Stroke Idenfication - please please read this!

[Quasar]

I have posted this also in the Arns, but please do accept this post here also.

This is the text of an email I received from a friend:


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. Seriously..

Please read:

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.

New Sign of a Stroke ------- Stick out Your Tongue

NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: 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.


A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this
e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that
at least one life will be saved.

[Ted_Hutchinson]

Snope's Urban Legends take on this email. (http://www.snopes.com/medical/disease/stroke.asp)

[Quasar]

Thanks for that Ted. However I have heard long ago that stroke victims are unable to perform the simple tasks outlined above, when asked. So.... :confused:

[cazziebo]

If you read through the page on that link, then it contradicts itself and says there is some value in the three tests.

I believe it's also true that the sooner a stroke victim receives medical attention, the better the chance of recovery so for that info alone the information is valuable.

thanks OP,

[sillyvixen]

i took my grandfather into a&e several time both in my car and following an ambulance i knew he was having tia's (i trained as a nurse- but it was not for me) i got the feeling i was wasting their time. i was supposed to be taking my grandfather round to my parents after church for sunday lunch, i phoned to say i was on my way but no reply..i called in to my mums house to explain problem and collect keys..we found him collapsed and unconcious!! after 10 days on the he died without regaining conciousness - i knew he was having mini strokes his dr and A&E felt i was wasting time .. its not the post that creates problrms it is the system that does not believe relatives stories and recolections of events!!

[Nile]

Hello Quasar:T

Thanks for posting this thread. I have been at the bedside of a relative who was rushed into hospital after a suspected stroke. The patient was surrounded by doctors and one of the initial tests was asking the patient to raise both his arms.;)

If your thread helps only one person to get their friend/partner/family member to hospital urgently...................you'll have potentially helped a stroke patient to get the essential urgent treatment they need.

My relative was lucky, he was rushed by ambulance into hospital........thanks to his spouse and the guidance of NHS Direct...............and he's made a good recovery.

Kind Regards

Nile

[zebidee1]

My Father had several strokes.

He took a turn in the middle of a city centre one Saturday afternoon and slid down a wall as he was disorientated. He sat on the pavement for a while, most people passed him, they assumed he was drunk. A couple did stop but because he was slurring his words and not making sense, they too thought he was drunk.

A young man stopped, phoned for an ambulance and stayed with him until it came.

It was a stroke Dad had had and things would have been worse if he had been left on the pavement much longer.

I know there's a fine line between knowing when to interfere and when to leave well alone....but at least if you interfere and are wrong, that's better than the alternative.

[sillyvixen]

.

I know there's a fine line between knowing when to interfere and when to leave well alone....but at least if you interfere and are wrong, that's better than the alternative.

very fine line!! but if you interfer it should be taken seriously

[Nile]

As well as being asked to raise both his arms, (the right arm just flopped back down again)..............the patients' legs were also tested.

The doctors asked the patient to lift his left leg (the good leg;) ) and place the heel of the left leg on the shin of the right leg and move it up and down the leg................no problem.

When the patient was asked to repeat the test using his right leg............he could barely lift it up.;)

Another test he was asked to perform was to touch his nose with a finger of his (bad) right hand............he couldn't do it.;)

These are some of the tests I remember witnessing, which confirmed that the patients' right side was affected by a stroke.

[nappentass]

http://www.stroke.org.uk/campaigns/current_campaigns/stroke_is_a_medical_emergency/act_fast.html

My mother died after a stoke many years ago, it wasn't her first
We had a series of 'heavy breathing' phone calls at work that we dismissed as a crank - I found out much later that actually my mother had a strokeand was trying to get my help, but she couldn't speak and couldn't understand what was happening, she told me this after she had recovered from that stroke and had re-learned how to communicate (she wasn't paralysed in one side) - perhaps if I'd have known about this I might have realised and been able to get help to her sooner.
Even if it helps one other person then it's worth spreading the word.

J

[johnroberts07]

My Mum got taken to hospital, as she had been found on a bench looking dazed in the shopping centre. The Hospital said it was sunstroke and sent her home. The next day she had a massive stroke. and died after 3 weeks in hospital. The "sunstroke" was a stroke, and she may have lived if they had diagnosed it.

[mr_rush]

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 .

I'm sorry but this is not correct at all. 3 hours is the window is which thrombolysis is effective for ischaemic strokes. i.e. the patient needs to be in hospital within 3 hours of onset of symptoms and be ready for a CT scan of the head. In SOME HOSPITALS they have thrombolysis - drugs given intravenously to break up the blood clot in the vessel supplying a part of the brain. Most hospitals do not offer thrombolysis, even where it is offered sometimes it is only during daytime hours. Also, there are huge number of contraindications to thrombolysis. Certain strokes - where there is a bleed (haemorrhage) vs clot (ischaemic) are not amenable to thrombolysis. Finally just because a person with an ischaemic stroke presenting within 3 hours of onset of symptoms goes to have thrombolysis, it is no guarantee of success.

HOWEVER, the tests outlined in the email circular are valid and a good screening tool and if someone does have such symptoms then they should be brought to A&E.

Finally, Ted continue to spout rubbish.

[Valley's girl]

My mam went for a quintuple bypass surgery on thursday had the 6 hour op on the friday she was kept ventilited (sp) until late friday evening. Went to see her on saturday afternoon she was taken up to coronary care which was only 23 hours after this major surgery she was sitting in a chair and in my opinion it was to soon.
Sunday morning I rang the hospital to be told by the nurse that my mam had had a vague episode when I got to the hospital she was back in UCI and I was told she has suffered a massive stroke. We were told that the next 24 hours are critical. I have been told that it will be a long hard road to recovery
My mam has never smoked never drank alcohol and eats healthy, she weighs only seven and a half stone we were told previously that it was an inherited condition, prior to this she was very active, I just feel so sad that this has happened, my mam had no warning.
Sorry I am feeling pretty down at the moment and just wanted to vent.
Ally x

[mary43]

This information is well worth printing out I think and passing on to as many people as possible.

My mother suffered a really bad stroke 4 years ago...........luckily her neighbour found her.............he just happened to be checking she was ok before he locked up himself. Following 6 months in hospital she's now in a care home where she is well looked after but from being an active and seemingly healthy woman -never smoked, drank the odd glass of wine at christmas, walked a lot etc. - she became immobile with just her right hand with movement, totally dependant on someone else for everything. She has done well though sadly is now deteriating at the age of 86.
I knew little if nothing about this kind of illness till my mother had it -just goes to show it can happen to anyone at anytime and the more aware we are to recognise it and deal with it the better.
Thanks for that information.

[prestonlass]

Thanks for that OP. I know that are lots of whys, wherefores, what-ifs and so many people have so many different experiences but I like to think that whilst this sort of info may not cover every example and eventuality - it is now tucked away in my mind and who knows, one day it may just make that all important difference - many thanks

[ka7e]

The Stroke Association states on their website
The Face Arm Speech Test (FAST) has been developed as a stroke identification instrument. The test assesses 3 neurological signs of stroke:

· facial weakness
· arm weakness
· speech disturbance


My daughter was also taught this as part of an advanced First Aid course. Asking a suspected stroke victim to poke out their tongue was another valid indicator.

+ ((Hugs)) to Ally, wishing her Mum well.

[takoo]

Hi Quasar

A newspaper report stated that research has shown that stoke victims who listen to their favorite music being played tend to recover more quickly than those who don't.

Takoo

[Quasar]

Hi Quasar

A newspaper report stated that research has shown that stoke victims who listen to their favorite music being played tend to recover more quickly than those who don't.

Takoo


Thanks Takoo. That is of particular interest to me because I know that listening to music one loves, activates large areas of the brain. In n fact I read long ago that playing baroque music (Vivaldi, Bach) helps in studying. I don't know what the scientific rationale behind this idea is, but there is no denying that baroque music has a calming and "collecting" effect - at least on me...