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

Could be many things, needs checking for definite diagnosis including thyroid problems

Episodes like this were the first sign of my underactive thyroid and severe anemia. I would look in that direction with your GP. Perhaps also B12 as PP suggested.

In fact a full well woman type appointment is what I would go for, my GP does them around the time of your birthday. Like a full in depth health screen, but you can ask for one anytime.

This!!!

I hope you get some answers soon. At least they're doing tests.

A and E for sure. Any new severe drowsiness should be immediately checked out.

we recently had a little boy who had been asleep 4 days before he came in!

donr let it get like that.

That sounds terrifying OP hope you’re ok.

I’d check your blood sugar first thing. HBAC1 too.

Out of interest OP why have you not seen the GP about this before? It’s gotten progressively worse over the last few months and yes I would be worried with the level of drowsiness you’re describing. This is an example of when you need to be proactive with your health tbh.

Hope you get some answers.

This sounds like could be symptoms of ME

I hope your ok and get some answers soon..

How are you getting on OP?

Are you quite thirsty? Ask them if they can check calcium and parathyroid hormone in blood tests. Could be symptoms of high calcium caused by a rogue gland - hyperparathyroidism. The high heart rate, the extreme sleepiness etc. are all symptoms.

Honestly, this does sound like migraines. Migraines aren't all just pain. I have chronic migraines and they aren't painful at all, but they are still disabling.

Look up vestibular migraines and see what you think.

I immediately thought carbon monoxide poisoning . Check for gas leaks. If there is a leak I would go to a and e immediately

If no leak, 111 and see what they advise

A&E wait times are about 6 hours here so having a time slot would be much quicker

It's not just for life threatening emergencies

That's not to say lots of people go unnecessarily of course, my friend who works in A&E says they get a lot of people with coughs and temperatures

It will 100% be the OOH GP - coming from someone who worked in this environment for several years. As said up thread , A&E do not book appointments as you are seen based on clinical need.

However, often the 111 call handlers say they've booked you 'in' at A&E - this may be because it stops people insisting they need A&e rather than a GP or just lazy shorthand.

@Dustyourselfoff

They haven’t “booked you a slot” OP

Odd to state this so confidently as if you know better than OP what she was told.

Many A&E departments now have slots for patients triaged through 111. Ours does. It's not unusual at all.

I do love it when people on here are so confident yet do wrong

Me too. Show me any evidence that an emergency dept has bookable appointments?

The problem with this is a&e shouldn't be a convenient way to get basic health care as it costs significantly more then a gp visit and shouldn't be encouraged for minor ailments. It's stuff like this why the nhs waste so much money. A&E should be for accidents and emergencies. Gps should be for everything else Monday to Friday and ooh and urgent care should cover weekend and evening non emergencies. A lot of the problem is people are encouraged to ring 111 and the tell pretty much everyone to go to a&e or worse try to send ambulances out unnecessarily, it's frustrating to see because where going to lose the nhs due to the constant misuse of it

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/urgent-and-emergency-care-services/when-to-go-to-ae/

About half way down the page

Don't know if it's been suggested as not RFT but I get like that when I have vestibular migraines. It's an ear based migraine rather than visual. Very scary 1st time. Feel dizzy, sound is muffled like underwater, vertigo and unsteady. They last for days and sometimes weeks.

@Greengold123

Show me any evidence that an emergency dept has bookable appointments?

Sure:

https://www.healthwatch.co.uk/blog/2021-03-09/nhs-111-first-making-difference

From 1 December 2020, the NHS has introduced a new system called NHS 111 First.

This means that NHS 111 can now book you an appointment at your local A&E or get you an urgent appointment at an alternative health service.

The NHS 111 First campaign encourages people to call NHS 111 before going to emergency departments.

Those who did use NHS 111 First and had a time slot booked for them at A&E were highly likely to rate their experience as very good, suggesting that that the new system is working when people are given the option.

However, awareness of the new service is low. 80% of our polling respondents were not aware that NHS 111 could reserve time slots at GPs and 73% were not aware they could reserve time slots at A&E.

Only on MN could someone quote a source that clearly proves they are wrong 🤣

It literally says its not an appointment 🤷‍♀️

I didn't say it was an appointment. You did.