AIBU to go to a&e

[Zd24]

Posting for traffic but basically I have been unwell for 4 months, in September I started feeling “dizzy” out of the blue, when I say dizzy I don’t mean spinning, I struggled to explain it to doctors at first. There is 2 ways I would describe the “dizziness” one is being on a boat like when you feel a boat move, it will feel like that for a split second, stop and then after it will happen again, only when I’m outside walking. Another way I could explain it is I’ll just be walking and all of a sudden it feels like the ground has moved beneath my feet for a split second, I went to the gp in September as I had this along with ear pain, doctor said could be labyrinthitis but my ears looked fine and said he didn’t know what it was and to come back if it contuined, I went back to the gp 3 times more within 3 weeks, by the end of the 3 weeks I ended up with a really bad sinus infection so the gp gave me antibiotics and put all my symptoms down to a viral infection turned bacterial. Dizziness eventually went away and then it started again mid October, sinus infection most of the symptoms resolved however I was still having green smelling discharge coming out of my nose every morning so it never fully went away even after course of antibiotics. I’ve been like this since mid October, dizziness some days is better some days worse, I had a viral illness last month and it ended with a severe sinus infection, I went to the pharmacy and had more antibiotics which I finished, but this time the symptoms haven’t got better, on the left side mainly I have pain and popping feelings in my ear, pain around my face where my sinuses are, constant green smelling discharge and a bad smell in my nose even after finishing the antibiotics, I went to the gp yesterday and explained all this and the “dizziness” she said she things it was acute sinusitis now chronic sinusitis, she looked in my nose and said the left side had congestion and most of the pain when touching my face and ear pain is on my left side. She said the next step will be to try steroid nasal spray, I started that yesterday and feel even worse, I had a really bad tension headache last night in the sides of my head, felt ok this morning and dizziness seemed a bit better, but after taking the spray this morning I have so much pressure in my face and loads of green smelling discharge coming out and ear pain, my mum things the spray is starting to work and the infection is coming out but I’m not sure ? Just been in Lidl with my 14 month old and i haven’t felt that “dizzy” before, I have so much pressure in my head and got back into the car and burst into tears, I’ve been dizzy for 4 months and now it’s got worse. I don’t know what to do, it’s genuinely ruining my life, I’m so depressed because of it and I’m scared there is something more that’s wrong or worse.

I’m feeling like I should go to hospital now as no one seems to be taking it seriously, I’ve got pain behind the back of my eyes since this morning and my face hurts to touch, my ears keep hurting and popping and as I said the dizziness has got worse since starting the spray, this can’t be normal how I’m feeling. Would I be unreasonable to go to a&e ? I am really worried this is something serious.

if anyone has been through something like this can you please give me any positive stories or advice? I thought for a long time the dizzziness was stress and anxiety but it’s not just making me physically ill it’s also making me mentally ill, it’s triggered severe panic attacks which I’ve never suffered with.

I just feel so “full” inside my head, nose and ears. I just don’t want to leave it and something bad happening. Honestly don’t know what to do.

Pain behind eyes is bog standard for sinus infection.

Do you have any red flag symptoms e.g.:

• you have severe difficulty breathing – for example, you struggle to speak without pausing, gasping or choking
• your lips or skin are turning very pale, blue or grey – on brown or black skin this is easier to see on the palms of your hands
• you feel more drowsy than usual or find it more difficult to wake up
• you have cold, clammy and pale or mottled skin – on brown or black skin this is easier to see on the palms of your hands
• you have a rash that does not fade when a glass is rolled over it, or looks like bruising or bleeding under the skin

If you have red flag symptoms you should go straight to A&E. if you’re not sure try a pharmacy or 111.

I do feel for you op but you need to chase GP or call 111.
Why on earth isn't your husband home ? You should not be looking after the kids alone if driving whilst feeling so poorly or dizzy.

To the posters saying not to go to A&E for this please note that while it may not be necessary in many cases. In som cases such as infection for so long that isn't resolved by antibiotics may become an emergency so in some instances a&e would be needed

It is difficult to know at what stage this would be over internet chat room

As a complete aside - how do you cope on ferries and aeroplanes with this?

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to go and be seen if the pain in your head is unbearable or you start being sick with the pressure. It’s possible for sinus infection to spread into your brain and be a serious illness that needs immediate treatment. You sound like you’ve had a partially treated infection for a while now. I would go back to gp
as an emergency in first instance today but low threshold to go to ED if needed.

Which is why many of us have suggested 111.

They will triage appropriately and it's far more sensible than showing up at A&E at this point.

I don't see any reason whatsover why OP wouldn't call 111 in the first instance.

I can see a netipot has already been suggested. I've not used one of these but you can buy an aerosol thingy to clean your sinuses out from pharmacy which is the same thing.

The woman in the pharmacy recommended it when I was feeling like you... fed up with dizziness and popping ears. It really was getting me down.

I was really sceptical but desperate so bought everything she suggested. This was the thing that made the difference though... the gunk that came out my sinuses was unbelievable.

Definitely keep pursuing it with your GP, I had ongoing ear issues with vertigo for years, I have ended up with deafness and tinnitus as a result. The dizziness is the worst thing, A&E will only do something if you can't stop being sick. They will give you an antiemetic. If your sinusitis doesn't clear with the nasal spray you can be referred to and ENT for a surgical procedure to clear the infection. If it doesn't start to get better definitely push for a referral as the infection can start to damage the bone. The only at home things to do in the meantime are heat packs, rinsing out sinuses, travel sickness tablets and the other thing I find helped was hay fever tablets specifically cetrizine hydrochloride. You can also get betahistine on prescription. Reduce salt and caffeine in your diet. All these things take time to work though, it's not a quick fix unfortunately.

First time I had sinusitis I wondered what the hell was happening. So dizzy and exhausted. Knelt down to pick up my toddler, couldn’t stand up.
Things I found helped were :
Otrivine nose drops. You can get a spray, I found the drops worked better.
Tomato tea. Sounds gross but works every time. 3/4 fill a mug with tomato juice from a carton. Add 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice ( bottled is fine) 2 cloves of crushed garlic and a teaspoon of Tabasco or other hot sauce. Heat and drink. You can also add a piece of crushed ginger. Drink 2 mugs 2 hours apart.
Steam. Lots and lots of steam. Steam your head over a bowl of boiling hot water, stand in the shower, steam up the bathroom. Keep doing one of these every hour at least.

Also cut out dairy.

@Mostlyoblivious not very well!

I've struggled with what I thought was motion sickness for years but it is part of the Vestibular Migraine.

On planes when they take off and then do that tilt it really knocks me about. I used to feel atrocious for days after landing and thought I was just a bit odd!

I rarely fly now as the sensation is horrible. On trains or in cars I have some glasses that are supposed to help keep the horizon line straight but i tend to shut my eyes out some headphones on and just hope I get to where we are going quickly!

Look up bppv it's an inner ear vertigo issue

This sounds miserable OP - and frightening for you.

Of course you want to escalate your treatment - because you feel worse rather than better. Clearly something needs doing.

Going to A&E might seem like the next step but it isn't.

Going to A&E for an 'upgrade in care' would be like getting unsuccessful dental treatment and then heading to the opticians for the next step. (It is easier to get an optician's appointment and they both work with heads!)

You do need to go back to your GP (urgently now because you are in pain and because the infection could be getting worse). Show them that the treatment is not helping - and how bad things are -so that they can take you on to the next stage.

They know your details and what you have tried and what you haven't - and where to send you next if an escalation is required.

(Perhaps hospital will be required - but probably not the accident and emergency dept. )

Wishing you well!

Call 111 or chase your GP. I get why you feel like going to A+E, but you will be seen by another general clinician who is highly likely to find anything your GP has missed. You need a specialist ENT, or possibly hearing and balance referral which A+E won't do. I can't see an A+E doing anymore than checking for current infections, prescribing anti-biotics if there is one, and recommending you go back to your GP for a ENT referral if symptoms persist. I feel sorry for you, and I see why you feel like going to A+E, but I don't think there's anything that a A+E doctor would do anything more than your GP will do as they are as unlikely to be specialist ENT doctors as your GP is.

Has your gp sent off a referral for ent specialist?

My mums had somthing similar and turned out she needs a mini operation at the top of her nose . It was causing constant sinus infections /vertigo.
She has felt awful for several months

The dizziness feeling that you're describing sounds like vertigo linked to sinus congestion. It is absolutely not an A&E matter even though it feels very scary. I have had this for years and am used to the pitching & yawing of the vertigo but it is distressing. Infection between the nose, throat, sinuses and ears can run rampant as they're all linked by tubes so infections can run rife if not treated correctly. Have you tried Sudafed tablets or similar? They can lower the pressure on sinuses but the vertigo can be difficult to treat as it's caused by the fine hairs in your ears swaying in a random movement rather than moving together in one direction - it's a bit like seaweed being pushed about by tides. I am surprised that none of the medical professionals have mentioned vertigo to you as it can be a bugger to get rid of if it's left for long periods. There are medications to take if vertigo is a regular occurrence but no 'cure' for it as far as I know - mine comes and goes at random but I'm allergic to the treatments so just manage as best I can. GP's on the whole are very dismissive of vertigo and sinuses and the distress it causes.

As an aside I did once about 15 years ago have similar symptoms of extreme dizziness and off balance! My GP diagnosed an infection in the organ of balance, which was successfully treated with about 14 days of antibiotics. I doubt whether that's what you have, but the symptoms, minus any discharge from ears or nose, sound very similar.

A&E isn't somewhere you go for final recourse, thinking someone will HAVE to treat you to resolution. They will listen to your symptoms when they've triaged you (you won't be the most urgent case they have to deal with), but on the basis of what you say (sounds like a bog standard sinus infection to me), they'll just send you back to your GP after hours of waiting around.

Sinusitis can be extremely painful, and if it drags on it can really have a negative impact on your wellbeing. But, steroids and antibiotics are the solution. You also need to clear out your nasal passage: as soon as you do, the dizziness/motion sickness will go. Use the netipot.

Keep going back to the GP and persist with the antibiotics (I get a tapering course of steroids, antibiotics aren't recommended in the country I live in).

Were you breastfeeding and has your period just come back recently? I had dizziness, nausea and silent migraines when my period came back with both children. It hung around for 6 months each time (I'm currently going through the second bout of it and it's getting less). Apparently hormonal imbalances can affect your ear which can affect balance / dizziness etc.
If you think it could be this, maybe see about getting a hormone check .

Its certainly not an emergency, and its not an accident, so do not waster vital services at A & E.

Sinus's and the fluid in them can affect balance/feelings of dizziness - and yes if its a long running chronic infection then it can continue a long time.

If symptoms of infection are worsening - then I would seek further help (not necessarily a&e but possibly).

However if it is just the dizziness is not yet improving, but no other signs of worsening infection (ie fever, swelling in the affected area...) then no, you'll just sit for a bloody long time feeling awful, in a place where you're likely to catch something else.

i had an awful bout of it last year and eventually with some very brave (and painful) nose blowing, shifted what looked like half a pint of utterly disgusting grot out of my face (nose was not significantly blocked at any point, where this shit came from I dread to think!). Instantly felt a million times better and the dizziness went.

It sounds awful OP. I'm so sorry that you feel so unwell. Keep seeing the GP and using the spray, I'm afraid A&E isn't the place for treating this and also, you'd probably be stuck there for a very long time waiting to be told this by triage.

I've suffered with bouts of sinusitis over the years and can share a few things that have helped me. They might be helpful, or not. I suspect that some of these will have been mentioned already but haven't had time to fully read the thread, sorry.

-Supplements to aid your immune system - in particular I take a high dose of Vitamin D (on doctors orders) and Vitamin C with Zinc. I usually take a multivitamin too, I know it seems like overkill but your reserves are depleted with a chronic illness.

-Massage around your ears, particularly the one on the blocked side. Put two fingers inside your ear, your thumb behind and gently but firmly pull your ear behind and out, for 30 seconds (time it). Then do a wavy massage using 2-3 fingers from behind your ear down your neck, about 20 times.

-Chew gum with an exaggerated motion on the blocked side.

-The Epley Manoeuvre is great if you're experiencing vertigo so worth a go, and easy to do. Bear in mind it might not be the cause of your dizziness though.

There are other things like warm saltwater sinus rinses and nasal balloons (eg Otovent) which have helped but only when things are starting to clear so I wouldn't bother with those to start with. Best of luck

If you go to A&E you'll be there for hours and hours and I don't think they'll be able to do anything for you other than refer you back to your GP.

You'll probably end up with flu or Covid after attending A&E too. I had to be with someone in A&E in December and oh my gosh the level of coughing, sneezing and snotting from all around. It was grim. I put a mask on but most people didn't.

It doesn't seem to me that this is a severe emergency but you do need some medical help. 111 or an emergency GP appointment is my suggestion and a mask if you go anywhere medical to be seen.

Please do try some travel sickness tablets, as if it is labyrythitis, this is the only thing that will help. But otherwise 111 for advice and they might make you an OOO gp apmt rather than an and e.

This is a lifesaver for me, even when I just have a virus. I used to spend weeks congested and feeling like shit even with just a cold, but since I started sinus rinsing when I'm ill I recover so much quicker.

It's a horrible feeling and can be painful but my god it's satisfying!

I wonder whether the pain today for OP is an indication that the spray is actually starting to get to the issue? Got to get worse before it gets better kind of thing?

If you have a really bad sinus infection, it really is going to be painful as it clears.

I suffer from bouts of Vertigo, which was originally misdiagnosed as Labyrinthitis by my GP. A sinus infection can definitely cause either, and is awful, so you have my sympathy. It does sound as if the steroid nasal spray may be starting to work, so I would give it a few more days. It's not something you should be taking to A&E, especially considering they are completely overwhelmed at the moment. My GP told me that Travel Sickness pills can help to stop the dizziness - it doesn't always work though. Don't tell the pharmacist you want the pills for your dizziness though, as they will refuse to sell them to you!! Unfortunately, Labyrinthitis episodes can last months in some cases. If you don't feel the spray is working, go back to see your GP.