ABCs of HG

HG s****!! Sorry for the bad language, but there is no other way to describe HG (Hyperemesis Gravidarum)...severe morning sickness. I was diagnosed with it back in early December and put on a regiment of Phenergan and Zofran. Since leaving the hospital on December 20th (week 10) I have been taking at least 8 pills a day to combat nausea and throwing up. Over time I could see it working and began to feel better, in fact somewhat "normal". As time went by I would try to ween myself off 1 pill at a time. Some days it would work and others felt like I was taking 2 steps backwards. Finally at 20 weeks I had gotten down to 4 pills a day!! Week 21 I was down to 3 and week 22 I was only taking 2 pills...YAY!! The best part is I was still feeling good and functioning normally (well, as normal as a pregnant lady can)! This past weekend James and I decided to finally plan our trip to Las Vegas to visit family (we had to cancel at Christmas due to HG)...leaving Thursday (tomorrow) this gave me 6 days to ween myself from 1 more pill...I needed to do this since it had to be kept refrigerated and during the 12/13 hour drive this wouldn't be possible. So Saturday no Phenergan...I felt fine, Sunday no Phenergan...I felt fine, Monday no Phenergan...still feeling really good! Tuesday no Phenergan and lots of energy (even worked in the nursery), but all of a sudden at 7pm it hit me like a load of bricks...nausea, hot flashes, gagging on water...ugh HG was back :-( I immediately went back on the Phenergan, but it didn't kick in right away so it was a very LONG night of no sleep and every movement made me want to puke...Baby must have sensed something was up because s/he stayed up all night to keep me company. During my sleepless night all I could do was remind myself about was how much I loved being pregnant, how happy I was to have a little one dancing around in my tummy and that I couldn't wait to do it all over again with baby #2. I also came up with the ABC's of HG...(graphic, but true)

A - appetite...or lack there of because NOTHING stayed down!
B - bawling...I would cry for hours hoping the pain would go away.
C - constipation...Zofran is the WORST for clogging the system and causing hemorrhoids!
D - dehydration...I was not able to keep liquids down....the typical morning sickness cure Ginger Ale wouldn't even stay down (and burned like none other coming back up!)
E - esophagus...from constantly throwing up my esophagus began to erode, a pain that still affects me today.
F - fatigue...sleep, I couldn't get enough of it (12/13 hrs a night, plus naps...thanks to Phenergan - a common sedative)
G - gagging...anything that went in my mouth  made me gag...finding a go-to food/drink was a challenge - bananas won!!
H - Hyperemesis Gravidarum...a severe condition of pregnancy characterized by intractable nausea, vomiting, and dehydration and is estimated to affect 0.5-2.0% of pregnant women. (Wikipedia)
I - IV..I went into Urgent Care and the ER twice to get hooked up to IVs to get proper nutrients and fluids that my body and Baby so desperately needed!
J - jealous...I became so jealous of other pregnant women that "just" had morning sickness. I often thought "why can't I just puke and feel better?!"
K - kicks...I honestly thought that I would not make it far enough into my pregnancy to feel the baby kick. After my 1st miscarriage I just assumed that this one wouldn't make it especially with being so sick.
L - lazy...due to having no energy and constantly feeling nauseated I did nothing around the house and became very lazy which led to going stir-crazy in my  new house!!
M - medicine...lets just say I know the Pharmacist real well, I (or James) am there every 8 days to pick up HG pills or seizure meds - thank goodness for insurance!!
N - nobody...as much as people try to be sympathetic and offer advice and condolences, nobody truly understands HG unless they have been through it themselves...my HG support group on BabyCenter has been a God-send!!
O - overdrive...my body had to kick it into high gear, not only to keep me functioning, but also to support the growth of a new little human. My heart has never raced so fast in my life.
P - puking...I didn't think it was possible to throw up so much in such a short amount of time. I would just sit by the toilet anticipating the next bout of nausea to kick in.
Q - questions...my brain is constantly asking questions...why me? when will it end? what could I have done differently? will I have to endure this with future pregnancies?
R - relief... I have found relief in meds, time passing by (24 weeks on Friday!!), my faith and James...he has been AMAZING!!
S - showering/bathing...a simple everyday task that would send me into a full blown nausea attack, good thing I was already by the toilet!
T - time...over time things have gotten better and soon (in 16 weeks) Little Lyle will be here and HG will be gone!!
U - urine...I never checked the color of my urine until I got pregnant, I would do a happy dance when it was not neon yellow/orange because that meant I was keeping fluids down!
V - vicious cycle...just when I thought I was doing better it would come back with a vengeance and be worse than the time before.
W - water...my favorite beverage became my arch enemy, even with a lemon squeezed in it I could hardly keep it down.
X -eXtreme..I had heard of morning sickness and was "somewhat" prepared for it, but nothing could have prepared me for the extreme discomfort HG would bring to my daily life.
Y - years...I have dreamt of being pregnant and becoming a mommy for years, but it only took days to shatter my perception of "pregnancy"...that being said I will still do it all over again to grow our family some more :-)
Z - Zofran and Phenergan...my miracle meds :-)

As I am typing this, Little Lyle as been kicking away and it is a GREAT reminder of the sacrifice I as a mom am willing to do and will do for the lifetime of my little one.

~ Bring it on HG...I am in this for the long haul!! ~