In despair she calls for a colleague to help. I could write a long essay about well-intended people ...

1. My Hyperemesis story - CNN iReport
In despair she calls for a colleague to help. I could write a long essay about well-intended people
suggesting crackers, bananas or ginger... They diligently flush my IV. And then, I am finally
hospitalized for the first time. My blood pressure is severely low and I am scared.
I am unable to leave my house, unable to pick my daughter up from school, unable to cook a meal.
It is the end of March. I wonder if that's what 'morning sickness' feels like. But can one really be
prepared for hyperemesis? We now have a 4 year old to care for, and no family around. I am tired,
drained and I don't want to be pregnant. I am relieved. I start to think, maybe there is hope. I choose
not to read the prescriptions in too much detail. I am on medicine for cancer patients, feeling little to
no relief. I eat. I feel so misunderstood.
I am now over 6 months pregnant and oral medicine is finally enough to keep the vomiting under
control. They worry about air in the tubes while changing my bags of fluids and nutrition. But I do
feel tremendously lucky. A PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter) is a form of intravenous
access that can be used for a prolonged period of time (e.g. She does not know what to say. She is
like any 4-year old, active and noisy, and the thought of having her around is unbearable. I am
starting to keep some food down but the nausea won't go away. I was regularly sent to the ER for
rehydration, where all doctors and nurses agreed that I should be happy, and tried to reassure me
that this constant vomiting was a sign of a healthy pregnancy. The dreaded nausea, the dizziness
and the constant vomiting are back. Awful, but manageable. Beginning of March, my pregnancy test
is positive, I am starting the antiemetic medication. I go to the bathroom. And the nausea and
vomiting have gotten worse again. I feel extreme guilt. I feel helpless and I fear for my own life. It
was love at first sight.
The joy and excitement of pregnancy were stolen from me. Hyperemesis has already taken
everything I had out of me and I know that once the dehydration cycle starts, it is very hard to
reverse it. My throat hurts. It should not be this way...
This pregnancy was a traumatic experience. I can't get in a car to go to an appointment. Others less.
As many Hyperemesis Gravidarium survivors, I have been closely following Princess Kate's
pregnancy, hoping it would raise awareness of this awful disease.
To tell you a little bit about how little is known about HG: my first experience with HG went
undiagnosed. We are pregnant - I am sick and terrified. I fear for my life and I am terrified of all the
possible impacts on our unborn child.
I have a really hard time sleeping with the PICC line in, my heart beats irregularly when I am not
lying on my back. I cry a lot. I can't stand the idea of my daughter coming home from school. I am
starving. I hear my doctors talk about severe malnutrition and dehydration. My trips to the ER for
rehydration begin, as well as multiple prescriptions to ease my suffering and dehydration. And no,
going to church will not help. I now throw up only in the morning. I am unable to read, watch TV,
have a phone conversation or do anything to escape this nightmare. I am exhausted and want this to
end.
But it has become more bearable. It is now the end of March and I am unable to get out of bed. It

2. was my first time going through the suffering, the isolation, the misunderstanding and the feelings
of failure that it creates. But little do I know, I am already severely dehydrated. I hope and pray I will
not have Hyperemesis again.
I cannot take a pregnancy test yet, because it has not even been a month, but my nightmare has
begun. I notice my hospital gown is different from everybody else's. Maybe someone will take this
more seriously.
I ask about disability but my doctor tells me he does not 'like putting people on disability so early in
the pregnancy'. Our story has a happy ending and not all Hyperemesis sufferers have this chance.
The sentence I heard thoughout my pregnancy "It will all be worth it." Yes, but that is not a fair
thing to say. It is an ordeal. Having a professional care for me when I am so sick and vulnerable feels
extremely reassuring. I ask if this will help with the starvation, but the TPN does not travel through
my stomach; the only option is to eat. I cannot go to the bathroom on my own and am constantly
watched. But how?
My daughter asks whether I am dying. People keep saying the 3rd trimester is tough. I have no
desire to hurt myself. Every time they need to replace the IV, it is the same struggle to find a vein
due to dehydration. Everyday. But deep inside I know this really is the start of a 6-month ordeal.
My doctors say they have this great medicine, Zofran, which will get me rid of the nausea. I am
carrying a baby I feel no excitement or love for. I hate every minute of this pregnancy. My sister and
my husband are now experts at caring for me. Sounds, light, smells make the nausea so much worse.
One of the few contacts I have with the outside world is Josh, my caring nurse, who visits my home
several times a week.
The hours, days and weeks go by. What am I doing?
I try finding new doctors for second opinions, and hopefully real help. I throw up. I throw up. I spent
my first pregnancy feeling like a total wimp, struggling with so called 'morning sickness' when
others somehow just dealt with it and got on with their life. but it feels completely surreal. But I
can't be zofran pregnancy lawsuit on the phone or talk. I throw up. The increases in dosages and the
new med-trials are scary. It seems I never quite get the help I need. The nurse comes over late at
night. I wish I did but I have no faith. I drink. I feel desperate. I am dehydrated. I am quickly losing
muscle from being in bed all the time and trips to the toilet are a task I dread.
I am sent home after about ten days. I am very confused. Her colleague finally gets the vein. for long
chemotherapy regimens, extended antibiotic therapy, or total parenteral nutrition - TPN).
I am finally getting some nutrition through the PICC line. It makes it harder. I am in so much pain.

3. But the vomiting still won't stop. I want more research done.
. She will not come close to me with all these tubes connected to my body.
I am now on a combo of medicine: Zofran, Reglan, Pepcid IV and TPN to name a few. Most talk
about God. For me, it's by far the best.
November 9th 2011, my baby boy was born. I am now throwing up between 10 and 20 times a day. I
head back to the ER.
This is my second hospitalization. It fools me into thinking it will make a pregnancy manageable.
After multiple phone calls and visits to my doctors' office, I finally get approved to receive home IV
for rehydration and medicine. I know I am carrying a baby... She is unable to insert the IV. I am sick
and no one can help. The vomiting is a little under control. I am worried about our finances, about
my family, about my health, about the baby.
They install a PICC line in my arm. I don't feel like they understand the severity of my symptoms. I
am unable to do anything other than sleep and stare at my white ceiling. but today I choose to focus
on my second and recent pregnancy, my pregnancy with diagnosed hyperemesis.
So here we are in February 2011.
This time, we know what is coming; we have spoken to doctors beforehand and are as prepared as
we can be. She keeps poking my arms and later my hands in search of a vein. What kind of mother
does not want her daughter around?
I am now in deep depression. I am under suicidal watch. I am talking myself into being strong
http://www.pdrhealth.com/drugs/zofran and positive. I feel angry and frustrated. My back is sore
from the intensity of the vomiting.
I keep calling my doctor's office, posting on different websites and researching online to get advice.
She cannot find a vein. Some nurses are very sweet. My doctors seem informed and understanding
enough. I cannot drink, let alone eat anything