Posted by pm on June 27, 2006 at 11:22:06:
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. 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 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 6:00pm, 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 to SPEAK A
SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)
(i.e. . . It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH
ARMS.
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.