Recognizing a Stroke when you see one!

MrBishop

Well-Known Member
During a 'Barbeque' a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured
everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) and just
tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. 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 6:00 pm, Ingrid passed away). She had suffered a stroke at the 'Barbeque' - had they known how to identify the
signs of a stroke perhaps Ingrid would be with us today.

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 an getting to the patient within 3 hours which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Remember the "3" steps. Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.
Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer 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:

1. *Ask the individual to SMILE.

2. *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

3. *Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) ( i.e. . . It is sunny out today). If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call emergency immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify
facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions. They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.

 
American Heart Assocaition
Stroke is a medical emergency. Know these warning signs of stroke and teach them to others. Every second counts:
  • Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
  • Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
  • Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
  • Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
  • Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

American Stroke Association
 
the real tricky part for most people is when the symptoms resolve in a short period of time. these are called TIA or Transient Ischemic Attacks. some people refer to them as baby strokes. these can be precursors to a major stroke and the person needs to be seen by a doctor.
these events are similar to the fleeting chest pains that can become major heart attacks. in fact both MI's and CVA's are caused by similar problems, blocked blood vessels.

you didnt really think i was going to let this thread go by without putting my $0.02 in, now did you? ;)
 
We were at a dinner once and one of the ladies there had a stroke. She was fine one minute, the next she wasn't moving. It happened suddenly. She was paralized on one side. We called the ambulance right away. Very scary!
 
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