HOW TO RECOGNIZE A STROKE

STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters...

One of my listeners sent this to me and encouraged me to read it on the air to help spread the word. If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks.

Here’s a short example of what can happen…

During a BBQ, a woman named Ingrid, stumbled and took a little fall – although her friends offered to call the paramedics, she assured everyone that she was fine 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 – that evening 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.

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.

HOW DO WE RECOGNIZE A STROKE?

Just remember those first three letters of the word.. STR .

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:

1. S *Ask the individual to SMILE.
2. T *Ask the person to TALK . to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. . . It is sunny out today)
3. R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

And here’s another one. Ask them 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.

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