How To Recognise A Stroke

[Jimmy the blue]

This e-mail was sent to me today from the Cardio-thoracic centre, its worth a read

 

 

 

 

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

 

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

During a party, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine and just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. (they offered to call ambulance)

 

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid ' s husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00pm , Ingrid passed away.)

She had suffered a stroke at the party . Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today.

 

 

Some don ' t die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead. It only takes a minute to read this...

 

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

 

 

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

 

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 * = TALK. Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (eg '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 the ambulance and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

 

NOTE : Another ' sign ' of a stroke is

1. Ask the person to ' stick ' out their tongue.

2. If the tongue is ' crooked ' , if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke..

 

A prominent 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.

 

 

and it could be your own..

 

 

PASS THIS ONE..

[dark]

I've seen that one before, really worth a read. A stroke is to do with your brain, so the best way is to get the patient to do things that would involve the brain working hard.

 

Signs of Stroke

 

With stroke, arteries to the brain become blocked or rupture, causing brain tissue to die. Symptoms include:

 

* Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially if it occurs on one side of the body

* Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or understanding speech

* Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes, or double vision

* Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or coordination

* Sudden severe headache with no known cause

* Drowsiness, nausea, or vomiting

 

If such symptoms appear, "Don't wait. Call 911 immediately," says Kyra Becker, MD, a stroke neurologist at the University of Washington Stroke Center at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. "Every single minute counts. With each passing minute, more and more brain cells die." In other words, "Time is brain."

 

In some cases, a stroke is so incapacitating that a family member or bystander must call for help. Margo Warren, a spokeswoman for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, says, "Sometimes, the person having the stroke is the last to know what's happening."

 

^Worth a read too.

[Louis]

Sadly I know from experience.