lucky to encounter great Health Care Professionals but not all are as good, so if at first you don't succeed, request a second opinion. And of course, your support group will be your biggest help -- not just in real life but it's great to have one online too. I'm part of the Hyperemesis Gravidarum support group on Baby Centre and having other women who truly understand your inability to face reality is invaluable, especially on days where you're bed ridden and in need of a moan (which can be often!).

Extra for the Experts.
• Pregnancy Sickness Support.
• Help HER.
• Baby Centre Hyperemesis Gravidarum Support Group.

Have you ever experienced Hyperemesis Gravidarum? Share you're experiences with me! A problem shared is a problem halved...kind of.