Remember The 1st Three Letters... S.T.R.  

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 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, 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

Thank God for the sense to 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 .
(If the smile is lopsided, a stroke is likely to have occurred.)
                 

                T *        Ask the person to TALK. SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE.
(If the speech is slurred, a stroke is likely to have occurred.)
(Coherently) (i.e. . . It is sunny out today) 

                R *       Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
(If he or she cannot raise one arm,  a stroke is likely to have occurred.)

*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 descibe the symptoms to the dispatcher.