Monday, April 21, 2008

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


My nurse friend sent this and encouraged m e to
post it and spread the word. I agree.

If everyone can remember something this simple,
we could save some folks. Seriously..

Please read:


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) 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 999/911 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.