RECOGNIZING A STROKE

A Stroke Has a New Indicator

Updated Nov 16, 2013. Submitted by a friend.

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

During a BBQ, a woman 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, Jane went
about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Jane's husband called later telling everyone that his
wife had been taken to the hospital (at 6:00p.m. Jane
passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had
they known how to identify the signs of a stroke,
perhaps Jane would be with us today. Some don't die.
They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

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 

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. "Chicken Soup."

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!

Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to
'stick' out his 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 message
sends it to ten people; you can be sure that at least
one life will be saved.