Episode over Easter that scared the life out of me

That sounds very nasty.

I don’t really have much advice to offer apart from whether it would be possible to stay with one of your family until you know more about what’s happening?

I live on my own after losing my husband 2 years ago but my daughter lives opposite me so is near should I need help.

I would suggest going straight to a and e if you feel unwell. After 3 ambulances called in a week, spending the last day in A and e and finally a frailty ward, my DH was diagnosed with several additional medical issues. His quality of life has improved with treatment.

Oh heavens that doesn't sound good at all - I would suggest initially that you always have someone with you at the moment just in case, and that they know how to put you in a position that will protect your airway etc after calling 999. My daughter had something similar and kept going 'flop bot' as we called it, but we never found out what is was - never been proved to be epilepsy but also it hasn't been proved it wasn't! Fortunately only happened once in the last few years as a response to severe pain ....

You could also get an alarm pendant so if you feel yourself 'going' you can press and they would call your daughter to come and assist. Good luck x

Bobbydog24 I have no new ideas to help but I'm sorry you're so worried and I can understand why - I agree with MadeInYorkshire an alarm pendant would be a good idea. It won't help if you keel over suddenly but if you feel yourself feeling unwell it will allow you to send an alarm so at least someone will know there is a problem. Do you have a friendly neighbour/family nearby who can help you in an emergency?

I think (from my own experience recently) the problems with doctors and hospitals are the same in most places. It's not surprising at the moment that you would be the only patient in the surgery - lots of doctors simply aren't doing face-to-face unless they feel they really need to.

Do make sure you are drinking enough water - dehydration alone can make you feel lightheaded. Hope you get some answers soon.

As I’ve already said, my daughter lives yards away from me and I see her every day and she also texts me regularly. She works from home so is always available. I just feel abandoned and left to stew and my imagination has gone into overdrive. I’ve lost confidence in the NHS. Everyone I speak to feels the same.

That sounds awful bobbydog24 and I really think they should have seen you in A&E and monitored you.
Is it possible that you might need a pacemaker?

I think you need to insist on having a thorough examinationand not wait until something may happen again.

I'm amazed that you were offered a bed on a Covid ward!

Does your local hospital have a Medical Assessment Unit? That might be better than A&E

DH had virtually the same thing happen on December 4th, he collapsed twice, an ambulance came after almost 7 hours, he was admitted and had various tests. He was told that they wanted to try and emulate the attack and that he would have an appointment 'soon'.
In the meantime he is still having dizzy spells on standing, looking up and putting his arms above his head. He also loses sensation in his arm and vision from his right eye.
No-one is interested, I feel we're walking on eggshells.

I absolutely understand your fear of something similar happening again bobbydog24, it’s probably fuelled by the fact that if you don’t know what caused the episode you can’t prevent it happening again. That’s the situation I’m in now.

During my recent medical episode the ambulance was going to be so delayed that my son drove me to hospital instead. The problem with that is there is a lack of immediate triage if you don’t arrive by ambulance. I was fortunate that my husband was able to stay with me and alert staff that I needed a quick response.

I now wear a MedicAlert bracelet so that if a similar incident occurs I can be reassured that the necessary information is (literally) to hand for members of the public to help me.

The possible 'fainting do' on Easter Day- did that happen after a big meal or a glass of wine? Was the room hot with a lot of people in it?

Dear me - what a hopeless service many of you have had. It can hardly be called a service. It makes me very cross .... it is a danger for some things to be left. I hope you will get to the bottom of these fainting attacks.

I have an alarm pendant and find it reassuring as I live on my own. I had several losses of consciousness caused by spasms in my biliary system tweaking my vagus nerve. It was quite disturbing.

bobbydog
If you get to see your doctor anytime soon, can you ask him why he doesn’t do an ECG. Nurses do it at our surgery.

My surgery seems to have reduced their facilities since covid. They used to take blood samples and you could go on their internet site to make appointments and renew prescriptions. Both these facilities are not now available. They definitely do not have an ECG appliance.
My sister, who lives 10 miles from me has all this in her surgery plus she can access her file online so can see any tests she’s had the moment they are received. The ironic thing is my surgery has taken on 2 new GPs making 5 now.

bobbydog24 MzOops has a similar problem, she already has very low blood pressure. Her GP said it was possibly AF and he would organise the monitor and a scan, it took 6 weeks to get the monitor, she still hasn’t had the results ( her GP said that the Consultant would now be dealing with it) and still no sign of a scan.

We can only assume that it isn’t serious, but she has been told if it happens again to call an Ambulance, she would then probably have tests in A &E to find out what the problem is.

Let’s hope it doesn’t happen again, MrOops family has a history of AF and our Granddaughter also has a heart problem, but the NHS on this occasion isn’t doing much, despite weekly phone calls to them.
It’s very scary but she carries in regardless!

Sounds familiar. Did they give you an ecg at the hospital? It could be low heart rate which can cause fainting. You would need a pacemaker. ?

Should the public not be getting together now and complaining/demonstrating about the appalling state of GP services since the pandemic. Everyone I talk to says it’s almost impossible to actually see a GP. Phone appointments are ‘triaged’ by receptionists and I recently blew my top at a receptionist over the phone at being told I would have to ring at 8am the following morning for an appointment when I’d been doing just that for a week - answering machine until 8am and then permanently engaged for two hours. Where does this end ?

Dear me - what a hopeless service many of you have had

Yes, it's dreadful here.
Even if you are admitted into the MAU no-one can see you for hours, nor are there any beds.
Sitting on a hard chair for 25 hours is not ideal.
Especially if they send you home again after that time, saying they have no clue what to do.

Recent actual experiences.

And we thought it was bad enough before the pandemic! Before all this I was seen at the MAU for very high BP, assessed by a consultant and kept in overnight. Sent home in the morning with various cardiac appointments booked. Now we’ve got to hope we are not going to need their services!

Most cases of dizziness like you describe have a fairly simple and non-dangerous cause.

It could be something as simple as panic attacks. When I had panic attacks, I collapsed and lost consciousness briefly. Do you find yourself brathing very quickly and almost panting as you breathe. These are clear signs of panic attack. It means you are over breathing and reducing the carbon dioxide in your blood. Sit down, hold a paper bag over your mouth and breathe back in the air you breathe out.

It could also be this www.nhslanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk/services/physiotherapy/vestibular-physiotherapy/benign-paroxysmal-positional-vertigo-bppv/

Or if you get migraine. It could always be vestibular migraine, which presents as extreme dizziness rather than a headache. I have had migraine for 70 years and in many forms, but my first (and I hope last) attack of vestibular migraine about 10 years ago.

I give all the above information so that you may realise, that dizziness on its own, does not often mean that you have something serious. It is more likely to be one of the abov or something similar..

M0nica so precise again with the information you provide. I second what you have said as it is actually something experienced recently in my family.

The technical term for fainting for no known physical reason is vasovagal syncope. It's short lived and the best thing to do is not to try to stand up too quickly. Blood pressure drops rapidly. The danger is that a fall could be dangerous. It happened to me when I was driving. However, I had a couple of minutes warning and I was able to pull over and stop the car. The warning signs for me were tingling in my hands and my face turning deathly white through lack of oxygen.

Pammie1

Should the public not be getting together now and complaining/demonstrating about the appalling state of GP services since the pandemic. Everyone I talk to says it’s almost impossible to actually see a GP. Phone appointments are ‘triaged’ by receptionists and I recently blew my top at a receptionist over the phone at being told I would have to ring at 8am the following morning for an appointment when I’d been doing just that for a week - answering machine until 8am and then permanently engaged for two hours. Where does this end ?

The pandemic has no doubt been a contributory factor to the state of GP services, but they were in crisis before the pandemic even started. I don't have any solution. I do know that the number of GPs is decreasing and many are coming up to retirement, with too few new ones coming through the system. Maybe talk to GPs and to patient groups, who don't like the "solutions" (eg triaging, telephone appointments, alternatives such as paramedics and practice nurses), which are sometimes wheeled out.

I discovered recently that two of the GPs in my practice now work part-time in a private practice, so you'll be fine if you have the money to jump the queue. A GP friend of mine told me it's quite common for people to be diagnosed in private practice, then return to the NHS to demand prescriptions and/or referrals and further (expensive) treatment, having effectively leap-frogged over other patients. My friend told me that not only is she having to deal with her own patients, but also the often "pushy" patients from private GPs.

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