OT- was it a stroke? FYI

[Guest guest]

Anyone can have a stroke at any time, anywhere. Some common causes of stroke are

medication and undiagnosed high blood pressure. Even " young " people can have a

stroke and there are even unborn babies who have had strokes.

So- I got this in my email inbox today and am passing it on. You just never know

when it might be useful, and it is SO easy. In a message dated 11/16/2005

10:44:28 PM Central Standard Time, jdeaconx4@... writes:

 

During a BBQ a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone

that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) 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 - (at 6:00pm, 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. It only takes a minute to read

this-

Recognizing a Stroke

----- 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 getting to the patient within 3 hours

which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Thank God for the sense to remember the " 3 " steps. Read and Learn! Sometimes

symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of

awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer 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. *Ask the individual to SMILE.

2. *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

3. *Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. . . It is sunny

out today) If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call

9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. After discovering

that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm

weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the

three questions. They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke

Association's annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could

result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.

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.