I just got this in an e-mail. I don't know if the story is true or not, but it could be. As a medical professional I hear about stuff like this all the time. And you can have a stroke at any age. There was a 13 year old little girl who was family member of our church that died from a stroke about a month ago. But the signs are correct. And better to be safe than sorry.


STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Steps

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 9-1-1 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.

By Alberobello on Friday, May 5, 2006 - 06:35 pm:

I've read this before and i passed around to all my email contacts. Thanks for sharing.

By Tink on Friday, May 5, 2006 - 06:44 pm:

Thank you. My family has a history of strokes and I'm glad to know what to look out for, in the future.

By Kaye on Friday, May 5, 2006 - 06:56 pm:

The other test they do is to take your pointer fingers, touch your left finger to your right finger, than touch your nose with your left finger. Then switch. A person having a stroke cannot do both ways.

By Tripletmom on Saturday, May 6, 2006 - 08:44 am:

Thank-you for passing the information along.It is no longer adults having strokes.Our children are lazy and obese today.Video games,TV,and computer make it easy for our kids to live a unhealthy lifesyle today.I always try to balance things out for my DD but its hard when shes attracted to all these luxurys.I was never inside as a kid,we only came in for meals.