BE FAST when Stroke Happens !
TIME is of essence when a stroke develops. The sooner stroke is recognized and the patient reaches an appropriate stroke treatment facility the better it is. A period of 2-3 hours is said to be the ‘golden hour’ in this context since if proper treatment is provided within this period damage to the brain cells is minimal.
Yet Stroke awareness is VERY limited. To the extent sometimes days can pass after a ‘ Transient Ischemic Attack ” ( A TIA- which is a sign that problems are happening and a more severe stroke attack can happen any time ) before a patient reaches a hospital, usually after a fully developed stroke has happened.
Hence it is VERY important that an emerging stroke is detected fastest. In English, the “FAST” acronym is most frequently used as under :
FACE:Ask the person to smile.Does one side of the face droop ?
ARM : Ask the person to to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward ?
SPEECH : Ask the person to speak a simple sentence. Are the words slurred ? Can he/she repeat the sentence correctly ?
And if any of these happens, then T for TIME kicks in:
TIME : Take the patient to a nearest hospital ( preferably that equipped to handle stroke ) as FAST as possible.
These symptoms occur suddenly, and without any reasonable explanation ! Here a small video explaining why most strokes happen, and elaborating upon the above symptoms.
Two more symptoms have also been found ( see here study done in 2017 for details ) to indicate a happening / impending stroke and they are added hereunder. Again, they occur suddenly and without any reasonable explanation. So, in English an easy acronym now is BE FAST !
Balance : Is the person showing signs of losing balance – difficulty in walking , for example.
Eyes : Is there vision problem – blurred, double vision etc…
Also, it is very important to note that these symptoms may not last – they may quickly vanish – maybe within a few minutes ! But a ‘Transient” stroke has probably occurred ( medically termed as a ” Transient Ischemic Attack” or a TIA , and unless proper diagnosis and treatment starts urgently, there is a great risk of a full-blown stroke happening soon ! Hence it is absolutely critical that any of the symptoms not be ignored !
Besides above, there are other, less well-known symptoms of stroke as is set out here. These include :
- NUMBNESS or weakness of face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
- CONFUSION, trouble speaking or understanding speech
- SEVERE HEADACHE with no known cause. Usually the headache is sudden and persistent.
Indeed anything strange and sudden connected with the brain, face area, coordination, orientation and even smell should immediately raise the flag of stroke as one of possibilities to be investigated.
Here are some videos of stroke as it evolves so as to help readers recognize quickly when stroke happens.
This video is a transient ischemic attack ( TIA , sometimes called a ‘minor’ stroke) happening . Notice the slurring and drooping of lips/ face on one side. Also, one arm is hard to lift up. Notice how the symptoms apparently ‘resolve themselves’ . While that may happen, a TIA is a strong indication that a more serious stroke may happen at any time and so, immediate treatment should be sought.
Here is another video of a stroke that is no more a minor one and seems to be developing into a more serious one.
And here another video where a TV presenter had TIA like incident while on TV ! And no underlying cause was found !
Don’t Confuse Stroke Symptoms , and always help rush the affected to nearest Hospital if you can. God as well as the affected and their family will bless you !
Sometimes stroke symptoms can be confusing ! In a well-known incident in India a person suffered a stroke while in Delhi Metro but was taken to be drunk. It’s video went viral and the policeman was suspended ! Only later investigations revealed that he was having a stroke !
Here the video :
Repeating the above stroke symptoms in Hindi:
स्ट्रोक पीड़ित व्हाट्सप्प ग्रुप ज्वाइन करें : https://strokesupport.in/contact
कृपया इस पोस्ट को सबकी जानकारी के लिए अधिकतम शेयर करेँ। हो सकता है आप किसी की जान बचा लें। धन्यवाद !
If you have limited/No information about Stroke, its symptoms and consequences, we STRONGLY suggest you read at least one of the following before you leave this Website, as well as share the links with your friends and family. You may save someone from sudden death or being crippled for life !
* Be fast – Stroke Symptoms in English with Videos of Actual Strokes
* स्ट्रोक (आघात) – हिंदी में कुछ जानकारी
* स्ट्रोक-के-साधारण-लक्षण
* In Bengali – Be Fast – দ্রুত !
* In Gujarati – જ્યારે સ્ટ્રોક આવે ત્યારે BE FAST
* In Marathi – BE FAST स्ट्रोक होतो तेव्हा !
* In Odiya – ଷ୍ଟ୍ରୋକ: ମୃତ୍ୟୁ ଅଥବା ଶାରୀରିକ/ମାନସିକ ଅସମର୍ଥ