STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters… S.T.R.

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 (half the body dies!).

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. (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 occurred.)(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 occurred.)

*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.

About the author:

DR. J.C. DETATA

101 Lombard St.,Suite 401-W
San Francisco,CA 94111-1188

TEL: 415-956-6846

FAX: 415-434-3834

EMAIL: jcdetata@yahoo. com