I don't know if this has been posted before, but it was an eye opener to me. I hope it is of value to my fellow Mudcatters:


_*Subject: Recognising a Stroke*_
__

A timely warning??!!

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 and 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 paramedics
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.