An update in one of my FB friends is very timely. It is about stroke and how it is possible to save a life, or save someone from suffering a lifetime effect of a stroke.
It is even more timely because yesterday my blood pressure rose to 170/100. What was scary is the fact that I did not feel any obvious signs of the BP rise, or maybe there was but I just ignored it.
I was scheduled for a tooth extraction yesterday and it was a good thing that I decided to have my BP checked by my sister-in-law before going to the dentist. As I do not feel anything wrong, and thought that maybe the instrument is already faulty, I decided to go and tell first the dentist about my BP. Again, it is a good thing I had the BP checked because the dentist left her sphygmomanometer at home.
She did not extract the tooth but only checked my tooth. She said she will not go on the extraction because it is not an emergency case. I have to observe my BP for two weeks before going back to the dentist.
Back to the update, it mentioned three steps to recognize a stroke. Being able to do so will help everyone to do the right thing of bringing the patient to the hospital where a neurologist could examine right away.
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
Here is the most important part of the shared update:
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Remember the '3' steps, STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster.
The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions :
S * Ask the individual to SMILE ..
T * TALK. Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (eg 'It is sunny out today').
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS .
If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call the ambulance and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
NOTE : Another 'sign' of a stroke is
1. Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue.
2. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.
A prominent cardiologist says if everyone who gets this status shares it; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.......
When stroke attacked Papsie when he was 23, he was all by himself in his room upstairs, after feeling ill while talking to his friends. Thinking that this is the same thing as the first stroke he experienced with his right part of the body that were gone after 30 minutes, he stayed in his room.
It was all too late because stroke had affected his left part of the body already when he decided to shout "Di ako makatayo! Tulong! (I cannot stand up! Help!") repeatedly. It was a good thing it did not affect his speech. His family might have discovered an already stiff body in his room not knowing.
The lack of education and information on health matters especially those that are possible occurrences because of genes and lifestyle is one of the causes of loss of lives.
Now I know that stroke can be deadly. It is a traitor disease. It could kill.
I got paranoid afterwards seemingly feeling everything as I rest from my visit to the dentist.
Related articles
- "Silent Strokes" Lead to Memory Loss in Elderly
- Stroke Diagnosis
- New Stroke Response System Unveiled In Contra Costa County
Very useful info Bing. I hope that you are ok and that your BP would go down.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading your advice before, it is so simple and useful.
ReplyDeleteYou should get that blood pressure checked by a Doctor. It's too high! You can't 'feel' your bloodpressure and it is known as a silent killer.
I visit your blog when I’m on ExposeYourBlog!
had it checked the second time this day. it already went down to 130/90. naparami ata ang kain ko ng hipon, Toe!
ReplyDeletehighpertension is truly a silent killer, Anji! i visit yours, too, when i visit EYB!
as we're all getting a little older we should really pay attention. very useful tips.
ReplyDeletehe had a stroke at 23? that's rare at that young age, right?
yes, Photocache, and we got married when he was 25. :-)
ReplyDeletei realized that there is no stopping the aging process therefore we really have to be very careful.
[...] Just last January 5, I was scheduled to have my tooth extracted but the procedure was not pursued because my BP rose. The full account of what had happened can be found here. [...]
ReplyDeleteGosh, I wasn't aware you were suffering from high Blood pressure. You are right to be very careful. I hope you're OK by now. Be well. xx
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bel. BPs' fluctuating. I need to have it monitored. :-)
ReplyDeletewow good stuff. i saw this on tv before and i thought these things can really do a lot of difference. i hope your bp will ease very soon. i've experienced my first high blood pressure attack this year too. it was scary, that's for sure.
ReplyDeletei am regularly checking. it's already 3 days and it has not gone down to 130/90, PM.
ReplyDeleteit is scary indeed.
the "high normal" BP threshold is 139/90 and should not go beyond that.
ReplyDeletei have to maintain 130/90, bw. :-) before i was having 120/90. after 2007, it rose to 130/90 and seldom went down to 120/90.
ReplyDelete