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

Really hope the OP is okay… I keep checking back ☹️

Me too , hope she is ok

Hope you are alright OP and have got some answers xx

@Headproblems Hope you are OK. 💐

5 days it's been, gosh really hope she's OK 💜

Another one here sending best wishes.

Hoping you are okay OP

Been checking everyday, really hope you are ok OP ! Please ignore the negative comments, we are so many on here wishing you well❤

Another lurker here daily: sending you my best Op.
@mnhq can you check in with OP or anything? I appreciate you might not be able to feed back but nice to reach out?

Aww so hoping OP O.K too, poor thing, and to have that response from her mum too, last thing she needed .
Sending hugs OP💐

Hoping op is ok.

Am worried too.

Another who's been following and thinking of you OP. Sending love

Really hope op is getting the help she needs and recovers soon

I keep checking back every few days, hoping for an update.

Not the only one.

Keep checking back to see if OP has posted again. Really do hope she's ok 🤞

let us know op @Headproblems
in time

Any news

Hoping for good news from you, @Headproblems xo 🤗

Hi everyone, I am so sorry for not coming back to this thread. I wanted to update you all, I’ve been avoiding my phone because I’ve just felt so awful. I can’t believe the amount of you who have checked in and for that I am so grateful and so guilty for not updating sooner.

So. I went to A&E and they took me through straight away. Heart rate was 140 but other obs were fine. I asked whether they were going to take bloods. They refused to because they had taken them the night before. I said I really did need a full blood count and they told me they weren’t doing it and to be quiet. I was put on a bed and could barely stay conscious and then I started struggling to breathe, I couldn’t catch my breath at all and my heart was beating so fast. I called for help very breathlessly and they said that if I could call for help I could obviously breathe and walked off. A nurse took me through to the emergency ward and I asked for some pain relief for my head and they forgot to bring me any. I requested again that I have bloods and they refused again. My heart rate wouldn’t come down, they did three ECGs and ended up putting me on a heart monitor over night. The doctor came to see me and I told him my symptoms. He said they already knew I had an infection but that it’s ‘pretty normal’ for me because my white blood cells have been high on every blood test I’ve had over the last few months, so they weren’t going to do anything about it. They then asked if I could be depressed and I said no. Because I’m not. They ended up giving me a CT scan but there was thankfully nothing on my brain. They said there’s nothing they can do and sent me home the next morning.

I feel really silly because it feels like I’m making stuff up but I’m not, nobody was listening. I couldn’t walk properly leaving the hospital because I was so dizzy.

I couldn’t get a doctors appointment because I kept oversleeping and missing the opportunity, whenever I called it was too late and they said I needed to call at 8am for a same day appointment and that they don’t book in advance. I asked if my partner could book for me and they said no it has to be me. They have listened to me finally after explaining I really have struggled to wake up to call, and they’ve booked me in for Monday to speak with the doctor. My head has been hurting all week and I slept from 10pm last night to 2pm today and I’m still exhausted: I haven’t been able to work this week and I’m self-employed and have lost clients as a result.

I haven’t showered in a week and my hair is matted. I just don’t have any energy at all and all I can do is sleep.

I’m hoping the doctor will set things in motion on Monday because I am scared. But at least I know it’s not immediately life threatening.

i do feel silly coming back here because nothing has been done and it makes me feel like I’m overreacting. But I do appreciate all the well wishes and I will update after the doctors on Monday to tell you what they say.

Oh my gosh the treatment (or lack of) by the hospital is shocking! I really really hope that you get some answers tomorrow. Cry, scream or do whatever it takes to get yourself heard. Good luck

It sounds like Covid? I assume you have already tested for that to rule it out.

if you have an infection and your HR is 140 I don’t see how they would send you home without a diagnosis and antibiotics or at least a plan?

When you have tye energy please contact PALS. That treatment is shocking.

No I don’t have Covid I have already tested for that.

they did, so I don’t know…