STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters...
My wife 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:
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 6:00pm, 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 9-1-1 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.
Posted by toddkelley at February 1, 2006 05:33 PM
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My granddad had a stroke. First signs of it was he kept complaining of a headache.
Posted by: ady at February 1, 2006 05:55 PM
That real talk Big Todd. Everyone needs to remember this and hopefully all of us can save a loved ones life if this ever happans. I'm about to grab this info and email all my friends and family so they know whats' up.
Posted by: Doc Rob at February 6, 2006 01:49 PM
Yes, this is totally true. And I’ll add a few other things they should have mentioned!
Any one part of our brain dictates what happens on the opposite side of our body. The picture showed a clot in the left vessel, so the right side would reveal the symptom of damage: right side of the face might sag, or right hand droop, etc. When a person has a true stroke, one side or the other (both sides if damage is widespread or multifocused) shows weakness or paralysis. That is why the 3 pointers work, they show inequality in the two sides. The smile will be crooked because one side of the facial muscles do not work, or an eye might droop, the tongue cannot move correctly, the person may not be able to swallow well, or speak properly. The leg or foot might drag or feel weak, the arm or hand cannot function, the person might squeeze your hands and one side will be much weaker than the other, one side of the vision might be affected, etc. All because one side of the brain caused a problem to the other side of the body….and it shows something is wrong.
What the article did not say was that sometimes people get a little warning….kinda like a little earthquake before the Big One. They are called Transient (means comes and goes) Ischemic (blocks blood flow) Attack, or TIA. They are little, they cause a fleeting symptom, they do not cause permanent damage. MOST PEOPLE IGNORE THEM BECAUSE THEY GO AWAY. The lady in the story probably had a TIA when she stumbled. Maybe it caused a little momentary weakness or paralysis. That is the warning the body is giving; that is the warning that most people ignore. Because it passes! There may be a blood clot in a vessel, but it is not totally blocking the vessel, blood is going around it, or maybe the vessel spasms. But it does not cut off blood to the rest of the tissue, so no permanent damage occurs…..YET. This happened to your Gram’ma, she had a TIA, caused her slight paresis, Gram’pa called 911, they took her to the hospital, she stayed fleetingly, he saw her get better because the TIA passed, they wanted to keep her and put her on clot busters, he took her home AMA after 5 hours, and 2 days later she had a major stroke with permanent damage. It happens all the time!!!! Clot busters are anything that can minimize the clot. It is recommended that if a person even ‘thinks’ they had a TIA or stroke, they take aspirin as it is a blood thinner! Just pop 2 aspirins (unless there is an allergy), it may save a life! Truly! Older people should carry 2 aspirins with them! Then when the person gets to the ER, they give enzymes that bust the clot like streptokinase or urokinase, etc. A lot of times, paramedics will give aspirin in their van if the people can swallow.
So, what I would add to that story is this: If a person or observer sees an inequality in the feeling or movement of one side or the other, even if the symptoms are fleeting, as they cause a weakness but then that clears, pop a couple aspirin (unless you are allergic to aspirin) and head for the hospital. Do not ignore the TIA. The consequences of the “Earth Quake” that may follow can be horrible.
Posted by: sk at April 11, 2006 07:48 AM
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