Important Stroke Info

[MIKEMCKEE]

STROKE: Remember the 1st Three Letters....S.T.R.


STROKE IDENTIFICATION

It only takes a minute to read this...

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR ... Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S *Ask the individual to SMILE.


T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)
(i.e. It is sunny out today)


R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue

NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue.. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

[MIKEMCKEE]

Additional Stroke Info

Another version uses the acronym "FAST":

If you think someone may be having a stroke, act F.A.S.T. and do this simple test:

FACE: Ask the person to smile.
Does one side of the face droop?

ARMS: Ask the person to raise both arms.
Does one arm drift downward?

SPEECH: Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence.
Are the words slurred? Can he/she repeat the sentence correctly?

TIME: If the person shows any of these symptoms, time is important.
Call 911 or get to the hospital fast. Brain cells are dying.

Classic Stroke Symptoms:
* sudden paralysis or numbness of the face, arm, or leg (usually on only one side of the body)
* sudden loss of speech or trouble understanding speech or confusion
* sudden loss of vision (often in one eye only) or double vision
* sudden dizziness or loss of balance or coordination
* sudden severe and unusual headache (often described as "the worst headache of my life" that starts suddenly) with no known cause

[sailingdog]

From the CDC.gov website:



Print it and keep it in your wallet if you have problems remembering the warning signs.

[SimonV]

This sounds like me on a Friday Night, the last one is a Saturday
* sudden paralysis or numbness of the face, arm, or leg (usually on only one side of the body)
* sudden loss of speech or trouble understanding speech or confusion
* sudden loss of vision (often in one eye only) or double vision
* sudden dizziness or loss of balance or coordination
* sudden severe and unusual headache (often described as "the worst headache of my life" that starts suddenly) with no known cause.

Now being serious, TIME is the big factor, my Dad got help Quick and only lost some periforal vision in his right eye

[sailingdog]

Simon should probably cut back on his alcohol consumption...

Originally Posted by SimonV

This sounds like me on a Friday Night, the last one is a Saturday
* sudden paralysis or numbness of the face, arm, or leg (usually on only one side of the body)
* sudden loss of speech or trouble understanding speech or confusion
* sudden loss of vision (often in one eye only) or double vision
* sudden dizziness or loss of balance or coordination
* sudden severe and unusual headache (often described as "the worst headache of my life" that starts suddenly) with no known cause.

Now being serious, TIME is the big factor, my Dad got help Quick and only lost some periforal vision in his right eye

[farmboy]

Mike and Dog, thanks for posting.

[chucklesR]

Been there, had two strokes. October 29th 2003 and October 15th 2007.

First one left it's mark because I didn't know what was going on. Took me 4 months of rehab to get back to work, should have taken longer but for some silly reason people identify one with what they do, and I was doing nothing.

Second one I recognized for what it was fast and I had med's via I.V. at the specialized stroke clinic fast enough that although it left a detectable damage area in my brain it had no lasting, measurable effects.


Pay attention folks, strokes not only suck, they suck for the ones who have to change your diapers after wards.

I'd rather die than live a physical, or worse, mental cripple.

[sailingdog]

Farmboy--

Glad to help.

Chuckles--

words of wisdom from a first-hand survivor.