Stroke Recognition

[Chopstix]

My friend sent this to me and encouraged me to post it and spread the word. I agree. If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks. Seriously.. Please read:


Remember the 3 letters: S.T.R.

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During a BBQ, 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 6:00p m, Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. 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...
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 to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today.)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS .

NOTE : Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.. If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

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.

 

[buckytom]

thanks for this chops.

my dad is a prime target for a stroke. he's had a retinal occlusion that would have been a stroke, if the clot had travelled to his brain rather than his eye.

copying and printing for my family.

 

[mrsmac]

I had this email a while ago and thought it was very interesting and helpful. The other day I actually saw an ad on TV with all the same things which I thought was really good for public awareness.

 

[Barb L.]

stroke

I had a stroke about two years ago- (fine now), it was the most frightening thing-still think about it every day. I was on my laptop and couldn't move my mouse with my right hand ?? had to take my left hand and put it on pause-lol-(didn't want to mess up my game I was playing) --duhhhh Then the whole right side was gone--scary--yelled the best I could for my husband. Went to the hospital- the stoke would come an go every 15-20 mins. I had a blockage that would come and go. Was in hopital for three days, now on alot of medication--especially blood pressure med. which I was never on before! Pretty scary !!! Ya just never know !! I still won't babysit my 2yr. old grandson by myself, in fear of having another----------- the fear doesn't leave me,bummer !!!

 

[Half Baked]

Thank you so much for posting this. One never knows when information like this will be needed.

 

[VeraBlue]

Thank you for posting this, chopstix. My sister had a stroke when she was 28 years old. While I won't go into the details of her medical history, no one expected this. The first sign was confusion. She was going to take a pill, but forgot what to do with it. She put the pill into the glass of water instead of on her tongue and tried to drink it. She also had a soft boiled egg, but didn't remember how to crack it open. My mother instantly called EMS.
They told us if she didn't have another stroke in the next three days, she'd probably survive. That was 13 years ago and my sister is doing fine.
She had to learn to read and write again, and that was very painful to watch. She had a newborn, premature infant to care for, as well. It's times like those that you realize where your strength comes from....from within.

Again, thanks for posting this.

 

[Katie H]

Thanks, C'stix, I have also seen this but it bears repeating. You get a gold star in your crown because you certainly have shared it with far more than 10 people.

 

[TexanFrench]

Thanks for the info. My DH had a stroke 4 years ago--they said if he had been 15 minutes later in getting to the hospital, he would have died. He was injected with the "3 hour" drug right on the end of the 3 hour limit. Thank goodness! Today he is living a normal life... but it almost didn't happen.

 

[shpj4]

This is a really good thing to post because we are all not aware of certain ailments and having this info can be really helpful.

Thanks again.