Did you know that each year, women have more strokes than men? It’s the 3rd leading cause of death among women in the U.S., and a lot of women don’t even know the warning signs.
Here’s a quick list of warning signs to keep in the back of your mind for you or someone you love:
- Sudden onset of numbness or weakness in face, arms, or legs {especially on one side of the body}
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding {I have this one on a daily basis, so I don’t know if I would actually recognize it} 😉
- Sudden difficulty seeing or blurred vision
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness or loss of balance {or coordination issues}
- Sudden severe headache without a cause
If you recognize any of these symptoms in someone, remember FAST.
F {face}-Ask the person to smile, does one side of their face droop?
A {arms}-Ask the person to raise both arms, does on arm drift down?
S {speech} – Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase, do they struggle?
T {time}- Time is of the essence, if you recognize the symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately.
~Mavis
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Cathy says
When in doubt, call 911. Better a little embarrassment by over-reacting than the consequences of an untreated stroke.
Immediate treatment can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke or save your life.
NCJill says
Hi Mavis! Last Nov, at age 48, I had a stroke out of the blue. My 9 year old daughter and I were the only ones home and she was smart enough to make the right phone calls and get me immediate help. I am a healthy, active woman with no other health concerns. After 2 days in the ER, etc. they finally found a congenital hole in my heart. Crazy stuff!! Unfortunately, there are only 3 ways to help this….surgery, heavy meds, or a daily aspirin. None if the 3 has proved better than the rest so I now take the aspirin (duh). No brainer, right.
Melissa says
One I didn’t know and actually witnessed without realizing what was happening – my grandma’s mild stroke a few months ago started out with what she thought was the flu – all of a sudden, with no lead up aches or fever like she normally would experience with the flu, she started having waves of nausea and vomiting, even took her in for a same day appt with the doctor and they thought it was the flu, basically just because it was flu season and she hadn’t gotten a flu shot, sent her home with meds to help w/nausea, and by the time we got home, her legs were so weak she couldn’t really get out of the car, at least not on her own, but I think I kept just attributing it to her nausea and dehydration at that point, and it wasn’t only on one side, it was equally on both sides, and she could speak, but kept saying “I just don’t know what’s wrong with me, I don’t know why I can’t move or why I feel like this” – that should have been my real indicator….sorry for the long comment, just wanted to put that possible symptom of a stroke out there – it was missed by medical professionals while it was going on, which apparently is fairly common! She has recovered remarkably well, thankfully