| Posted By:jasmin On 8/2/2005 |
|
Learn to identify STROKE
A dear friend of mine just had a mild stroke about two weeks ago. She
had driven to the garage to have her car worked on. She tried to talk to
the mechanic and she could not speak. She did not know anything was wrong
until this happened. They took her right to the hospital and she has since
made a full recovery.
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.
Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer
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:
1. Ask the individual to smile.
2. Ask him or her to raise both arms.
3. Ask the person to speak a simple sentence. Or ask the person to
'stick' out his/her tongue...if their tongue is NOT 'straight' but goes
off to one side that is another indication of a stroke.
If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call hospital
immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. After
discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness,
arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to
learn the three questions.
They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association's
annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result
in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage. |
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