HEALTHY BRAINS BEGIN WITH HEALTHY KNOWLEDGE

HEALTHY BRAINS BEGIN WITH HEALTHY KNOWLEDGE

4 LETTERS – 3 NUMBERS

F - Face Drooping

A - Arm Weakness

S - Speech Difficulty

T - Time To Dial 911

Sometimes other symptoms appear, separately, in combination or with FAST signs:

1. Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech.

2. Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg, especially on one side of body.

3. Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.

4. Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.

5. Sudden severe headache with no known cause.

If someone shows any of these symptoms, call 9-1-1 or emergency medical services immediately. Happy Stroke Month, friends! I always write an article about stroke in May and there is an added reason this month. I was a living example of the above scenario on the Thursday after Easter. Having a sudden headache, dizzy feeling and slight confusion, I took my blood pressure. Yes, it was excessively high! I was taken via EMS to River District Hospital, where they performed a stroke workup. You see, if I was, indeed, having a stroke, there are brain cell saving drugs they can administer to prevent further damage and alleviate symptoms if it is given within 3 hours of the stroke. Fortunately, I did not experience a stroke. The bottom line is that you ACT FAST if faced with the possibility. Stroke knows no age limit. Time lost is brain cells lost. Be a hero and save someone’s functionality or even their life.

Your Parish Nurse,

Mary Ann Martin, RN, FCN