A Publlic Service Announcement Re: Strokes

[Cooper]

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

 

 

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number 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.

 

 

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

[doitb4ugo]

Thanks Coop. That makes it pretty easy to identify and possibly save a life....

[Diverdan]

Thanks, Coop... I intend to pass it on to family and friends. I have never seen it put so clearly and simply.

[Luv2play]

I wish it were as simple as this message makes it appear. Of course I agree that when a person suffers a stroke early action by others close to them is critical. But it isn't as simple as that.

 

I know from personal experience from strokes that have happened to family members. We are going through this right now with a niece of mine that had a stroke in August last year. She was only 38. She started experiencing a terrific headache, something worse that she had ever had (she had suffered from migraines). Her husband insisted on taking her to the hospital and she was admitted to emergency. As she was being given a scan, she suffered a stroke. She was rushed to surgery and it was discovered she had had a cerebral hemorrhage.

 

Five months on she is in a second rehab facility, having spent almost 2 months in ICU at a hospital where she suffered complications from brain swelling and infection. She is walking now with assistance and can speak and function partially. But, and this is big, she has short term memory problems and these may be permanent. I have talked with her on the phone and while she can carry a converstion, her husband at her side has to prompt her about what just happened in the last day or two. I asked her on her birthday if her brother had visited and she said "yes". Then she corrected herself at her husband's urging saying well no, he was coming the next day.

 

Doctors have told the family she may never be able to work again (she was an administrator in a large teaching hospital where she suffered the stroke, which is a bit ironic). Doctors say the stroke was brought on by a massive spike in her blood pressure when she was in the emergency room but they can't account for why it happened.

 

I am simple recounting this tale because it is not a simple situation and three letters STR may not be of much help. If you look at the statistics, which I have since my nieces's stroke, only a very small minority fully recover from a stroke. A larger minority regain some functions but live as handicapped for the rest of their lives. Many die or are severely handicapped as in being totally paralysed and speechless. This latter happened to my godmother years ago and she lived another 5 years lying in a hospital bed like that.

 

The best advice I have is to take care of your health, watch your blood pressure and cholestoral levels, and refrain from smoking and other risk factors as much as you can. Unfortunately, genes play a role and you may be susceptible because of your family history. I know I am and so I watch my health and try to lead a healthy lifestyle.

[+ glutes]

L2P, you are right, it is not all that simple.

That said, with the simple signs that Brother Cooper has posted, it may help some. That is the point.