RECOGNISING A STROKE 

During a BBQ someone stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone
that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics). 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 for the rest of the evening.

Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken
to the hospital.   At 6:00pm, Ingrid died. 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 reverse the effects of a stroke. He said the trick was getting a stroke
diagnosed and getting access to the patient within 3 hours.

Remember these 3 steps:

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately,
the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer 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: 

1. *Ask the individual to smile.  Does their smile look normal?

2. *Ask him or her to raise BOTH arms. 

3. *Ask the person to speak a simple sentence (coherently) (eg: "It is sunny
    outside today")  If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call
    an ambulance immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial
weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general
public to learn the three questions. They presented their conclusions at the
American Stroke Association's annual meeting last February. Widespread use
of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke
and prevent brain damage.

A cardiologist says if everyone who reads the above sends it to 10 people,
you can bet that at least one life will be saved.



NOTE: This simplified version of stroke symptoms suggests if a person has
trouble with any or all of the 3 tasks, they should seek medical attention.
It fails to highlight the fact that even if a person can do them, it still
doesn't necessarily mean they are NOT having a stroke.

Symptoms of a stroke in more general terms are:

- Sudden numbness or weakness of 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

Less common symptoms are:

- Sudden nausea, fever and vomiting - distinguished from viral illness by
  the speed of onset (minutes vs. several hours or days)
- Brief loss of consciousness or a period of decreased consciousness (fainting,
  confusion, convulsions or coma)