[CVRC] Blood Clots & Stroke - Worth the seconds to read

[Dick Flanagan]

From: "Kent Johnson" <w7aor at narri.org>

This may save a life or prevent a helpless, hopeless condition 
associated with a stroke.

STROKE: Remember the 1st Three Letters....S.T.R.

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

Story related to me: "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

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.

Remember the '3' steps, STR 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 emergency 
number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke -------- "Stick out Your Tongue".
Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', 
if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.
--
Dick Flanagan K7VC
dick at k7vc.com