A stroke can happen so fast. Sharon Brooks, co-owner of a trendy restaurant in San Francisco, was ringing out the cash register and trying to reach her son's girlfriend on the phone. But when the young woman answered, all that came out of Brooks' mouth was gibberish.
"I tried to talk and couldn't. I went into the bathroom and felt my left side tingling," says Brooks, who was only 51. "I knew the signs of a stroke. But I looked at my pupils, and they were equal." Then she went into the restaurant's main area, sat down next to one of her employees and recovered her speech long enough to say, "Call 911. I think I'm having a stroke.”
"Then my left side went out," she says, "and I fell off the chair."
Clearly, Brooks wasn't given much warning that a stroke was on the way. And, even when confronted with some classic symptoms, she was inclined not to believe it was happening. But all of us should learn to recognize and heed the harbingers of a stroke.
Every minute counts when blood flow to the brain is interrupted. The most common kind of stroke can be treated with a clot-dissolving drug, but treatment must start within three hours to be most effective.
If my loved one appears to be in trouble, how do I know if they are having a stroke?
The Stroke Association uses the acronyms F-A-S-T and 9-1-1:
F, for Face drooping: Is the face numb or drooping on one side? Ask the person to smile and see if one side of the mouth turns down.
A, for Arm weakness. Ask the person to raise both arms: does one drift down?
S, for Speech difficulty. Is the speech hard to understand? Ask them to repeat, "The sky is blue." Is there any difficulty doing that?
T, for Time to call 9-1-1. If your loved one shows ANY of these symptoms, call 911 immediately.
I'm feeling dizzy. What are the warning signs of a stroke?
Here are the key warning signs, according to the American Stroke Association:
Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
Sudden trouble seeing out of one or both eyes
Sudden, extremely severe headache with no known cause
What should I do if I experience these symptoms?
Even if the symptoms last only a few minutes, call 911 immediately -- a stroke is a medical emergency. Have someone else call an ambulance if necessary or rush you to the emergency room. (If you cannot speak and are alone, many emergency response dispatchers have address identification; just push 911 and keep the line open.)
What should I do after calling 911?
Because a loss of feeling in your legs may make you fall, you should sit down in a comfortable place. If you're with someone who may be having a stroke, quickly assemble their medications and medical records to take along with you to the hospital.
Other conditions resemble stroke, such as low blood sugar in people with diabetes. If you have diabetes, follow your doctor's previous instructions on how to raise low blood sugar. The American Diabetes Association suggests you eat or drink 15 grams of carbohydrates to raise your blood sugar, such as half a cup of fruit juice, five or six pieces of hard candy or three glucose tablets.
What will happen when the ambulance comes?
Paramedics will check your vital signs and learn what they can about your medical history and the medications you're taking. They'll ensure your airway is clear, check your breathing, listen to your lungs and heart, and take your blood pressure and oxygen. You'll also likely be attached to a heart monitor and have your finger pricked for a blood test.
Paramedics may also perform a basic neurological exam to check for signs of stroke, such as difficulty with speech or weakness in the arms or legs. Whether they ask or not, you should tell them when the symptoms began and communicate that time to the physicians at the hospital. This information is critical since some treatments are effective only if administered within a specific period.
What if it turns out that I didn’t have a stroke?
You may have what's popularly called a "mini-stroke," known as a transient ischemic attack (TIA). These mini-strokes occur when there's a brief blockage or slowing of blood flow to an area of the brain; they produce the same symptoms as stroke but don't cause lasting harm. However, TIAs are usually a warning that there's an area of vulnerability in an artery, such as narrowing or partial closure. In addition, mini-strokes usually precede a stroke that causes permanent damage -- up to 30 percent of ischemic strokes occur within a month of a TIA. Detecting and treating the TIA early could help prevent permanent damage from a stroke in the future.
Another vital reason for acknowledging such symptoms with seriousness is that they may also be a warning sign of an impending rupture of an artery or hemorrhagic stroke. Before the artery bursts, you may experience a sudden unexplained pounding headache, loss of speech or other stroke symptoms as a result of a small amount of bleeding from the weakened area. If you know the signs of a stroke, you're much more likely to get to a doctor who can locate the weakened blood vessels and correct them before the artery ruptures.
Source: HealthDay: www.healthday.com
