what is a stroke

[billbo]

How do I identify one

[venator]

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



GO TO

http://www.strokeasso...08528_SubHomePage.jsp

[grasscarp]

A stroke is a clot or a bleed in the brain. It can cause paralysis and speech problems among other things, and can range from very mild symptoms to very severe. The current check list is given the name FAST.

FAST requires an assessment of three specific symptoms of stroke.

Facial weakness - can the person smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped?

Arm weakness - can the person raise both arms?

Speech problems - can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?

If person has any of these problems then call 999 or get them quickly to hospital for assessment.

[boxtops]

Strokes also manifest in different ways - my neighbour lost the feeling in her legs with a spinal stroke.

Have a look here for the FAST campaign if you suspect someone is having a stroke http://www.stroke.org...areness/act_fast.html

[grasscarp]

sorry I left out the T bit of FAST
Time to call 999

[237SJ]

Our medical manual used to call it Cerebral Vascular Accident. Basically an interruption to the blood supply to the brain caused by a bleed or blood clot. Symptoms could be one or a few of many - slurred speach, weakness or paralysis on one side of the body, drooping face, possible fixed or dilated pupils. There is a lot of info on the internet as there has been a campaign recently to highlight awareness of stroke.

[RATTER15]

Dont forget the TIA. http://stroke.about.c...whatisatia/a/TIAs.htm

[old-wos-is-name]

Hi,
i had a TIA, no warning, just watching telly one sunday night, and then no feeling down one side, totally paralysed. lasted 20 minutes, went to hospital in an ambulance, let me out after 4 hours.was unwell and tired for a month after.
just recently spoken to a lady who had a tia, but not quite. she had tingling in Her fingers ( which i had AFTER the the TIA) and She was taken into hospital and given drugs, as they thought a TIA was imminent, and they stopped it from happening.

[Carakeel]

Such important information to remember, please read this!
You can Save someone's life by sharing this.

STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters... S.T..R ...
My friend sent this to me ...and encouraged me to post it and spread the word. I agree. If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks.

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During a party, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine and just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. (they offered to call ambulance)

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

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

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

Remember the '3' steps, STR . 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 * = TALK. Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (eg 'It is sunny out today').
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS .

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call the ambulance and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

NOTE : Another 'sign' of a stroke is
1. Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue.
2. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.

A prominent cardiologist says if everyone who gets this status shares it; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.......

[boxtops]

The new one is FAST

Face
Arms
Speech
Telephone 999

[stokemaveric]

i think that all the information here is invaluable...

[maplestar]

Sounds silly but failing to remember what all the letters stand for, if you notice something like slurred speech, appearing drunk, weakness etc simply ask the person to stick their tongue out, if they can't get them help as soon as possible.