Slept for 18 hours yesterday because I couldn’t wake up - GP or A&E?

[Headproblems]

Just looking for some advice because I know the NHS is massively overstretched at the moment and I don’t want to waste resources if this is just a GP thing.

Basically for the past few months I have been experiencing lots of headaches and some dizziness and oversleeping. It hasn’t been consistent so I’ve never really got it checked out because it’s never been enough to cause huge issues.

However this week, every day I have been struggling to wake up and until at least 10am I have been in and out of sleep feeling completely without control, no matter how hard I’ve been trying to stay awake I fall straight back to sleep within minutes and have to force myself to stay awake.

In the middle of this week I walked upstairs and my ears went fuzzy and my head started spinning, it was really scary because for about 3 minutes my ears went in waves and I could barely hear, like I was under water.

I’ve tried earlier nights but nothing has been helping. I have my own business and it’s affecting my work, being unable to concentrate and missing meetings.

Yesterday I slept for 18 hours throughout the day, it was impossible to wake up I was so drowsy, at one point I thought I was awake and I was talking to my partner about ingredients (?) but I was still asleep and apparently all he could hear was muffles, and it got to a point where my head started waving and it felt like I was falling every time I shut my eyes, this lasted for about 10 minutes.

I awoke at 8pm and went back to sleep at 1am, and this morning couldn’t wake up until 11am and had to literally force myself into a cold shower to wake up.

I managed to get up and ready, have come downstairs and I am so dizzy I feel like I’m going to pass out (I haven’t), and my head feels like there is pressure around my temples.

I’ve not taken any new medication and the medication I do take I have been taking the same for about 8 years now, no changes that I can think of in diet, I do feel dehydrated from all the sleep though.

I’m unsure whether to call 111 because I’m feeling shaky and dizzy but not sure if it would be better to wait it out until Monday for an emergency GP appointment.

But not being able to wake up is scaring me and frustrating me, I don’t want to be sleeping the days away, I physically just cannot wake up no matter how hard I try.

Please if anyone can give me some advice or has experienced this before I would really appreciate it

This!!

I know anaemia sounds minor but my mum was diagnosed at age 21 after needing hospitalisation for 6 weeks. Don't underestimate it.

I really hope you feel better soon and get some answers 🤞🏻

I have pernicious anemia. Many years ago this was fatal. You know when your injections due 😔

I would ask your gp to check your vitamins it sounds like you could be suffering with low B12. Hope you feel better soon x

Sorry about the dickheads, OP. Most of us couldn’t care less when you took paracetamol and just wish you well.

My DH was like you describe for about 6 months before being diagnosed with Diabetes.
Sleeping loads but still fatigued, dizzy constantly but he also had a raging thirst. Don't know if that is a symptom for you though. He also had an elevated white blood cell count

Yes ditto. I am a bit overdue for monitoring blood tests and stopped the supplements in March. Yesterday I slept for 4 hours in the afternoon and went to bed again at 7 pm. It makes me feel so so unwell. @Fingeronthebutton do you have petichiae as well? I originally went to the GO because of that and they were completely unconcerned and I had to push hard for blood tests (because my former HCP thought I might have leukemia).

Former HCp Mother that was meant to be

Did you get sorted?

I felt like that when I was anaemic with early pregnancy

@Headproblems I've been thinking of you. Hope all goes well, it sounds like you've had a rough time.

She called 111. They advised her to go to A&E. She went to A&E who did some tests, told her to see her GP asap and discharged her.

if you can’t be bothered to RTFT at least click on “see all” at the bottom of the OP’s first post 🙄

Exactly
I was playing candy crush and pacing around a&e as I couldn't stay still with pain and needed distracting. I walked in

Cauda equina. Nobody can tell me that's not an emergency

Yes I've had a slot booked through 111, definitely A&E, back in January at midnight with suspected eye shingles. A medical nurse had dismissed me that pm even though I said I'd had tingly pain over my eyebrow, red patches on surrounding skin, pressure on my eyeball and a few days of sore throat plus mild shooting head pains.

That's in Scotland. The 111 clinician had referred me to an OOH emergency doc 20 miles away, after a 15 min chat he rang my local A&E for a time slot. Mind you receptionist seemed a bit surprised, as if it was unusual.

So it does happen for urgent cases (eye shingles/inflammation can affect optic nerve and damage your sight in one eye irreversibly if you don't get antivirals within 72 hours). I had almost daily half hr optometrist checks till shingles rash peaked. Along with strong antivirals soluble tablets.

I once wrote a Facebook status from
my bed in intensive care.

My finger still worked and I had battery.

Do you snore? Sleep apnoea a possibility?
my ex didn’t snore loads loudly , but we eventually found out he had severe sleep apnoea
he was falling asleep whenever he sat still, ven when in middle of a conversation or even eating…like those toddlers who face plant asleep in their hith chair

don’t rule this out if bloods come back negative, get a tracker, set a microphone, check with partner..if you do snore occasionally then get this checked - it’s pretty damaging Heath wise

Symptoms are getting so much worse this evening. My head feels so heavy like someone is stood on my brain and all I’ve managed to do since I woke at 2pm is lay on the sofa and try stay awake. I’ve got palpitations again and I’m so worried about sleeping tonight because I’m scared I’ll miss calling the GP because I can’t wake up. My body just feels so weak and even walking is wearing me out. Sounds like I’m feeling so sorry for myself but I genuinely just know something is really wrong.

Oh bless you OP, it sounds so much like I was when my iron ferritin levels were very low a few years ago (17 when the optimum levels are around 100). Please ask for a full blood count when they are investigating what could be wrong. I hope you get some help from someone v soon 💖

You poor thing - sounds horrible. Your partner needs to call the GP for you whether you're up or not. To be honest it sounds like you need to go back to A&E, at least if things aren't better in a couple of days

Have they tested your thyroid levels? I had similar symptoms years ago and eventually I was diagnosed with a severely underactive thyroid. Hope you get some answers and feel better soon

I really think I'd be calling 111 again and explaining that symptoms are so much worse. They always say if things change to go back.

Although your issues have been diagnosed as chronic, it sounds like you are experiencing acute deterioration. I wonder if you should call the hospital and ask for advice. Did they give you a contact number?

Under active thyroid. I just slept all the time and was dizzy a lot. Had blood tests as my blood pressure sky rocketed. And that was the result.

Ignore all the nay sayers. None of this is right at all and you're not well. I work at the nhs, am not medical but I can tell you that you would not be wasting time going down feeling that your symptoms have worsened. It could end up as an admission so take a packed bag with you just in case.