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

See response above. Quite clearly is not an appointment

No one has said it's an appointment. We've all quite clearly said it's a time slot to arrive at reception.

Glad you are being looked after, correct decision to go.

I think that poster is more determined to 'win' than to acknowledge what people have actually said on the thread!

Hopefully at least other people are now aware that booking in a time slot is a service available via 111 if they deem appropriate.

Small wins can always be found

Hey op, how did you get on? Just asking as a friend of mine had similar symptoms.

Our A&E and Urgent care centres (major city) now operate an appointment only system - you ring 111 for triage and they book you an appointment at a specific unit for a specific time. If you turn up without an appointment you remain in a ancillary waiting room with a phone to call 111 before you are left in. If you are bleeding heavily, not breathing or unconscious there's obviously different rules!

Okkk well you responded to me asking for evidence that A&E booked appointments with a link that clearly states A&E don't book appointments but sure.....

Argumentative you are

This is exactly what an and e is for, you sound very unwell, if you’d gone to a GP they’d have sent you to an and e as well. I’m a nurse.

hope you get answers soon x

do you take adhd meds because this is what I feel like when I don’t take them and lately there have been batches of pills that just don’t work:

@Headproblems my hospital (northwest) book you a slot if needed. I ended up there myself last weekend - terribly poor planning on my part with it being both the weekend and a bank holiday, must save being seriously ill for a less busy time. Mine was a DKA due to gestational diabetes, my symptoms were similar to yours - tachycardia, couldn’t wake up, led to being sick then very sick. Ended up on a drip with anti sickness and insulin. Hope they have some answers and you feel better soon x

Hope you’re ok OP and getting some reassurance.

You'd be shocked, but they can book a slot. It is a separate service in some hospitals where you turn up at a particular time and are beign seen straight away. I did that over the phone for me once as they thought I may have appendicitis. I turned up and they sent me to a particular place, I was nto waiting with everyone else.

111 can book a slot at a hospital if they consider it urgent enough. As above, sometimes it's a different team doing these than A&E. A hospital in Essex I once had to go had a separate reception/waiting area for patients sent via 111.

Goodness me the arguing on here is childish. Poor OP I hope you are ok. My dad went to A&E last month and yes they booked him a slot too and even a specific doctor. He was seen to almost immediately and kept in as his condition ended up being life threatening. So yes they can be booked a slot depending on the severity of their condition.

Slots are fairly normal where I live!

anyway op I hope u r ok and get some answers

111 call handlers aren't triage drs or nurses they follow an algorithm which you can do yourself on their website. All I'm saying is iv been given appointments for ooh and urgent care but not a&e as in an emergency situation why would I wait for an appointment to go

I've had slots booked in before. Op hope everything is all good x

I always slag of my local hospital but it sounds amazing in comparison. If you go to a&e you get triage and bloods straight away and are seen in priority order which means nobody is left waiting who needs to be seen urgently. If its something minor you get sent to the other waiting room which is either ooh or urgent care or you can get appointments with ooh or urgent care through 111. They also have a separate children's a&e.

A few of those on here are so petty and busy body-ish that it's actually made me giggle a bit. Grown adults arguing over whether A&E have booked time slots or trying to police others on not going to A&E on weekends or bank holidays, madness! 😂

Have no idea what this could be OP but I hope you get some answers and sent home soon x