During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall -- she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) and that 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.
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 . PLEASE 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 .... ie SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (such as . . . "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 your emergency number immediately !! ... and describe the symptoms to the operator .
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Tue Aug 14, 2007 4:33 pm