STROKE -- Remember the three letters S.T.R.

This was originally sent to me as an email by my brother Dan.  I thought it important enough to reproduce the essence here.

During a BBQ, Ingrid stumbled and took a little fall -- she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) and that 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 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 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.

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 him to SMILE

T* Ask the person to TALK to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)

(e.g.  It is sunny out today.)

R* Ask 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 911 immediately!! and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

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