Take a minute and review the following, it just may save a life. Speed is the key. My First Aid training told me to give the person an aspirin as soon as possible, preferably crushed up. This thins the blood a little and helps with blood clots. If the person has other bleeding injuries, is allergic or a hemophiliac, skip the aspirin as it may do more harm than good.
On Wednesday we experienced a little confusion over calling 911. I gave Norma my phone to call from the woman's trailer where they had access to the space number and the woman's last name. Norma thought I had already called and had given her the phone in case they called back seeking more information or to give instructions. They were in fact not called until the daughter showed up and called herself. In this case this error was unfortunate but not fatal. One person should take charge and direct someone to call 911 and instruct them to report back after they call to the person in charge.
The following is from the Mayo Clinic website:
Symptoms
Watch for these signs and symptoms if you think you or someone else may be having a stroke. Note when your signs and symptoms begin, because the length of time they have been present may guide your treatment decisions:
- Trouble with speaking and understanding. You may experience confusion. You may slur your words or have difficulty understanding speech.
- Paralysis or numbness of the face, arm or leg. You may develop sudden numbness, weakness or paralysis in your face, arm or leg, especially on one side of your body. Try to raise both your arms over your head at the same time. If one arm begins to fall, you may be having a stroke. Similarly, one side of your mouth may droop when you try to smile.
- Trouble with seeing in one or both eyes. You may suddenly have blurred or blackened vision in one or both eyes, or you may see double.
- Headache. A sudden, severe headache, which may be accompanied by vomiting, dizziness or altered consciousness, may indicate you're having a stroke.
- Trouble with walking. You may stumble or experience sudden dizziness, loss of balance or loss of coordination.
When to see a doctor
Seek immediate medical attention if you notice any signs or symptoms of a stroke, even if they seem to fluctuate or disappear.
Think "FAST" and do the following:
- Face. Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
- Arms. Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? Or is one arm unable to raise up?
- Speech. Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is his or her speech slurred or strange?
- Time. If you observe any of these signs, call 911 immediately.
Call 911 or your local emergency number right away. Don't wait to see if symptoms go away. Every minute counts. The longer a stroke goes untreated, the greater the potential for brain damage and disability.
If you're with someone you suspect is having a stroke, watch the person carefully while waiting for emergency assistance.
Thanks for sharing that Croft. As we all get older we need to also think about our diets, sothat we may prevent a stroke.
ReplyDeleteGood post Croft.
ReplyDeleteGood post always nice to remind everyone what to do in these cases.
ReplyDeleteEmail comment from Al:
ReplyDeleteWe had a person suffer a stroke in the RV park that we were staying at in southern California last week. One thing that happened is the lady who had the stroke had symptoms for a few hours but insisted to her husband that she not be taken to hospital, she is a strong person and she prevailed over her husband's wishes.
When she finally went and was treated the doctor told her that had she come in after the first symptoms she probably would have had no paralysis. Her husband is now "kicking himself" for listening to her.
Bottom line is get to hospital regardless of what the affected person says, it could make the difference!
Thanks for this Al. Yes, denial is one of the symptoms of a stroke. Our neighbor did the same thing when she told her friend but thankfully she ignored her. Our friend Ken who was staying here at the time has had two strokes and he says there is a 4 hour 'window' to get treatment.
ReplyDeleteWe don't know if we got our neighbor attention in that time frame as we do not know when she had the stroke but it was probably the previous evening. She is very lucky she is not exhibiting symptoms.