Friday, May 2, 2008

FYI: STROKE IDENTIFICATION

Here's your Sam's public service announcement. Maybe one of us could save a life, it could happen!

STROKE:
Remember the 1st Three Letters.... S.T.R.

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)
(i.e. It is sunny out today)

R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

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.

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




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