Health Tips: Signs of a Stroke

My sister, a nurse, sent this to me. I sent it onto Brad,
and he suggested we put it on the site in the category of health
tips. So now, we offer to share this with you. - gm

Stroke: Remember the First Three Letters, S. T. R.

• 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) ... 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, 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 and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (e.g. It is sunny out today).

  • R - Ask the him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

• If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 999 or 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

• New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue!

  NOTE: Another "sign" of a stroke is this: Ask the person to "stick" out his tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.