simple signs of a stroke. Thought I would pass this information along. Please do your part and send it on. You may be the one whose life is saved. STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Steps 20 March 2006 Someone 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 person 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.?
mmm... dunno about the story, and whether it's true, but those steps to help recognize if someone is having a stroke or not is indeed true. http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/s/stroke-test.htm
Good advice michelle, thanks for sharing! STR is easy to remember and it could help someone so thanks for sharing the info. I know all about this as I have had family members who have had strokes. Also, almost 7 yrs ago, I was admitted to hospital with a suspected stroke. I was at work when my fingers and toes suddenly went numb on one side, and then my arm and leg, neck, cheek - all down my left side. It was so numb it was actually painful. I felt fine otherwise but had some trouble speaking fluently. I saw my dr straighaway within the hour and she told me to go to A & E immediately, but i didn't. I went home to get showered first and wait for my (ex) fiance to come home from work to take me there. When i got there and they asked me when it started they ticked me off for not going straightaway lol. They said about the 3 hour rule and by then it had gotten much worse and I was in a panic. They kept me there for 2 days doing tests and said it WAS a stroke, then another dr said it wasn't, then they argued about it, then they finally diagnosed hemiplegic migraine. It took 2 weeks for the numbness to go away and for the use of my arm to return as it was also weakened - i was dropping things and had no function in it. That 3 hour rule is so important, and if someone recognises these symptoms in someone, it could be a lifesaver, literally.
Of course hehehe. You thought that too? ROFL, that was my first thought when i saw STR. Easy to remember.
