Recognizing A Killer In Our Midst

During a BBQ, a woman 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, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Jane's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital (at 6:00 PM Jane passed away). She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Jane 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. 

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.

Doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S *Ask the individual to SMILE. Lookout for mouth drooping or crookedness on both sides of the face.

T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently, i.e. Chicken Soup). Listen to be sure the person speaks sharply and doesn't drawl or slur the words.

R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS. 

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, seek medical attention immediately. Another 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.

Cover image via Raghavgakha.com