One of My Guys Just Had a Stroke - Here are Some Ideas to Quickly ID One.

[M.D. Holloway]

Early this week one of my Application Engineers was sent to the hospital - he suffered two minor strokes. He had diminished feeling and strength on his left side and his speech was very slurred. We spoke with him yesterday and today and he sounds much better. He said the Doctors told him he will be able to come back to work shortly. He has to watch his blood pressure though (so I guess I will be spending less time yapping at him!). He should recover soon and come back to work I hope.

My wife sent me the following e-mail. I think it is pretty good stuff and timely. I think it is sound advice - at least it is a better-safe-than-sorry attempt. It may help somebody someday.


THIS IS LIFE SAVING INFO, READ AND REMEMBER.

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) 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 - (at 6:00pm, 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.


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 a getting to the patient within 3 hours which is tough.


RECOGNIZING A STROKE

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 him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

3. Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. . . It is sunny out today). If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 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. They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting last February. 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 their lives ....

[Rot 911]

There are several problems with this test. Specifically:

1. The e-mail doesn't coach bystanders to consider how long symptoms have been present. Other conditions can cause look-alike symptoms that persist for months or years. The key to recognizing stroke symptoms is that they appear suddenly, like an out-of-the-blue, lightning-bolt change. That's because strokes occur when blood flow to the brain is interrupted suddenly, whether by an artery blockage or rupture.

2. The e-mail leaves out some symptoms. A person can pass the test but still be suffering a stroke. The three questions cover the most-common symptoms of stroke, but not all of them. Other symptoms include sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden trouble with walking, dizziness, balance or coordination; or sudden, severe headache.

3. The three questions don't explain what kind of troubleï to look for. A person could have trouble raising both arms for any number of reasons that have nothing to do with stroke.

When paramedics or emergency medical technicians (EMTs) ask suspected stroke survivors to lift both arms, they are watching specifically for "arm drift," or one of the arms losing elevation. (Paramedics also give much more detailed instructions, asking patients to close their eyes, to hold their arms straight out in front of them, and to hold them level for a count of 10.)

When paramedics ask a person to repeat a sentence, they are watching for language difficulties that are specific to stroke, including word-finding problems and slurred speech.

And when they ask a patient to smile, paramedics are watching to see if one side of the face doesn�t move symmetrically with the other side.

In fact, all three tasks in the Smile Test are adapted from a set of specific questions that paramedics and EMTs use called the Cincinnati Pre-hospital Stroke Scale (CPSS). This is a tool used to help trained paramedics make decisions about whether or not a patient is having a stroke. The Three Simple Tests e-mail grew out of a small research study that explored the potential for adapting the CPSS into something the public could use while communicating with an emergency dispatcher. The small study tested whether untrained adults could �act as eyes and ears for a 9-1-1 dispatcher who may be miles away, according to the study's lead author.

However, as you can see, some important details were lost in the process of trying to translate the research study results into simple terms for the public. The e-mail does include some good information and it isn't incorrect, but it is incomplete.

Despite what you might read on the Internet, the American Stroke Association has not taken a position on the Three Simple Tests e-mail, and it does not endorse this test. Before making such an endorsement, the ASA would want further research studies, involving more people, to help determine whether this is a useful and reliable approach for identifying stroke and ensuring that victims receive immediate medical attention.

The ASA does not encourage the public to rely on the three questions. It continues to emphasize all of the stroke warning signs and urges you to call 9-1-1 immediately if even only one of the signs is present.

Know the warning signs of stroke
Knowing all the signs of stroke could help you recognize one in time for you or a loved one to receive life-saving treatment. The Providence Stroke Center advocates learning all of the official warning signs of stroke, as identified by the American Stroke Association and the National Stroke Association. These signs include:

* 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 seeing in one or both eyes
* Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
* Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

We encourage you to call 9-1-1 if you have any reason to believe that someone is having a stroke or any other serious event. If you have any doubts, the 9-1-1 dispatcher can help determine the nature of the emergency and send help as needed.

[M.D. Holloway]

Thanks dude, I will add this to my info base.

[RickM]

I once witnesses a coworker experiencing a stroke. He was sitting down talking and suddenly froze (maybe because he didn't know what was going on). Suddenly a clear, waterlike substance discharged from his nostrils. I'm telling you it looked like a faucet. Luckily someone happened to know what was going on. Perhaps this is a byproduct of the facial weakness.

[M.D. Holloway]

My brother at ML just responded with...

3 other questions/ tasks that are quick indicators -
1) can the person hold both hands out directly in front of them without one arm drifting down
2) can the person stick out their tongue and hold it and .......
3) did they just receive their Merrill Lynch Statement after a down month in the market ?
well 2 of 3 are actually indicators

(lil stock market humor to lighten the day...)

[Moses]

Originally posted by RickM
lSuddenly a clear, waterlike substance discharged from his nostrils. I'm telling you it looked like a faucet.

That's more likely a cerebrospinal fluid leak. Different beast.

[tabs]

According to these results I musta bin having a Stroke for the past 5 years ....Oh glad to clear that up...its just reading my Brokerage Statements .....

[VINMAN]

My father suffered his stroke while he was asleep at night. When my mother went back in the room in the morning to see why he didnt get up yet. , he was just laying there, totally incoherent and unable to talk, slurring his words badly.
We always wondered if it would have been as bad if it happened when someone was around him and caught it when it first started.