How to Recognize Signs of a Stroke and What to Do in a Stroke Emergency

Strokes are happening in alarming numbers to otherwise healthy appearing men and women at ages that seem much too young to be having a stroke. Because of this, many people are in denial about the stroke for minutes to hours and lose valuable time which risks their life and damages more brain tissue. It is important to recognize stroke symptoms so that you will know how to respond. Strokes do not just happen to old people and they are more common among women than people realize. They also produce a series of vague but serious symptoms that are hard to describe to someone else without fear of sounding like a hypochondriac, especially if they are younger or think they are not at risk for a stroke or if they recently sought medical treatment for similar symptoms that did not turn out to be a stroke. You do not know what are subtle signs that are actually the start of a serious medical problem and unless you are a medical professional yourself, it is impossible to make an educated guess as to what is going on during this event.

The American Stroke Association lists the following as the warning signs of stroke including a sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body. A sudden confusion, having trouble speaking or understanding speech of others is a sign of stroke. Having sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes, having trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination and a sudden, severe headache with no known cause is another sign of a stroke. Remember that not all the warning signs occur in every stroke. Don't ignore signs of stroke, even if they go away. If a potential stroke victim does not think enough is wrong with them, they may not report to anyone that they are not feeling well. They may not even sense they are having some of the symptoms. If the person has a migraine history, they may just think this is a really bad one at first, as that can also cause incoherence, trouble seeing and other neurological signs. If you see a loved one having signs that seem suspicious to you or different than normal, it may be your job to assess the problem and urge them to go to the hospital. Every person is different and so is every stroke, so do not make a decision not to seek treatment because of one detail seems not like a stroke, the person may not be experiencing the symptoms yet and may not experience it at all, so do not wait for "more serious" signs. Rapid changes in vision are almost a sign of something serious going on right then, it needs to be checked out.

Note the time when you or the person (if it is not you) started having symptoms. If you find the person unconscious or the potential stroke victim does not know the time, note the time you found them and in what condition they were in. Try to remember the last time that day you saw them appearing normal (before or after a meal, a television show or activity for instance are markers). The medical personnel will need as much information as possible.

It is common for the stroke victim to protest seeking help. You have to be ready to insist that they seek help. An unnecessary trip to the emergency room is not the worst thing in the world.

Call 911 and report the matter. If it is not a stroke and something else, the ambulance will have equipment for dealing with heart attacks or other matters, even very bad migraines do need emergency room attention.

Go by ambulance whenever possible. Unfortunately, statistics show that a person complaining of stroke like symptoms that comes to the emergency room by car will often not be treated as quickly as someone by ambulance will. In the ambulance they can also start the preliminary testing and get them on oxygen, these things will take time in the emergency room if you do not take advantage of the transport time by using an ambulance.

Take aspirin at home before an ambulance arrives if directed by the emergency personnel or their stroke victims' personnel physician, who should be contacted for the medical records.

Keep a list of emergency rescue service numbers next to the telephone and in your pocket, wallet or purse while traveling, as well as a list of medications and insurance cards, etc.

The emergency room personnel will ask the person what happened. Unfortunately, since they do not know your loved one, it is hard for them to know if that person is altered unless they are VERY altered, so you will have to let the patient tell their story of events, but be prepared to fill in details such as how you found the person, lapses of time unaccounted for, and fill in details that they may have omitted (such as their medications or perhaps the person will forget that you found them unconscious). Do not presume any medical information that you cannot definitely know for sure such as does someone take medications or drugs you may not know about, has their doctor recently switched their medication, did they skip a dosage, could they be pregnant, etc and inform the medical personnel as if you know this for a certain if you do not.

Find out which area hospitals are primary stroke centers that have 24-hour emergency stroke care.

Find out if TPA is available near you. TPA is a medication available at a very few select hospitals within the United States, most likely at teaching hospitals. TPA, when used within 4 hours of onset can stop the progression of damaged caused by a stroke, either by greatly limiting the progression of brain damage cause by the stroke and potentially even saving someone's life. If you are equidistant between hospitals or have several in your area, prepare in advance of a potential stroke incident and know if any hospitals near you have TPA available for treating strokes. But remember to act quickly so that there is the best chance of catching the time frame for using TPA. Even if you go by ambulance, there will be delays to decide if TPA will work for a person suffering a stroke (such as if they do not have veins strong enough to sustain the drug) so time is of the essence. A person having a stroke may not recognize what is going on, they just know they are not feeling well for a while and may feel reluctant to complain if they recognize symptoms or be denying them if they do recognize them and are scared.

It is a scary event when you or a loved one is having stroke symptoms, but it is important to act quickly. The more time medical personnel have to work with a person early in a stroke, the more brain you save.