May 8, 2019

Stroke Awareness: Know the Signs

Knowing the symptoms of a stroke could help save the life of yourself or a loved one. The faster you seek medical help, the greater your chance of surviving and making a full recovery. Watch out for the following, which could indicate a stroke:

  1. Trouble speaking/ understanding: confusion, slurring of words, and difficulty understanding others.
  2. Paralysis/ numbness of the face, arm or leg: sudden onset and often on one side of the body.
  3. Trouble seeing in one eye or both: blurred vision or no vision in one eye or both eyes.
  4. Headache: sudden, severe headache may be accompanied by vomiting or dizziness.
  5. Trouble walking: loss of balance/ coordination as well as dizziness may cause stumbling and trouble walking.

In case of possible stroke, it is important to act F.A.S.T. Remember this acronym:

Face: Try to smile, or ask the person to do so. Look for drooping on one side of the face.

Arms: Try to raise both arms. If one arm stays still or drops downward, this could indicate a stroke.

Speech: Try to speak or ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Does the speech sound slurred or abnormal?

Time: Call 911 immediately if you observe any of these signs.

For more information visit https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/stroke/symptoms-causes/syc-20350113