You could possibly save a life

[Kip Powick]

I’m sure most, if not all, have adhered to the ICE memo for our cell phones and I’m not one to pass on these “feel good” emails but thought this was quite important and have posted it below. Some of you will have already received this from me via personal email. For those that have not, why not “cut and paste” into an email and send to your friends??

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 getting to the patient

within 3 hours which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE - A true story

Susie is recouping at an incredible pace for someone with a massive stroke

all because Sherry saw Susie stumble - - that is the key that isn't

mentioned below -and then she asked Susie the 3 questions. So simple - -

this literally saved Susie's life - - Some angel sent it to Suzie's friend

and they did just what it said to do. Suzie failed all three so then 9-1-1

was called.

Even though she had normal blood pressure readings and did not appear to

be a stroke victim as she could converse to some extent with the Paramedics;

they took her to the hospital right away.

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:

MEMORIZE THESE THREE SIMPLE STEPS

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) (ie: " 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.

[J.O.]

Kip:

I got that one in my email a while back, and given my well developed suspicion for anything from the internet that is purported to be good advice, I went to snopes.com to see if they've addressed it. Here's an excerpt of what they said.

The advice given in this much-circulated e-mail appears to be sound, although it needs be pointed out that it has yet to be endorsed by American Stroke Association. It was drawn from a report presented in February 2003 at the American Stroke Association's (ASA) 28th International Stroke Conference, and news of it can be found on the ASA web site and the American Heart Association's (AHA) web site. However, as the ASA says in its official statement about the report, though the research was funded by a grant from the ASA, that body has not taken a position on the topic nor endorsed the test because the results, though positive, arouse from a very small study.

If the study's findings hold up, it would mean that recognizing a stroke has taken place would be something just about anyone could do and would be a skill worth mastering in light of the importance of getting medical attention for stroke victims at the earliest possible moment.

Sounds promising. The full text can be found at:

Snopes.com

[Azure]

A co-worker's husband, in his early 40's recently suffered a stroke. His symptoms? All day on a Sunday he thought he had a migraine, took 10 Tylenol. Monday morning after my co-worker left for work his two teenage daughters found him unconscience on the floor of their bedroom.

Would those questions have worked on Sunday? Maybe, but for those who suffer migraines on a regular basis they may have trouble wanting to talk to anyone much less do a drill. If you are a migraine sufferer, maybe doing the drill into a mirror should be a consideration?

He's doing well considering the severity of the stroke, will face many months of speach therapy as well as improving his motor skills. Had he taken Asprin instead of Tylenol? What if's. Last thing our emergency wards need are numberous migraine sufferers showing up on the doorstep...just in case. However, don't brush off a severe migraine, especially if your not prone to them in the first place.

[Kip Powick]

I got that one in my email a while back, and given my well developed suspicion for anything from the internet that is purported to be good advice, I went to snopes.com to see if they've addressed it.

Yeh, I saw the Snopes article as well but figured as it wasn't an outright medical scam why not post it. My late father-in-law went through a stroke and our clue was the paralysis on the Rt hand side of his face. Never asked him to smile, there was no point as it was pretty obvious he was having a stoke with one side of his face drooped toward his neck. Made the OW Civic Hospital in 17 minutes.

He survived his mini-stroke, only to succumb to heart failure 4 years later.

[J.O.]

Actually Kip, I'd say that Snopes gives a fair amount of creedance to the suggested strategies. If I was unclear I apologize. I think it's very valuable health information, and unlike most internet advice, it actually has merit.

Jeff

[Kip Powick]

No, you were very clear and I, like you, am reluctant to post stuff that has the hint of being untrue but like you, I also agree that it certainly wouldn't do any harm if someone abided by the suggested guidelines.

I think it would be kinda nice if someone actually saved someone