recognizing a stroke

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 getting to the patient within 3 hours which is tough.

sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. the stroke victim may suffer 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:

1. ask the individual to smile
2. ask the individual to raise both arms
3. ask the person to speak a simple sentence coherently) (It is sunny out today)

if he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

after discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness, and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions. widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.

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.

be a friend and share this article with as many friends as possible, you could save a life.

***

i got this from an email, but i guess it is true. another thing that my mum said was, use a needle to poke the stroke victim's finger. but that may be for victims with heavy stroke. the lighter stroke are the ones that are difficult to identify. anyway, better be safe than sorry.