Heart disease/strokes are the biggest cause of death and disability in the western world yet not many people seem to be aware of how to recognize the (often subtle) symptoms of stroke and the importance of quick follow-up action. There seems to be a widely held view that when someone has a stroke it will be highly obvious and the sufferer will experience significant pain and suffering.
This is not the case!
I suspect that much of the population confuses a stroke with a serious heart attack.
Although subtle, the symptoms of stroke certainly do come on suddenly.
But they could be as insignificant as a little stumble (loss of balance) with or without a fall.
"Oh, I’m OK everyone, I must have tripped – I’m fine thanks. No, no, there’s no need to go to the hospital."
Or a sudden feeling of numbness or weakness in the face, arm or leg. (Particularly on only one side of the body).
Other symptoms include blurred vision (single or both eyes), confusion, difficulty in speaking clearly and/or understanding what’s being said, or even a sudden severe headache.
Not all of these symptoms will occur in a stroke and any that do may go away (and return later).
This is a MAJOR PROBLEM in itself because the symptom(s) initially disappear so people are inclined to ignore them without further thought.
But as you know strokes can be life and death emergencies.
What’s The Time?
If urologists can access and treat a stroke victim within 3 HOURS of the onset of the first symptoms they can minimize and even reverse many of the effects.
So if you suspect symptoms of stroke it’s extremely IMPORTANT to take note of the time they first appear.
That 3 hour window is critical because a clot dissolving drug called Tissue Plasminogen Activator (which can significantly reduce long-term disability for the most common type of stroke - Ischemic stroke ) can only be administered within that time-frame.
Hospitals will usually refuse it after 3 hours due to policy.
So the challenge becomes getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and the patient receiving medical attention all within 3 hours.
Remember 3 Letters - S. T. R – And You May Save A Life!
Putting aside sensible preventative measures against stroke for now, our next biggest concern is that people just don’t know how to identify the signs of a stroke!
This lack of awareness means unnecessary disaster for many. Stroke victims can suffer severe brain damage when people nearby FAIL TO RECOGNIZE the symptoms of a stroke.
So here’s a simple way to help you identify if somebody around you is having a stroke. You need to remember the first three letters of the word stroke – S. T. R.
Ask the person to do 3 things:
S * SMILE
T * TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)
R * RAISE BOTH ARMS at the same time
If he or she has even the slightest amount of trouble doing any ONE of these tasks you or someone must call 911 (or your local emergency number) or get the person to a hospital immediately!
An additional thing you can have the person do is 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.
Remember – S. T. R – you just may SAVE A LIFE - INCLUDING YOUR OWN!
