Reply
Mon 27 Mar, 2006 11:00 am
STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters
STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During a BBQ, Ingrid stumbled and took a little fall. She assured everyone that she was fine and that she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. Her friends offered to call paramedics, but Ingrid said she was fine. Her friends 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 during the night telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital. At 6:00 pm, Ingrid died. She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would had lived.
Some stroke sufferers don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead. A neurologist said that if he can treat a stroke victim within three hours of the event, he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke. He said the important factor was recognizing a stroke, getting it rapidly diagnosed, and getting medical care for the patient within three hours.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Remember the 3 steps, STR .
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. 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. Look to see if part of the face appears paralyzed.
T Ask the person to TALK . to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE. Does the person speak coherently, for example, It is sunny out today. Are the words slurred? Ask the person to stick out their tongue. If the tongue is crooked, if it goes to one side or the other as if paralyzed, that is also an indication of a stroke.
R Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS. Look for any signs of paralysis.
If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately, describe the symptoms to the dispatcher and request an ambulance immediately.
Because a Transient ischaemic attack (TIA) (which is unprofessionally said 'a mini-stroke') can't be recognised easily and might be as dangerous, it's always better, IMHO, to call the emrgency and not to wait if in doubt about your own medical expertise.
Walter
Walter Hinteler wrote:Because a Transient ischaemic attack (TIA) (which is unprofessionally said 'a mini-stroke') can't be recognised easily and might be as dangerous, it's always better, IMHO, to call the emrgency and not to wait if in doubt about your own medical expertise.
You are correct!
But too often, people don't know what any type of stroke looks like and just brush it off. Perhaps the signs I noted will cause them to seek medical diagnosis rather than to ignore the incident.
BBB
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace