Just say the magic word
This afternoon I went in for my annual exam (TMI, I know) & to form a plan of attack when I finally get a positive pregnancy test. It's no secret that I'm scared to death to be sick with HG again, but after months of consideration, I decided that 9 months of hell was worth years of happiness with a new member of our family. So, I wanted to make sure I could get what I needed immediately, unlike last time where I begged for stronger medication for weeks.

The clinic was referred to me by both of my good friends & it was a really nice place with nice people working there. The CA brought me back into an exam room to do the initial paperwork & get my vitals. When I told her about the purpose for my visit, she responded with, "Well, you never know. Every pregnancy is different. You could be just fine this next time". Comments like that make me want to smack people upside the head. Really. I know that there is little research out there on HG & some health care professionals are in the dark about it's seriousness, but this is something I have to plan for & hope to God by some miracle I escape it's devastating effects. When someone is on a situation where they think they are going to lose the baby because they are starving or they think THEY are going to die because they are starving or the thought of medical termination pops up because death really seems like a reality, crackers & ginger ale aren't going to cut it.

A little fact that I found on subsequent pregnancies & the recurrence of hyperemesis:

If you have had severe HG more than once, you have a very high probability of having HG again. Recent research by the HER Foundation finds over half of women (about 2/3rds) will have HG in every pregnancy. Your chances are greater if you have a relative with a history of HG, especially a sister. Health professionals often underestimate the recurrence rate of HG.

Yeah. So, I'm planning for the worst & hoping for the best.

The nurse who did my exam was super nice. We talked more about the medications & I think she could tell how freaking nervous I was that she would say that I would have to wait. That was a big fear for me. That I would have to lose so many pounds, be debilitated for weeks & re-hydrated again before they would take me seriously. But, that's not the case. She said that as soon as I get sick, call the office & have them get the medication. If there was anyone who gave me problems about it, she would take care of it. All I had to say was the magic word - Zofran.

I cannot explain what a huge relief this is. Now, I'm actually looking forward to pregnancy because the wonder drug that saved my life last time will be readily available as soon as I need it, which if it's anything like last time, will be week 6-7. With Logan, I didn't get zofran until week 17 (?). That's 10 plus weeks of not being able to eat anything, drink anything or do anything. I have hope that I will actually live like a normal pregnant woman this time. Now all I have to wait for is the pregnancy.