Wednesday, November 3, 2010

HOW TO RECOGNIZE A STROKE

Thank God for the sense to remember the new '4' steps: S-T-R-T.
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 four simple questions:

S *Ask  the individual to SMILE.
T *Ask  the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently - i.e. It is sunny out  today.)
R *Ask  the person to RAISE BOTH ARMS. If  he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number immediately  and describe the symptoms to the  dispatcher.

T *Ask  the person to STICK OUT TONGUEIf the tongue  is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other,  that is also an indication of a  stroke.

Here's A Story For You To Remember By:

During a BBQ, a friend  stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call  paramedics). She said she had 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 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.

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.

I want to thank Linda Masson for sending this to me.  My family is prone to strokes and I'm a prime candidate, so if you all are having a BBQ with me, please rush me to the hospital if I so much as stick my tongue out at you!

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