HG Story of an OB/GYN

Thanks to "Knocked Up, Knocked Over" for posting this - this is her OB/GYN's hyperemesis story - no wonder she is a great doctor!

Dr. Aimee Brecht-Doscher: A Personal Story of Hyperemesis Gravidarum

Interesting quotes:

"I dreaded caring for hyperemesis patients -- as do many of my colleagues -- for several reasons. We get frustrated when we are sometimes unable to offer the patient any meaningful relief. We see the patients themselves as difficult, even perhaps a bit crazy - having never met most of them before they were sick, it’s easy to wonder if somehow their depression and anxiety weren’t the cause, rather than the result of their illness. When patients improve in the hospital, and get worse again when they go home, over and over, we wonder whether there is a conflict at home and patients are either trying to escape or get attention, rather than just being the result of dehydration, or worsening of the disease. We don’t understand why some people have nausea and continue to function well, while others are begging for time off work." (emphasis mine)

Ever wonder how the "hyperemesis is a psychological illness" myth got started? This is a good explanation! What do you think?

Also:

Throughout this horrible experience, I received sympathy and support from some of my colleagues, but snide derision from others. My boss -- an Ob/Gyn, and the medical director of our large multispecialty group -- actually said to me, "I wish I could have hyperemesis so I could lie in bed and read books all day."

The same contempt with which HG is often held by society in general is, unfortunately, shared by many in the medical community (which is only natural).

I wish there were more doctors like this one out there!