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| Signs of a Stroke (1054931) | |||
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Signs of a Stroke |
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Posted by Charles G on Thu Apr 14 06:57:22 2011 I read with sadness of the passing of Doctor B, and noticed in the thread that he had a stroke a few months ago. I don't know any details of Doctor B's medical situation or his care, but wanted to take the opportunity to remind everyone to know the signs of a stroke.A few years back, my wife (then around 40 -- though she'd tell you 29) had a stroke. It was only luck that her incident occurred in the evening when we were awake and that I had some vague recollection of the symptoms of a stroke -- so I was able to realize that something was really wrong and called an ambulance despite her protests that it was just a bad headache. As it turns out -- a stroke detected and treated in the first 60 minutes can have no lingering effects. Indeed, after 48 hours in the ICU and 3 more days in the hospital my wife was able to walk out of the hospital on her own two feet and had no lingering issues that couldn't be addressed with a few months of outpatient therapy. With all that in mind, I thought it would be a good idea if I shared with everyone the signs that you (or someone around you) is having a stroke -- as well as a few things that you can ask someone to help make the determination. Obviously, if you're unsure -- call an ambulance right away! With strokes, every minute counts. Signs that someone is having a stroke 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 What you should do if you suspect someone is showing some of the above symptoms 1. Ask them to smile. Does one side of their face droop? 2. Ask them to raise both their arms over their head. Do they have trouble lifting one of the arms? 3. Ask them to speak a simple phrase. Is their speech slurred or hard to understand? If any of the three tests are failed, get an ambulance ASAP! I wish all of you a lifetime of never having to the need to use the above information. CG |
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