FAST.

10 months ago

It is VERY important for your family and friends, that YOU KNOW THIS.
 
With over 150,000 people in the UK having a stroke every year, it is imperative that people can recognise a stroke when it`s happening and take prompt action
 
As with a Heart Attack, getting someone to hospital quickly, makes an ENOURMOUS difference.
 
What is FAST?
FAST requires an assessment of three specific symptoms of stroke.
 
Facial weakness - can the person smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped?
Arm weakness - can the person raise both arms?
Speech problems - can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?
Time to call 999
 
If the person has failed any one of these tests, you must call 999. Stroke is a medical emergency and by calling 999 you can help someone reach hospital quickly and receive the early treatment they need. Prompt action can prevent further damage to the brain and help someone make a full recovery. Delay can result in death or major long-term disabilities, such as paralysis, severe memory loss and communication problems.
 
What if the symptoms go away?
A Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) which is sometimes called a mini stroke, is similar to a full stroke but the symptoms may only last a few minutes and will have completely gone within 24 hours. Don`t ignore it. It could lead to a major stroke. See your GP as soon as possible and ask to be referred to a specialist stroke service. This should happen within seven days.
Take a minute to read more.
 
http://www.stroke.org.uk/campaigns/raising_awareness/act_fast.html
 

 
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RE: FAST.

10 months ago

Again Phil, thanks for a very good post....
 
Steve

RE: FAST.

10 months ago

Very good post Phil, I have seen this information before but it is a good reminder and many may not know it.  If you ever come to the US, you may need to know that the emergancy number here is 911. 
Thomas

RE: FAST.

10 months ago

Excellent post Phil. 

Will never forget the time I watched the right side of my ex`s face "melt".  Turned out to be Bell`s Palsy but was really scary and of course he fought me all the way to the emergency room. Refused to let me call 911.  One thing I learned, call any way.

Thanks for the reminder.

Jen

RE: FAST.

10 months ago

 
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RE: FAST.

10 months ago

Nursing Sister Jackie steps up :)
Thought this may also help!
A STROKE OR A TIA IS AN EMERGENCY
GO TO HOSPITAL IMMEDIATELY
TIME LOST IS BRAIN LOST
Symptoms of Stroke
The symptoms of stroke usually come on suddenly.  The suddenness of onset distinguishes stroke from other conditions such as migraine or brain tumour.  Every patient is affected differently and the most common symptoms are:

Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg, often one side of the body.

A lack of muscle strength in any group of muscles, most commonly those on the face, hand, arm and leg on one side (called hemiparesis). At least half of patients suffer some form of hemiparesis, some with a mild form that involves difficulty in controlling movement, rather than weakness.
A loss of sensation or feeling in any part of the body.  Numbness of the skin of the face, hand, arm, and leg on one side (hemiananaesthia) is most common.



Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.

Difficulty in speech - slurring of speech (from weakening of face, mouth, throat muscles) may be accompanied by swallowing difficulty. There may be  difficulty understanding others’ speech, finding the right words, understanding written words or in writing (aphasia).



Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.

Difficulty with vision - may take the form of total loss of vision in one eye, or loss of vision in half the visual field of each eye, or double vision.



Sudden trouble walking, dizziness loss of balance or co-ordination.

Dizziness - injury to inner ear nerves may cause loss of balance, a spinning feeling, of the world moving (vertigo). May cause nausea, unsteadiness on the feet, a tendency to veer to one side or the other, or an unexplained fall.



Sudden severe headache with no known cause.

Headache - stroke and TIA do not usually cause headache, but headache may result from stretching or irritation of the membrane covering the brain (meninges) or the blood vessels in the brain.
Subarachnoid haemorrhage may be preceded by the sudden (within seconds) onset of an extremely severe ‘thunderclap’ headache (the most intense the patient has ever felt), together with neck stiffness. Irritation from light may also be a problem.  After minutes to hours the headache spreads to the back of the head, neck and back as blood tracks down the spinal subarachnoid space. Subarachnoid hemorrhage may be associated with drowsiness or loss of consciousness and with other stroke symptoms.



Less common symptoms include:

Nausea and vomiting- can be associated with vertigo or involvement of the ‘vomiting centre’ (the medulla) of the brain; common at the outset of subarachnoid haemorrhage.
Drowsiness or unconsciousness - also not common, but may occur, often briefly, depending on the location of the injury in the brain.
Epileptic seizures (10% of patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage).




Symptoms of Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA)
The symptoms of TIA are not easily distinguished from those of stroke, except that they do not last as long. They may include:

Short term blindness, blurred vision, double vision, other visual disturbances
Speech disturbance – often an inability to put thoughts into words, or the substitution of a similar word for another of different meaning (‘I bent on the ball’ for ‘I leant on the wall’), or slurring of speech
Vertigo – a spinning sensation – usually in conjunction with other symptoms
Facial numbness or weakness
Swallowing difficulty
Arm or leg weakness or paralysis
Loss of balance
Nausea and vomiting

A TIA is significant and must not be ignored.  Advice must be sought immediately. 
A TIA may be the start of a stroke that can follow the TIA within hours.
A TIA can warn of a future stroke and rapid investigation and treatment can reduce the risk of having a stroke.
If the symptoms disappear quickly, a TIA may be diagnosed and the patient discharged with appropriate instructions for medical follow-up, investigation and treatment to minimise the risk of recurrence.
If the symptoms persist, tests to determine the nature, precise location and extent of the injury to the brain will be started. These are likely to  include Brain scans (Computer Tomography) and MRIs (Magnetic Resonance Imaging).
Treatment to may be started to  rescue damaged brain tissue, to prevent complications such as difficulty swallowing, and to minimise the chance of  further strokes.
 
SEEK HELP....DO NOT HESITATE!
 

RE: FAST.

10 months ago

Very good info.Thankyou!

RE: FAST.

10 months ago

Thank you Jackie and Phil.  This is great information that EVERYONE should read.

Jen

RE: FAST.

8 months ago

It`s been a couple of months, so I reckon it`s time to give this a bump, did you notice there are over 9k here now!
 

 
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RE: FAST.

8 months ago

I`ll bump it too, having just experienced this first hand....

Thanks everyone....

Jerry

"What do you MEAN, I HAVE to put CLOTHES ON?!?!?!?!?!"

RE: FAST.

8 months ago

Thanks Jerry :)

 
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RE: FAST.

8 months ago

Thanks Phil for bringing this subject up again.........
 
Steve

RE: FAST.

8 months ago

fhmarais, glad to hear your father is doing better and hope he`s able to bike again soon.

RE: FAST.

8 months ago

Back to the top :)

 
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RE: FAST.

5 months ago

Just a reminder!
 

 
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