Strokes. It could happen to you

[mike A]

STROKE  IDENTIFICATION:
During  a party, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured  everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) she  said she just tripped  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 6:00pm,  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...

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  ASTROKE
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 toSMILE .
T *Ask the person  toTALK , toSPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE  (Coherently: It is sunny out today.)
R *Ask him or her  toRAISE 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 emergency  services immediately and describe the symptoms. This is URGENT  

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.  

[cef]

  Great information and guidance there Mike.  I didn't know 'how simple' it can be to at least identify, the possibility of a stroke.

[puma]

get your blood pressure checked
i had a TIA 6yrs back my blood pressure was sky high it is kept under control now with tablets but i still have to go regularly to the docs to get checked out

[Karennina]

Hi Puma
I found your post interesting as I too was told 6 years ago that I could have had a tia, I was taken to hospital and had various tests done, all of which came back clear.I had to see my gp who eventually
diagonsed panic attacks. I have never found out to this day what actually happens when you have a tia and it has always been in the back of my mind did I have one or not.
Would you mind telling me wether you actually went unconscious or not when it happened to you, and wether you have had another one in the 6 years since.
I would be really grateful for a reply that is of course if you dont mind Puma
Regards
Karen

[puma]

karen i was at work when i got a numbness in my left arm and double vision and working in a hospital i went to occy health and they sent me to a/e after being prodded with needles and asked can you feel that
( i could not feel anything and they were sharp needles)and asked how many fingers i could see they admitted  me for 2 days of tests etc the doctor told me to take 1/2 aspirin but i am allergic,the other tablets were too expensive they said so they sent me home
i did not go unconscious and have been OK since the doc told me it was a wake-up call,and to not get stressted and the usual talking too

[heather07]

Taken from Nhs Site

Transient ischaemic attackSymptomsSevere symptoms of transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs) usually last less than 30 minutes and all symptoms disappear completely within 24 hours. If symptoms last more than 24 hours, then it is classed as a full stroke.

Symptoms may include:

weakness or numbness on one side of the body,vertigo (dizziness),feeling faint,confusion,slurring of speech,difficulties with swallowing,loss of the understanding of the meaning of words or the names of objects,memory problems, andtemporary loss of consciousness.Another common symptom of a TIA is amaurosis fugax. This is a temporary loss of vision, usually for a few seconds or minutes, caused by interference to the blood supply to parts of your brain or eye. It is painless and may occur several times during a TIA.

If you suspect that either you or someone else is having a stroke, you should seek medical attention immediately. Call 999 and ask for an ambulance.

Recognising a TIA in other people

The Stroke Association recommends using the face-arm-speech-test (FAST) to help you recognise the symptoms of a TIA and stroke in other people. This is a simple test that can help you find out if someone has had a TIA or stroke:

Face - can the person smile, or has their mouth or eye drooped?Arm - can the person raise both arms?Speech - can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?If the person has failed any of these tests, they may be having a full stroke. You should call 999 and ask for an ambulance.

If a person has failed any of the above tests, but severe symptoms clear up quickly, they have probably had a transient ischaemic attack (TIA). They will need to see their GP as soon as possible.

[Karennina]

Hi Puma, thanks for that info I think maybe it was not a TIA I was only kept in for 6 hrs although was told to take aspirin as well!
And thanks Heather for your info on TIAs made for interesting reading, alot of people I know have not even heard of them.
Good health to you both, without that we have nothing.
Karen

[Linda1953]

I take enteric coated aspirin just to be on the safe side.
Linda

[chewyturk]

Hope i'll never need to know this - but damn good post.

[scot]

chewturk i will agree with you.