Stroke identification

[Esther]

Blood Clots/Stroke

They Now Have a Fourth Indicator, the Tongue

STROKE:Remember the 1st Three Letters....S.T.R.

If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks....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). 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, 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, 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 *Ask the person to TALK and speak a simple sentence coherently (i.e. 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 emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue

NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his/her 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.

[Tina]

http://www.snopes.com/medical/disease/stroke.asp

[RandyWayne]

It was the "Send this to 10 friends" thing at the end that tipped me off. LOL

[HeavenlyOne]

Originally Posted by Esther

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.

While the rest of that post was very accurate and informative, this sentence isn't. You CANNOT totally reverse the effects of a stroke because you are in the ER within 3 hours, although I agree that getting help immediately is the key to any possible recovery from a stroke.

Getting early treatment can prevent further damage from a stroke, but to claim they can totally reverse the effects, well, that's not accurate nor true. That's like a cardiologist claiming he can reverse the injury done to your heart if you have an infarct. While getting to the cath lab within 90 minutes certainly helps, there is damage that is irreversible, and there's nothing the doctor can do about it.

[Esther]

Originally Posted by HeavenlyOne

While the rest of that post was very accurate and informative, this sentence isn't. You CANNOT totally reverse the effects of a stroke because you are in the ER within 3 hours, although I agree that getting help immediately is the key to any possible recovery from a stroke.

Getting early treatment can prevent further damage from a stroke, but to claim they can totally reverse the effects, well, that's not accurate nor true. That's like a cardiologist claiming he can reverse the injury done to your heart if you have an infarct. While getting to the cath lab within 90 minutes certainly helps, there is damage that is irreversible, and there's nothing the doctor can do about it.

I know my niece that is a nurse, and worked for a cardiologist for years said there is a shot that can reverse most and "sometimes" all IF they get to them within 6 hours I think it is.

[Esther]

Originally Posted by RandyWayne

It was the "Send this to 10 friends" thing at the end that tipped me off. LOL

Tipped you off? It is true.

[Light]

Originally Posted by Esther

I know my nurse that is a nurse, and worked for a cardiologist for years said there is a shot that can reverse most and "sometimes" all IF they get to them within 6 hours I think it is.

My mother died from a stroke. At the emergency room the doctor ask the time of the stroke. It had been 4 hr. because mom didn't think it was bad at first and that she would get better. He refused to give her the shot. He said it would kill right there in the er.

He informed us of a young woman who stroked while working in the hospital. She was given the shot then died . So the shot doesn't always work.

[HeavenlyOne]

Originally Posted by Esther

I know my nurse that is a nurse, and worked for a cardiologist for years said there is a shot that can reverse most and "sometimes" all IF they get to them within 6 hours I think it is.

No, there isn't. I think she's referring to tPA, which is a clot buster given to stroke victims if they need it. It doesn't reverse anything. A stroke is like a brain attack. If there is damage, it can't be reversed, however, there can be recovery. For instance, some may experience left-sided weakness and need a walker for a while, but eventually be able to walk again on their own. But a CT will show a past infarct...the damage is still there.

My sister has strokes all the time. Her recovery varies depending on where the stroke happens. Right now, she's in a wheelchair and needs someone to be with her during the day until my other sister gets home from work. The stroke that took place in November last year left her with right-sided paralysis. She's recovered most of her strength, but still cannot move her right leg, although she can move her foot. Her arm is weak but she can move it and transfer herself from bed to toilet to chair.

She had a mini-stroke a couple weeks ago, and lost the use of her arm, but she regained it within about 3 days. This is the longest she's went for needing a wheelchair, and I'm not too optimistic in her total recovery, even though she always gets to the ER when her strokes occur.

But I wish there were a shot to reverse it. I really do.

[HeavenlyOne]

Originally Posted by Light

My mother died from a stroke. At the emergency room the doctor ask the time of the stroke. It had been 4 hr. because mom didn't think it was bad at first and that she would get better. He refused to give her the shot. He said it would kill right there in the er.

He informed us of a young woman who stroked while working in the hospital. She was given the shot then died . So the shot doesn't always work.

If one has a hemorrhagic stroke, the shot will kill.

[commonsense]

Strokes run in mothers' family. Both of her parents had strokes. One brother had a stroke and another had a heart attack. Both of my grandparents spent their last years in a nursing home.

My mother had a stroke when she was 83. Seven months later she had another stroke. The second stroke affected brain function and she had to be put in a nursing home.
She lived another 18 mos in the nursing home . She'd talk with you but didn't know who you were.

I know that I need to be very aware of stroke symtoms.
It may not help but I have low blood pressure. When I had the medical procedure test last week the initial reading was 119/70. Not bad for a seasoned citizen!

My mother and grandmother both took high blood pressure medication. And my brother and sister are both on high blood pressure medication.