Stroke
Signs
Reference,
Snopes: http://www.snopes.com/medical/disease/stroke.asp
This one appears to be true but it
certainly didn't help my mother. She got to the hospital and received
treatment well within the 3 hour limit but she ended up severely
incapacitated and died shortly after.
Forwarding this every time it comes
around simply creates more Internet congestion. This may include
important facts but it also bears the earmarks of others adding to it
over the years (first collected 2004) and has become a collection of
fact and fiction.
The original
article was published 2/18/2003 but nowhere in the email is
that fact or link published. Even then, "the
results, though positive, arose from a very small study."
Again, think about what happened with my mother.
You and
anyone you are thinking of sending this on to would be better served
by simply sending the snopes link referenced above.
[Added 20080823]
The original article links have been
deleted from the American Heart website and replaced with information
at HeartHub
for Patients and Learn
to Recognize a Stroke.
Stroke is a medical emergency. Know
these warning signs of stroke and teach them to others. Every second
counts:
Sudden numbness or weakness of the
face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking
or understanding
Sudden trouble seeing in one or
both eyes
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness,
loss of balance or coordination
Sudden, severe headache with no
known cause
Call 9-1-1 immediately if you
experience symptoms! Time lost is brain lost!
The "sanitized" email I
received is shown below:
STROKE: Remember The
1st Three Letters.... S.T.R.
My nurse friend sent this and encouraged me to post it and
spread the word. I agree. If everyone can remember something this
simple, we could save some folks.
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.