Caregivers must detect stroke the FAST way...that's F for Facial Weakness, A for Arm Weakness, S for Speech Difficulty, and T for the timely manner of acting. This is particularly true for caregivers attending to patients who have already suffered a stroke or for patients that are at risk to suffer a stroke.
FACIAL WEAKNESS
This means the person is exhibiting any one or all of the following symptoms:
* sudden numbness or weakness of the face
* can't smile
* face fallen in one side
* mouth or eyes drooping
ARM WEAKNESS
Arm weakness, on the other hand involves:
* can't hold hands parallel
* can't raise arms or if they can be raised, one arm drifts down or can't keep them there
* sudden numbness or weakness of the arm/s
SPEECH DIFFICULTY
To identify if a person is having speech difficulty, the following symptoms could be present:
* can't speak clearly or speech is slurred or has trouble speaking
* can't understand what you are saying
* experiences confusion
TIME TO ACT
According to the National Stroke Association, two million brain cells die during a stroke. The longer it takes for a person suffering a stroke to be given ample medical assistance, the more brain cells are lost permanently, the bigger brain damage that person will have. Acting literally and figuratively fast therefore limits disabilities that a person can suffer due to stroke.
Thus, once any of the previous symptoms are present in the patient, it is more likely that they are suffering stroke. It is imperative that you call for help immediately or rush the person to the nearest hospital.
Due to the time-dependent nature of stroke, it is important for caregivers to know the nearest hospital to where they are and the fastest way to get there for emergency situations like this. Having immediate access to doctors numbers is also very important so that the right person will be there when you arrive.
The FAST way was devised as an easy way to detect stroke as it is a situation requiring a very quick response. Time is very essential to a person suffering a stroke for it will determine the difference of saving one's life and the extent of experiencing paralysis or complications.
However, limiting stroke to the symptoms above is also dangerous. These are just the most common indicators of stroke, which may not occur simultaneously or within the same day. There are other indicators one should be wary of that may come into play with the symptoms mentioned above.
The other symptoms to look out for are:
* trouble seeing in one or both eyes
* severe headache with no known cause
* sudden dizziness
* sudden trouble walking, loss of balance or coordination
* sudden vomiting
It is really vital for caregivers to detect stroke the FAST way. The earlier the patient is diagnosed, the sooner they are treated, and the greater the possibility of survival against stroke.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.massagebyben.com/articles/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites 