Sunday 21 September 2014

My first pregnancy puke

It happened the day I hit 12 weeks.  So much for the whole "starting to feel better in the second trimester" thing.

Honestly, I can't really complain too much about my first trimester.  My nausea was super mild, and though I was going to bed maybe an hour earlier than normal I wasn't particularly exhausted.  Then, somewhere around my 9th or 10th week, I started getting this really uncomfortable feeling of something being stuck in my throat from time to time.

At first I couldn't figure it out, until my brother in law suggested that maybe I was suffering from some kind of acid reflux.  I didn't think that could be it, since I wasn't getting any heartburn or anything.  But the symptom kept worsening to the point that I was getting it almost every day, sometimes all day, so I kept Googling.  My Google-fu didn't fail me, and I'm pretty sure I'm getting what's called silent reflux.  It's basically the same type of thing as heartburn, but rather than the stomach acid sitting in my esophagus and causing a burning sensation it's going all the way up to my throat instead.

If you're wondering what the sensation feels like and why it's bothering me so much, here's a handy home demonstration for you.  Find the hollow of your throat, and press your finger there.  Not so hard you choke, just lightly enough that you can feel your gag reflex sort of engage.  Now swallow.  That's how I feel ALL THE TIME now.  It's horrendous.  It's like a constant throat punch.

All day, err' day.


I've tried everything I can think of to make it go away.  I've eaten smaller, more frequent meals.  I've cut out citrus and tomatoes and chocolate.  I've chewed gum.  I've drunk baking soda mixed with water.  I've started eating Gaviscon like it's my job.  Some days are better, and I rack my brains trying to figure out what I did that made it go away.  Then it comes back for no reason I can think of, and whatever worked the day before doesn't work anymore.

Last Friday night, the day I hit 12 weeks, I was feeling so shitty that I had to force myself to eat a plain bagel for dinner.  I was starving but the lump in my throat had been so bad all day I was terrified to put anything in my stomach.  A few hours later, while getting ready for bed, I was brushing my teeth and made the mistake of brushing my tongue just a leetle too far back.  I gagged.  I thought I was gonna blow, then I didn't.  I made my way to the bedroom and sat on the bed.  M asked if I was ok.  Then all of a sudden I knew I wasn't going to be and ran to the bathroom and took part in that grand tradition of pregnant ladies everywhere, the porcelain hug.

And you guys?  When it was all over I felt like a million fucking dollars!!!  For the first time in days, the lump in my throat was gone.  Until the next morning, that is.  Apparently a whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter is more than my stomach can handle anymore, and it was back.  But man, it was good while it lasted!

So here I am, 13w2d today, and I still haven't figured out how to make it go away.  The only thing that seems to work for certain is puking, which I'm not willing to make myself do (no matter how good it would make me feel) because yuck.  And I'm sure it's not good for the baby.  But I'm really hoping my OB has some kind of suggestion at our appointment this Wednesday (possibly some kind of prescription acid reducer that's safe in pregnancy) because I might go insane if this keeps up for the next 7 months.

If anyone else has dealt with this particularly evil brand of reflux (or knows anyone else who has), and has some suggestions for me, please let me know!  At this point I'm not above voodoo or possibly the sacrifice of a small animal.

27 comments:

  1. Oh I really feel for you! I didn't have that exact feeling but I did have nausea, severe nausea, for TWENTY weeks!!!! Everyone said it would eventually go away and that drove me NUTS, but wanna know what? They were right!! XOXOXOX

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  2. I never had heartburn or reflux, so I don't have any advice or remedies. Hopefully your OB has some magic cure! That sounds like a miserable way to spend the rest of your pregnancy.

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  3. Wish I knew. But how annoying. Hope this passes and you get to enjoy the bliss that is the second trimester soon.

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  4. Ugh! I'm sorry. That doesn't sound fun at all. Hope your doc has a solution for you.

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  5. That doesn't sound good at all... Poor girl! I really hope that your OB can help. Wow 13 weeks already!! Woohoo!

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  6. Yucky! I'm afraid I don't have any solutions. But hopefully it will get better in second trimester (whee, second trimester!) Although apparently reflux is also a thing in third trimester. (Sorry). Pregnancy is gross sometimes, but it's all for a good cause. Things did get much better for me as time progress, although not all at once. I hope they do for you too. Anyway, vomiting is gross but it really doesn't hurt the baby, unless you are doing it constantly, which it doesn't sound like you are.

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  7. Ugh, poor you! I have some heartburn now - preferably in the evenings and regardless of whether and what I eat. But it's not so bad. I do hope your doc has a plan, and that the second trimester treats you well (I was far too nervous to enjoy mine...)

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  8. So excited that you're in the second tri!! But boo to heartburn -- just gir it myself, at 32 weeks. But, if it's any consolation, I got migraines bang on 12 weeks. There's always something... But it's for a wonderful reason. Did you know that having heartburn means your baby is more likely to be born with hair? Not just an old wives tale

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  9. Here you go :) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17150070

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  10. I've never had heartburn or acid reflux, so I'm really worried that I won't know what's wrong with me when it hits. I'm glad to know that I'm not alone in this boat. I hope that it goes away soon, or if not, you find some relief. And hey--congrats on passing yet another pregnancy milestone, albeit one of the less glamorous ones.

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  11. I don't know if this will work, but eating almonds helps with heartburn. I only got it a few times with my pregnancy and it works better than tums, so it might work with your throat issues. I would get a burning kind of sensation in my throat without the heartburn as well at times.

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  12. Ugh, that sounds awful! I have no advice, just stopping by to commiserate and show love and support. Hope it goes away soon. :(

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  13. Ugh, I don't have any advice but wanted to wish you all the best!

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  14. 13 weeks already??? Wow. Welcome to the 2nd trimester.
    So, I ended up with pretty bad heartburn and changing my diet and eating Tums did jack squat. I feel like I had a little bit of what you are describing but also the traditional burn-y kind. I do remember feeling like I had something stuck in my throat and it made eating seem really unappealing. (I got screwed on the "eat all of the things" part of pregnancy. I had to force myself to eat the entire time) I ended up taking zantac twice a day to keep the acid at bay and that did the trick. The acid snuck back in sometimes, but I found preventing the problem to work better than treating it. (Not sure of the Canadian versions of what I was taking or if it's the same drugs). Good luck!

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  15. In total selfishness (and a little for your sake too), I'm disappointed to hear that you're not feeling better after 12 weeks. I'm at 10 weeks now and just counting the minutes until I'll stop feeling sick all the time. I've only actually puked twice, but both times made me feel better for a few hours or so. I haven't had any reflux stuff, so no help. Just sympathy.

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  16. I had reflux, but I don't think it was as bad as yours, or at least I don't remember it being. I'm not any help on how to get rid of it. Yay for 13 weeks though! I am so over the moon happy for you Aramis. Pregnancy isn't all fun and games and is in fact quite awful at times, but it is also very exciting at the same time with so many cool things that you will experience.

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  17. all the best for you it will lesson for other people to take care of yourself during pregnancy for more advice visit physioheal.com

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