Health Care: Recognizing a Stroke

During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall. Her companions offered to call paramedics but she assured everyone that she was fine 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 and at 6:00 p.m. had passed away. She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had her companions known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today.

Not everyone who has a stroke dies, but many end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead. This too can be prevented.

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within three hours, it is possible to totally reverse the effects of a stroke--totally. The challenge is getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within three hours, which is tough. Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.

A stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage while people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms. Doctors now say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions.

S: Ask the individual to SMILE.
T: Ask the person to speak a simple sentence coherently, e.g., "It is sunny out today."
R: Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

Another useful indicator of a stroke is this: Ask the person to stick out her tongue. If the tongue is crooked, that is, if it goes to one side or the other, that is also a stroke indicator. If he or she has trouble with any one of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

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