What's causing this?

[peppaisapig]

Recently I keep having really bad dizzy spells where I feel really faint and need to sit down. I go very clammy and feel cold, sick and extremely light headed. I can barely keep my eyes open whilst it happens. It lasts between 5-10 minutes and afterwards I keep yawning and my head feels cold inside. This has happened out of the blue now for a few months. Sometimes it happens when I'm anxious and sometimes for no reason at all. I don't know what could be causing it.

Low blood sugar?

You need to see your GP and they would hopefully refer you to a cardiologist for investigation.

It's possibly due to hyperventilation at times when you are feeling anxious, but any doctor who would dismiss light-headed spells without sending you for a cardiology once-over would be pretty foolhardy.

It really could be any number of non-worrying things but possibly something more serious. My FIL for example had several light-headed episodes, with one collapse, and was investigated by cardiology. He had an abnormal heart rhythm called complete heart block which meant the chambers of his heart were beating completely out of sync and too slowly for enough oxygen to get to his brain when he exerted himself. He needed a pacemaker as a matter of urgency.

You could possibly be anaemic, or rarely there are some conditions where blood sugar levels drop dangerously low. Ideally you want to be able to test your blood sugar at the time you are experiencing an episode.

Bottom line is, please see your GP tomorrow as an emergency and push for investigation. It's warranted. Imagine if you had a more severe episode at the wheel of your car and lost consciousness?

I hope you get an answer soon.