Friday, April 07, 2006

Recognizing a stroke

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: 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.

Thanks, Steve Sanders for this information.

8 Comments:

At 10:43 PM, Blogger Rachel said...

Absolutely wonderful information!

 
At 10:28 AM, Blogger Big Dave T said...

Hmmmmm, wonder what medical treatment they give the stroke patient in those first three hours. Wonder if aspirin helps like it does with a heart attack.

 
At 10:47 AM, Blogger Jahn said...

"Ask the person to TALK . to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE(Coherently)"

I dunno... That'd be a challenge for a lot of people I've met, stroke or no. :-)

 
At 11:06 AM, Blogger Polyman2 said...

Great...now I got something else to worry about...thanks L

 
At 12:22 AM, Blogger Michelle said...

Excellent information :o)

 
At 7:45 AM, Blogger Viamarie said...

Thanks for sharing this very important information.

Have a great weekend.

 
At 3:30 PM, Blogger OldLady Of The Hills said...

Thanks so much Lucy! This s really good to know. And thanks for your visit, too!

Hope your Sunday is a Great Day Today!

 
At 1:37 AM, Blogger Jennytc said...

That's an excellent guide. Thanks. I'm going to keep a copy and forwrd it to a few other people too.

 

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