Since May is Strike Out Strokes Month, I thought I would share FAST with you. It is important to be able to recognize the signs of symptoms of a stroke quickly because certain medications can only be administered with a small golden window after the first sign.
FAST is my cheat for how to recognize a stroke. OK, I have told you before that I teach Health and Safety classes for the American Red Cross. Maybe, just maybe, I learned FAST there. *Trying to look innocent.* Regardless of the origin of this mnemonic memory aid, FAST stands for Face, Arm, Speech, and Time.
Face: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of their face droop?
Arm: Ask the person to raise both arms. Is one arm drift downward?
Speech: Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence. I use "Have someone call 911". Hey, it is just the one that pops into my mind at the time. Is their speech slurred? Maybe it sounds garbled or just strange in some other way.
Time: This one has two meanings for me. First, if you notice any of these signals, then it is time to call 911(or your local emergency number) immediately. However, I also use Time to remind me to make note of the time when I first observed a problem. This information is important.
Please, remember when you call 911 (or your local emergency number), you need to tell them your name, the nature of the emergency, and its location. Even if you have a street address, it helps to give landmarks. It is important that you stay on the line until the 911 operator hangs up first. Yeah, yeah, you knew all that. But, a reminder never hurts.
Other symptoms of a stroke can include trouble walking, trouble understanding simple instructions, numbness or paralysis on one side of the body, trouble with vision in one or both eyes, and a headache. I call this thunderclap headache a WHOML. It stands for the Worse Headache Of My Life. If you get a WHOML, please, head to the emergency room.
In case you are wondering?
There are two main types of strokes. The most common type, accounting for 80-85 percent of all strokes is an ischemic stroke. In this type, the blood flow to part of the brain has become blocked. The other main type is a hemorrhagic stroke. This is caused when a blood vessel in the brain leaks or ruptures.
Good advice.
ReplyDeleteAnd people should especially seek attention immediately in case the numbness, tingling, or paralysis symptoms might be Guillain–Barré syndrome or Bell's Palsy.
Guillain–Barré can be life-threatening because of how fast it progresses. Literally, people walk into the hospital in the morning with numbness and may completely paralyzed by the afternoon. And if its rapid progress reaches the breathing muscles, it requires artificial methods just to remain breathing.
Very scary, any of these.
Sound advice. It's great if at least a few people walking the streets have enough medical knowledge to help in an emergency... Another public-spirited post Emma. Lets hope no one we know ever has to go through it...
ReplyDelete