HG & the Holidays

We made it back to Los Angeles from the Bay Area yesterday! On Thanksgiving morning, I puked my breakfast. I wasn’t too shocked…but still kind of surprised since the last time I threw up was a month ago.

We celebrated Thanksgiving at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. It was a grand, luxurious buffet! Unfortunately, after throwing up, my nausea was pretty bad so I couldn’t enjoy the food at all. It’s like the nausea masks the authentic taste of food.

The ride up and down the Bay Area was so difficult! Thankfully I didn’t throw up in the car but I was pretty nauseous during the whole drive and my pelvic pain and sciatic nerve pain definitely made the ride less than comfortable.

Then on Sunday, we were supposed to attend church service but when we got there, we found out they cancelled the service and instead the congregation was going to volunteer somewhere. At that point, I just wanted to go back to Danny’s grandmother’s home because I was on the verge of throwing up and the thought of volunteering does not sound pleasant when you’re nauseous!

I honestly thought that by Thanksgiving, I would be feeling a lot better but I guess the HG is still prevailing. I can’t believe how debilitating and long-lasting the HG’s been with this pregnancy.

The holidays can be pretty difficult for HGers. Thanksgiving and Christmas involve celebrations with a plethora of food and mingling with family and friends. It’s hard to enjoy those moments when you’re nauseous and/or vomiting. It’s frustrating to see everyone relishing their food when you can barely hold yours down. It’s also tough to socialize and engage in conversations with everyone when you’re nauseous. The nausea literally sucks the energy out of me; all my energy is spent on trying to keep a lid on the nausea. HG is a killjoy during the holidays.

It was wonderful to see my in-laws though. Thanks to my mom-in-law and sister-in-law, hubby and I got to see a movie (just the two of us) for the first time since February! And Annelise loved playing with her aunties, uncles and grandmas. These are the moments I am truly thankful for. And I can’t believe I survived two nightmare, 7 hour drives to and from the Bay Area!

The Palace Hotel, SF

Beyond Morning Sickness

I’m 31 weeks and I’m just so tired…tired of the unending nausea. It seems to have gotten worse this week. I’ve been more constipated (maybe it’s a 3rd trimester thing?) which probably makes the nausea worse. I feel so gross.

I’m tired of being stuck at home and not being able to go out regularly. I’m tired of being dependent on everyone. I’m tired of the nerve pain in my leg and major pelvic pressure. I wanted to go see the acupuncturist today for the nerve pain but I was so nauseous…I decided not to go after all! That’s when I realized the nausea is worse than the pain. I’m tired of waiting for the baby to come. I’m tired of people not understanding HG fully. I’m tired of being a halfhearted mommy to my 15 month old. I’ve been feeling down all day today due to the nausea.

By the end of the day, the fatigue was taking its toll on me. I broke down and started crying…but I couldn’t wallow in self-pity for too long because Annelise brought me a book and asked me to read to her. I wondered if she noticed that mommy had been crying. She didn’t seem to notice thankfully. I read to her…in between broken sobs. And then she wanted me to read the book again. So I did, even though I just wanted to cry.

I decided to email Beyond Morning Sickness, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting women suffering from HG. Ashli Foshee McCall, the founder of this organization, wrote a book about her HG experience, “Beyond Morning Sickness”; she chronicles her horrific battle with HG which ended in termination of her pregnancy. The book also contains valuable information about hyperemesis as well as a comprehensive treatment plan for HG.

Someone from BMS emailed me back immediately and offered to send me a free copy of Ashli’s book as well as a children’s book about HG. He also said that one of their volunteers (someone who has survived HG) could offer support via email. I was so touched by the generosity of this organization. I emailed him back to thank him and this is the response I received (which brought tears to my eyes):

“Mimi, you are more than welcome!  Thank you for your wishes for Ashli.  And thank you for doing so much for your baby.  YOU are an example of what true generosity is.  It’s easy for me to ship out a few books — but the sacrifice you are making is simply astonishing.  You have endured the horrendous suffering that HG brings for another human being who you have never met, and who may not even have a name.  The few minutes and few dollars I spend for you are nothing compared to what you are doing for your family and your baby.

God bless you!

Lyle”

I was so touched by this email! It is nice to know that someone truly understands what I’m going through. I’m really looking forward to reading these books. If you or anyone is suffering from HG right now, please contact Beyond Morning Sickness!