(this is a passed on e-mail I received, I didn't write the story)
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 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 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 911 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.
(See Marty's comment for another acronym that can help you remember)
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5 comments:
Wow, that's scary. Good to know things like this.
Or you can think "FAST"
Face- See ifone side droops or is numb
Arms- Ask to person to hold up both arms and note if one side is lower than the other
Speech- Ask the person to say something and see if they have difficulty
Time- Once you realize the person is probably suffering from a stroke, note the time symptoms were observed. Medications for Stroke victims are timed almost to the minute.
I'm actually a certified CPR/First Aid/Lay Responder Instructor for the Red Cross (seriously). FAST seems a little easier to remember than STR.
The problem in your story is that the woman didn't know she had a stroke and no one around her knew either, from what I can tell. My father had a stroke and hasn't been well ever since. I know it's awful.
I just passed this on from an e-mail message. The point is that even something as innocuous as tripping might need more investigating, these people obviously must have noticed something other than just a trip; had they immediately checked with this little test, instead of brushing it aside, she may have been saved.
Now that I'm almost 50, two more weeks, I'm going to tell Mocha-momma to not take little things for granted when it comes to my physical condition. (except for prostrate stuff, that we can leave to the professionals)
OK, I see what you mean. Here I am again so soon. Do you think maybe I need to get a life?
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