Not all strokes will strokes will show facial weakness or the speech affected. Strokes are very individual, there may be basic weakness of the muscles on the affected side, but there are many variations of sympoms. Never presume that because the person can speak or elevate both arms that he/she has not had a stroke. A minor TIA (transient ischaemic attack) may have occured and the symptoms have quickly passed, but this may be the forerunner of a major stroke.

If anyone has had an incident that was described, always take them to hospital as a precautionary measure, no one will complain that it was a waste of time, nor accuse you of unecessary panic. Time taken to do tests that could give deceptive answers is time wasted.

Re clot busting drugs in one of the links, the nature of the stroke, (a bleed or a clot) is vital to know before this is given.

Peter (husband) was incorrectly given streptokinase (a clot buster) as a doctor had misdiagnosed a simple ear problem. This caused a severe intercranial bleed and resulted in a very major stroke.

Loss of speech is fascinating, the speech centre is generally on the left side of the brain, it differs in right and left handers. Usually a left sided bleed causes a right paralysis and frequently the speech is affected. A right sided bleed gives a left paralysis and no speech affected. So it's all a lot more complex than it seems.

So it's always better to go and be checked out.