How To Recognize A Stroke
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. 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 getting to the patient within 3 hours which
is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps. Read and Learn! Sometimes
symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.
Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may
suffer 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:
1. Ask the individual to SMILE.
2. Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
3. Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. . . It is
sunny out today)
If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 911
immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. After discovering that
a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness
and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three
questions. They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association's
annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt
diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.
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.
BE A FRIEND AND SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH AS MANY FRIENDS AS POSSIBLE, you could
save their lives.