Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Recognizing a Stroke

Neurologists say that if they can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours they can totally reverse the effects of a stroke... totally .

The key is getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

THREE SIMPLE WAYS TO HEP YOU RECOGNIZE A STROKE ---

STR

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 (like 'It is sunny out today') coherently.

R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

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

One new Sign of a Stroke to add to the above:

'Stick out Your Tongue' * Ask the person to 'stick' out her/his tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other , that is also an indication of a stroke.

PLEASE SHARE THIS IMPORTANT MESSAGE!

1 comment:

Trice said...

Thanks for putting this up. It is invaluable. Time is of the essence. I have an aunt in a wheelchair because she had a stroke and was on the floor for 4 hrs.