You’re having an otherwise great day when, out of the blue, you have a pretty gnarly headache. Not the kind the builds after a bad day at the office. Not the kind that has increased after a day of your kids getting louder and louder. You’re possibly thinking, “Who just stuck an ice pick in my head?”. Since you have not been hit in the head recently, and you’re reasonably sure your Pepsi didn’t contain arsenic, you know there is no reason for your head to feel like the Wicked Witch of the East might have felt after the tornado brought her a new home. You turn to your friend/spouse/child/person standing next to you to say “Holy crap, I think my brain just exploded.” Instead, what comes out of your mouth is, “Homefries brainslice cha explojust.”
Hold on to your hat, my friend. There is a good chance you are having a stroke. You, or someone near you–ANYone– should be calling 9-1-1 right N.O.W. The clock is ticking, and you need to get medical care like yesterday. Even if the symptoms clear themselves up, you may have experienced a Transient Ischemic Attack (a TIA), more commonly called a “Mini-Stroke”. The disappearance of the symptoms of a TIA only mean that whatever caused the stroke is now “floating around” your cardiovascular system, and will just cause another TIA (or a major stroke) at another, yet to be determined, time. Like when you are driving on the freeway, for example.
When the blood can’t get to your brain, due to blockage or a burst blood vessel, your brain begins to die from lack of blood and oxygen. This is called a stroke, and it is the number four cause of death in America, equalling about one in every eighteen deaths. Learning to recognize the signs of stroke can mean saving your own life, or that of someone you love.
Stroke symptoms may include one, some, or all of the following[1]:
* Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg. This weakness is likely to be only on one side of the body. (If you suspect someone is having a stroke, have the person smile. If only one side of the face smiles, call 9-1-1. N.O.W.)
* Sudden onset of confusion, having difficulty speaking and/or understanding. (Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence. If the sentence sounds garbled or if the words are out of sequence, call 9-1-1 N.O.W.)
* Sudden onset of vision problems, in one or both eyes.
* Sudden onset of difficulty walking, dizziness, or loss of balance/coordination. (Ask the person to squeeze both of your hands. If the squeeze is not equal in each hand, call 9-1-1 N.O.W.)
* Sudden onset of a killer headache, with no apparent reason.
If you notice you are having any of these symptoms, or if you notice someone else experiencing any of them, make a note of the time and call 9-1-1 N.O.W. Why take note of the time? So you can tell the medical team when the symptoms first appeared. With stroke, time is of the essence. Getting the right medication within three hours of onset of symptoms may reduce the chances of disability.
And remember, 9-1-1 does not kidnap people. If the paramedics show up, and don’t suspect anything, the paramedics go away. However, if they DO see something, then they can expedite the transport to appropriate medical care.
For more information on stroke, click here.
For a stroke symptoms quiz, click here.
