Rockingham
Remembered
Short
Stories II
Stroke Signs
STROKE: Remember The 1st Three
Letters...
During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she
assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call
paramedics) and 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 afternoon. Ingrid's husband called later
saying that his wife had been taken to the hospital and 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 stroke victims 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
three hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke . . .
totally. He said the trick was having a stroke recognized,
diagnosed and then getting the patient medically cared for
within three 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 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, to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE.
(Coherently) (i.e. . . It is sunny out today)


R *Ask him or her 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.