May is a very important month for those of us of any age as my "How I Got to Be Me" series illustrates. It is National Stroke Awareness Month. There are a lot of websites that cover this important issue and illness but in my research I found the National Stroke Association's website most thorough and very helpful. The technology of treating stroke has come a long way since I suffered mine in 1979 and many people are recovering more completely than I did. (And I envy them.)
It can happen to anyone, anytime and anywhere. Therefore, it is important that we know the warning signs. The National Stroke Association's helpful Stroke 101 Fact Sheet is available here for download. I highly recommend that y'all do so as most strokes can be prevented today. Don't allow yourself or your loved ones go through what I did!
Common stroke symptoms 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
This simple test will help you detect stroke symptoms and Act F.A.S.T.:
F = FACE -- Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
A = ARM -- Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
S = SPEECH -- Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence. Does the speech sound slurred or
strange?
T = TIME -- If you observe any of these signs, it’s time to call 9-1-1 or get to the nearest
stroke center or hospital.
If you follow these steps you can save yourself and your loved ones a lot of pain and heartache so I highly recommend that you familiarize yourself with this information. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that knowing these symptoms and this simple test is deadly serious and could save your or a loved one's life.
Happy (and stroke-free) Blogging!!!!!!!!!
Kay
P.S. I hope to have the next installment of "How I Got to Be Me" out this week. I'm working extra hours and trying to get ready for my road trip as well as assorted other nonsense so I've been pretty buried and apologize for being so slow in posting it and visiting y'all. Please forgive me.
We can wait. Not a problem...
ReplyDeleteI knew some of this when mr. kenju had his stroke, but I couldn't convince him that was what was wrong. He was convinced that he had an inner ear infection (which made him dizzy). Next time - should there be one - I'll know!
ReplyDeleteExcellent that you bring stroke symptoms to the forefront as so many people, who even know them, ignore them. We just never want to think that's what is happening to us. It's so important to get early treatment, since in some cases, with some types of strokes, early medical treatment can greatly increase the recovery of skills affected.
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