Stroke Introduction
STROKE:
Remember the 1st Three Letters.... S. T. R.
SITUATION:
During a BBQ, a woman stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics).
She said 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, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.
Jane's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Jane passed away.)
She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ.
Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Jane would be with us today.
Some don't die.
They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.
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
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.
Ask three simple questions:
- S: Ask the individual to SMILE.
- T: Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE
(i.e. It is sunny out today.) - R: Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
4th Symptom: Ask him or her to "Stick out Your Tongue". If the tongue is 'crooked', (goes to one side or the other), that is also an indication of a stroke.
