Know these warning signs of stroke
Awareness of stroke symptoms can mean the difference
between life and death. Help us get the word out
about what to watch for, because when someone is having a stroke, every
second counts. Treatment is available - if stroke is recognized in
time.
Here's what to watch for:
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg,
especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or
coordination
- Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
Identify a stroke in progress
To
identify a stroke, check for
the telltale signs of facial weakness, arm
weakness and speech problems.
As a bystander, you can help to determine if someone
is having a stroke by asking them to perform three simple actions:
- Ask the person to smile.
- Ask the person to raise both arms above his or
her head.
- Ask the person to speak a simple sentence.
If the person has any problems completing these steps,
call 911 immediately and describe these symptoms.
Act immediately in an emergency
Educate your friends and loved ones that stroke symptoms
may go away and return. Also, not every sign occurs with every
stroke. Anyone experiencing any of these symptoms should get help
immediately!
Likewise anyone observing one or more of these symptoms
in another should call 9-1-1 and get them to a hospital! Denial is
common, so expect resistance, but don't take "no" for an
answer.
Stroke is a medical emergency. Warn people to
please, please, please, NOT try to diagnose the problem themselves.
And to NOT wait to see if the symptoms vanish on their own. Even if
the symptoms pass quickly, they could be an important warning requiring
prompt medical attention.
Prepare for a possible emergency
Though you hope stroke will never touch your life, it
pays to be prepared.
If you are fortunate, these
precautions will never be needed. Still, they provide valuable peace
of mind.
For more information about
stroke, call The American Stroke Association at 1-888-4-STROKE. |
