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One of the many public service announcements brought to by the
friendly folks
at Seewald's art gallery. Don't forget to help an artist out with a small,
or large donation: donation f o r m.
How to recognize a stroke:
As my dad had a stroke recently (doing well, answered prayer) I thought I'd
help folks
in recognizing a stroke victim early. I found this info on a fishing
message board I'm part of and I'm only too glad to pass it on.
My wife and
I believe in helping our fellow man.
Blessings,
Michael Seewald
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 an 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.
The medical warning signs are said to be:
- 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.
One thing I also heard is that if you give them an aspirin right away this
will help them immensely too, so do this on the way to the hospital. But
the main thing is get them to the hospital right away as there is a drug that,
if administered within the first three hours, can completely stop the adverse
effects a stroke would cause, including death or permanent brain damage.
And it is important laypeople learn to recognize such events, because a new
drug has been shown to limit disability from strokes caused by clots (ischemic)
provided victims receive it within three hours of the onset of stroke symptoms.
Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is a clot-busting drug administered
intravenously in cases of ischemic stroke; however, only one in fifty stroke
patients has a chance of this drug helping them because currently only 2 percent
of them reach an emergency room in time (those first three hours) for tPA to be
given.
This has been a public service announcement by a caring
artist. If you would like to help
in the efforts to supply the public with art and announcements such as this,
just click on the 'donate' tab above and make a small contribution.
Thanks, MS
For more detailed info with links see:
http://www.snopes.com/medical/disease/stroke.asp
One of the many public service announcements brought to by the
friendly folks
at Seewald's art gallery. Don't forget to help an artist out with a small,
or large donation: donation f o r m.
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