For Lindy!
STROKE: Remember The 1st Three
Letters...
S.T.R. (Smile, Talk, Raise)
A 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 lives. Seriously.. Please read:
STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured
everyone that she was fine ( they offered to call paramedics) and that 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,
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 6:00 pm, Ingrid passed away.) 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. 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, S.T. R. . 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 .
(If the smile is lopsided, a stroke is likely to have occured.)
T
*
Ask
the person
to TALK to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE
(If the speech is slurred, a stroke is likely to have occured.)
(Coherently) (i.e. . . It is sunny out today)
R *
Ask him or her
to RAISE
BOTH ARMS .
(If he or she cannot raise one arm, a stroke is likely to have occured.)
*NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out
their tongue! If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the
other, that is also an indication of a stroke. If he or she has
trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe
the symptoms to the dispatcher.
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.