How to recognize if someone has had a stroke

furndire

I was sent this in an email I don't know if this is the right place to put this, but hope it will be of use to someone. I have put it in the Silver Savers forum as well
I had no idea of any of the things mentioned ~ but hopefully could save someones life.


"New Sign of a Stroke

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Stick out Your Tongue ....


I'm sending this to every person I have in my address book. PLEASE read it and send it on! It is so important! If it doesn't please you just delete!

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

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. 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/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

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Stick out Your Tongue

NOTE: Ask the person to 'stick' out his/her 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 to10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

And FINALLY: LEARN IT, USE IT, SAVE LIVES!!

Make a copy and post it at your office, make a copy and post it at home. If you entertain outside, make sure there is a copy (laminated) and post it there. Keep your friends alive!

Of course, If you don't like you brother in law and he trips, ignore it!!

calleyw

I think you find the stroke association in the uk use the following four letters

FAST same sort of thing you are suggesting

If you look here they give you links to posters, wallet size cards etc

The quicker you get help with a blockage type stroke the better chance of recover. As they get drugs quicker and less damage is caused. It is rare for anyone who has a stroke not to have some damage.

I know the end results of what a stroke can cause due to my husband having one.

Yours

Calley

furndire

Thanks for the other links. I thought the new sign of a stroke, by asking them to stick their tongue looked as though it could be really helpful.

Strapped

furndire wrote: »

Some don't die.... they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

Some good info, although I thought that the above was a bit tasteless. There is life after stroke - I know several people who have made what seems miraculous recoveries - although as you point out, recovery is generally best if diagnosed immediately.

furndire

It was only an email sent to me ~ I got another one on self help if you have a heart attack. Are they trying to tell me something.:eek:

I agree, that remark was tasteless. That will teach me to skim read ~ I've editted that out, funnily enough had not read it ~ more interested in the facts

This is the one re on your own ~ heart attack. I can't put another link, but if you copy and paste this one should work

http://by112w.bay112.mail.live.com/mail/ScanAttachment.aspx?messageid=9de142e4-a65f-4120-b4f2-35d531d0e941&bissafe=True&attindex=0&cp=20127&attdepth=0

calleyw

Strapped wrote: »

Some good info, although I thought that the above was a bit tasteless. There is life after stroke - I know several people who have made what seems miraculous recoveries - although as you point out, recovery is generally best if diagnosed immediately.

Yes people can, but when you realise it is the third most common cause of death in the uk and is the leading cause of adult disability. You can see that for everyone who makes a full recovery there are many others including my husband who don't.

And until you have lived with it you have no idea what it is like to watch someone go from a normal person with full use of there brain and arms and legs to have walking a stick and only walking a few steps before pain and fatigue cuts in and having non functioning hand.

Don't forget that it is not just adults that have strokes everyone from the baby in the womb up wards can have one.

Yours


Calley

Strapped

I'm sorry to hear about your hubby, calleyw. How long is it since his stroke? Is he still improving or do you think he's reached the end of his recovery progress? My brother in law was unlucky enough to have a really bad stroke, when he was only in his early 40s. No-one thought he would survive (coma for several weeks) let alone recover, but he's come a long way. Unfortunately, as with your hubby, he has been left with a non-functioning hand, which I don't think there is any prospect of improving, but he has learnt to talk and walk again, although yes, it's been a long, hard process. He's still in a Leonard Cheshire home at the moment, but he will (touch wood) be moving back to his own home within the next few months. Naturally, I worry about my own hubby (his brother) in case there's a genetic disposition there...

calleyw

Strapped wrote: »

I'm sorry to hear about your hubby, calleyw. How long is it since his stroke? Is he still improving or do you think he's reached the end of his recovery progress? My brother in law was unlucky enough to have a really bad stroke, when he was only in his early 40s. No-one thought he would survive (coma for several weeks) let alone recover, but he's come a long way. Unfortunately, as with your hubby, he has been left with a non-functioning hand, which I don't think there is any prospect of improving, but he has learnt to talk and walk again, although yes, it's been a long, hard process. He's still in a Leonard Cheshire home at the moment, but he will (touch wood) be moving back to his own home within the next few months. Naturally, I worry about my own hubby (his brother) in case there's a genetic disposition there...

It happened september 2006. He was in hospital for nearly 3 and half months and was only 44. My husband had a bleed on the brain type stroke rather than a blockage. And his was due to another condition that put strain on the blood vessels.

My husband has never had any physio on his hand. But we are not giving up. My husband went on something called conductive education which I believe helped.

If you are worried about your husband then get him booked in with the dr for a checkup get them to check blood pressure etc.

From what I understand you never stop recovering but the progress is so slow that you don't see it. My husband had to learn to walk again. He still knew who I was a about 12 hours after the stroke and could just about talk. He lost his entire left side.

But life goes on you have to get on with it.


All the best for your BIL recovery.


Yours


Calley

kittykat500

I am currently helping to look after my mum in her home after a severe stroke which has left her with no speech or movement in her right side. It's now 5 months on and there has been no improvement. It has been devastating to my sister and I as before this she was an extremely health conscious and fit 76 year old!

I have no way of knowing how long she lay in her bed before I found her one Sunday morning so it was obviously much too late to reverse any of the brain damage. I will definitely send the email onto my address book too, as before this I had never even thought about the possibility of a stroke.

sillyvixen

kittykat500 wrote: »

I have no way of knowing how long she lay in her bed before I found her one Sunday morning so it was obviously much too late to reverse any of the brain damage. I will definitely send the email onto my address book too, as before this I had never even thought about the possibility of a stroke.

i am so sorry to hear about your mum - at least i have the piece of mind of knowing when my mum found my grandad after his stroke there was a half drunk cup of coffee, that was still warm on the table, so he had not been lying there very long. sadly he died a few days later. he had has a good innings of 90 years. the warm coffee has been a comfort to us - at least we know he didn't lie alone suffering for hours!

calleyw

kittykat500 wrote: »

I am currently helping to look after my mum in her home after a severe stroke which has left her with no speech or movement in her right side. It's now 5 months on and there has been no improvement. It has been devastating to my sister and I as before this she was an extremely health conscious and fit 76 year old!

I have no way of knowing how long she lay in her bed before I found her one Sunday morning so it was obviously much too late to reverse any of the brain damage. I will definitely send the email onto my address book too, as before this I had never even thought about the possibility of a stroke.

Sorry to hear about your mum.

Make sure you get all the help you can. And never give up hope. Most recovery happens with in the first three months. But that does not mean there will be no further recovery.

Don't feel guilty there was no way you could have known. My husband was already in hospital when he had his. If he has not been admitted to hospital I dread to to think what would have happened. As he had his stroke at about 2am. If he had been at home he would have been down stairs sleeping on the sofa so not disturb me.

All the best.


Yours


Calley