Intro and a headache question

[natsnow]

I'm 7 weeks, 5 days today with my first. Due date 12/4/14.  I'm excited to be pregnant, but the headaches and nausea are killing me the last few days.  How do you all deal?  I work a pretty demanding job, usually 12 hour shifts with no break.  It's so hard to not be able to tell anyone when you feel so miserable and are running to the bathroom to throw up half the day.  Last night, the headache was horrible and kept me up half the night.  I tried to take a tylenol, but wasn't able to keep it down. The only thing that really helped was a heating pad on my head. Any coping remedies?  I bought some Tummy Drops (ginger) off amazon, which help with the nausea a bit.  I just need to be able to make it through the work day! halp.

[FastHands]

If you are throwing up multiple times/day, call your ob. I think that's significant enough that they'll get you on Zofran to level things off. And hopefully puking less may decrease the headaches too.

Hope you feel better soon!

[magdala]

My nausea was awful during the first trimester. OB recommended frequent small meals of protein and carbs (think peanut butter on crackers or cucumbers dipped in hummus) to cope. She also recommended Zantac. I am taking two a day spaced 12 hours apart (per the bottle). If I am ten minutes late with the evening dose, the nausea is well nauseating.

For headaches, I put an icepack on the back of my neck (on the pulse point) and lie down until the ice pack is no longer cold. This only works if you can tolerate lying on your stomach. My pregnancy has progressed so that is no longer an option for me.

[natsnow]

Apr 22, 2014 10:25:36 GMT -5 FastHands said:

If you are throwing up multiple times/day, call your ob. I think that's significant enough that they'll get you on Zofran to level things off. And hopefully puking less may decrease the headaches too.

Hope you feel better soon!

I actually have some zofran. The headache has been preceding the nausea the last couple days. I should qualify...most of the time I just end up dry heaving. I've only really been throwing up 1-2 times and I feel a little better after I do. The few times I've taken zofran, I end up vomiting anyway.

I think I do need to try small, more frequent meals or snacks. I was trying to take my prenatal at night to stave off nausea, but sometimes it doesn't work.

[theatre4life]

Congrats and welcome! Another vote for small, frequent meals! I hope you get some relief soon!

[linz]

I eat about every 2-3 hours. I'm lucky to have a desk job where I can snack. I can tell days when I'm over hungry that I feel sick. Or days when I barely had water.

[MrsDarcy]

I don't have any specific advice, but congrats on your pregnancy and welcome! I hope you feel better soon!

[blushing]

Are you drinking enough? I find during pregnancy I have to drink more, and if you are throwing up you could be a bit dehydrated. Welcome to the board.

[mrssandro]

Congrats!

My first question would also be are you drinking enough. Maybe even try something with electrolytes. You need to double what your drinking especially if you are throwing up. Also it is allergy season. Do you have allergies? I would take a claritin or zrytec as these are both safe during pregnancy.

[natsnow]

No history of allergies. I could definitely drink more. sometimes it's hard at work. I will try eating more frequently too. I heard protein can help stave off nausea. Thanks for the advice and welcome!

[katinthehat]

I would try just a regular dose of tylenol in the morning before anything starts hurting or aching and keep up regular dosing for a few days and see if that helps.

FWIW, Zofran and Phen both gave me horrible headaches even though they stopped the puking.

[robinsbff]

my doc prescribed fioricet for my migraines, maybe that would work for you?

and congrats and welcome!

[mrspost08]

Ice packs & coffee are the only things that help my migraines. They are miserable! Hope you find something to work.

[starfish79]

actually, i use ice packs around my head and neck when i have a migraine.  you want to constrict the blood vessels i think.

do 1000 mg tylenol with ice packs and my midwife suggested a cup of strong coffee which NEVER worked for me in past, but did while pregnant!

good luck. we're here for you.

[mannah]

Congratulations! Seems like you got great headache advice so far, I hope something works. Keep us posted, welcome to this board!

[natsnow]

Thanks everyone. I took some Tylenol today and ate smaller, more frequent meals and tried to drink lots of water and decaf tea. I wss feeling a lot better this afternoon so I guess it worked! I'm sure there will be good and bad days and I'll just have to play it by ear.

[hillarywhitney]

Congratulations! I'm glad you felt some relief. I hope that continues for you.

[pennylane]

Congrats! As far as nausea goes, I've been snacking frequently and trying to eat things with a lot of protein. Also, if I can't do actual food and the nausea is bad, I have found hard candies to be helpful (jolly ranchers & sour icebreakers work for me). I'm also taking 50mg of B6 & a Unisom sleep tab daily because I was throwing up all day everyday for about a week straight. Check with your doc to see if they would recommend something like that.

I'm prone to migraines/headaches so I do a little bit of caffeine and ice packs on the back of my neck for relief when necessary. I hope you get relief from all of the first tri joys sooner rather than later. I keep hoping for the same, myself.

[natsnow]

Apr 23, 2014 13:52:26 GMT -5 pennylane said:

Congrats! As far as nausea goes, I've been snacking frequently and trying to eat things with a lot of protein. Also, if I can't do actual food and the nausea is bad, I have found hard candies to be helpful (jolly ranchers & sour icebreakers work for me). I'm also taking 50mg of B6 & a Unisom sleep tab daily because I was throwing up all day everyday for about a week straight. Check with your doc to see if they would recommend something like that.

I'm prone to migraines/headaches so I do a little bit of caffeine and ice packs on the back of my neck for relief when necessary. I hope you get relief from all of the first tri joys sooner rather than later. I keep hoping for the same, myself.

Yes! I tried jolly ranchers yesterday too and it actually really helped. I'm waiting for my second order of tummy drops. Check those out on Amazon... they are a little pricey for what you get, but seem to help me.

[IndiaInk]

I'm sorry you're feeling like this. I hope it passes quickly for you. I didn't have much nausea, but I had a lot of headaches in 1st and 2nd tri. I found that I had to take Tylenol immediately when I felt even the slightest twinge of a headache and then I'd be okay. But if I tried to wait it out, nothing would help. I also got a chiropractic adjustment to my neck and I REALLY doubted it would help but I actually went headache-free for nearly a month afterward. Might be worth a shot.