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

My daughter has been very similar and just diagnosed with Coeliac disease?

Hope you’re ok OP. It sounds really scary.

Covid/long covid?

I hope you don't have to wait too long for answers and treatment

Hopefully you are getting the relevant investigations done tonight and get some answers. Wishing you a speedy recovery OP.

Hope you’re doing okay

Have you been in an accident and had a whiplash? My son was the sandwich in an rtc and had a whiplash effect on his neck which tipped forward. He spent most of his time asleep and was desperately thirsty all of the time. He saw a chiropractor who had to put his neck back into position. The A&E doctor took his neck support off, poked his neck and said that there was nothing wrong with him. No x-ray, no examination, no nothing! The next day the chiro took x-rays and showed us the damage to his neck......

This was one of my thoughts I have long covid and it pretty much describes me

@Ionlydrinkondaysendinginy Yep as I mentioned on my earlier post chronic headaches and sleepiness and dizziness were my biggies that signalled the start of it- I got neuro stuff too though pins and needles and weak legs. It's an absolute belter of an illness-

Hope you’ve had some answers

Glad you are being looked at OP. It could be all sorts of things, perhaps a type of severe anaemia or thyroid issue.

It's awful isn't it, it affects everything I'm now under care of a neurologist, cardiologist, heamotology and respiratory iv had to cut my hours at work significantly as I need to sleep so much to be able to even function. My life is completely different to how it was before. I honestly wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. My drs just keep saying it's such a new illness and they don't fully understand it yet and their doing trials but it all takes time. Which I understand but it also means you know your not gonna get your quality of life back any time soon.

Hope all is ok OP

Sounds like Low iron and or b12 deficiency -
take some iron supplements - I found the liquid iron to work the quickest. Spatone is good too

You did the right thing — called 111, they said go to hospital. Our local one has two departments and in one you get a time slot.
Check you have a carbon monoxide alarm though and that it is working.
Hope youre sorted soon.

I'm glad you are at A&E and being taken seriously.

I wonder if they will do blood tests for iron - your symptoms remind me of when I had low iron levels. I now take B vits, iron and magnesium and am better.

GP asap

Your partner is as much use as a chocolate teapot.

Hope you're doing ok and hanging in there, OP. Same thing happened to me in 2021 with the sudden fatigue and crazy heart rate. Turned out it was long covid, which I still have to manage. The high heart rate could be POTS (postural tachycardia syndrome), and unfortunately it's a diagnosis often missed by doctors, so do mention it if you have the opportunity.

I sincerely hope it isn't some kind of post-viral issue (have you had covid, or another virus recently?), but if it is, you can still recover and learn to manage it. Keep us updated.

Just seen you're in a&e hope you're ok.
Sister had same symptom with type 1 diabetes but also extreme weight loss and vision was blurry.

Could be many things so at least you're in the right place to get an answer.
Xx

Covid?

Long covid possibly but doesn't sound like pots. I have pots maybe ist but I would say it's likely anemia/b12/thyroid as its been slowly getting worse over several months. The problem is a&e won't do the full range of bloods op needs so she gonna have to go to gp anyway. Could also be diabetes, hopefully she gets some answers soon

The gp is the nhs btw

We're not supposed to just turn up, you have to phone and be told whether it's A&E worthy, minor injuries unit (when open), OOH GP, or phone advice. Just that bit can take three or four hours.

I assume if it was, say, stroke symptoms, they wouldn't turn you away and tell you to go phone. There's lots of things that need to be seen in a hospital that aren't life threatening though.

Have you banged yoir head recently? It might be a concussion