STROKE:  Remember  the 1st Three Letters….S.T.R.

My  nurse friend sent this 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)  …..she said she had 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 6:00 pm Ingrid had died).  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

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 and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE  (Coherently)

(I.e. It is sunny out  today)

R  *  Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If  he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks,  call 000 immediately and describe the  symptoms  to the dispatcher.

New  Sign of a Stroke ——– Stick out Your  Tongue

NOTE:  Ask the person to ’stick’ out his tongue.. If the tongue is  ’crooked’, if it g oes to one side or the  other  ,that  is also an indication of a stroke.

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.