STROKE WARNING SIGNS

STROKE: Remember The First Three Letters... S. T. R

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) and that she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and gave 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

Read, Learn, and Remember these three little Important Steps. 
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 individual to TALK
                 (to complete a simple sentence coherently.. It is sunny out today.)

     R     Ask the individual to RAISE BOTH ARMS

NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this:
Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue.  If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.  If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. 

To contact the EMS office for information.
830-966-2435

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