Stroke: Remember STR
One of my fellow barbershoppers sent me this in an email and I thought it was worth passing on. It only takes a minute to read and could save the life of someone you love…
Stroke: Remember the 1st three letters… S.T.R.
During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine and had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. (They offered to call paramedics, but she declined.)
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.
STROKE IDENTIFICATION
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… so read and learn:
- 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!
Thank God for the sense to remember the “3″ steps, STR … Smile, Talk, Raise… Smile, Talk, Raise… Smile, Talk, Raise.
Take care,
Dean