Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Symptoms Before a Stroke

Knowing about the symptoms before a stroke is of paramount importance in preventing the occurrence of  a stroke. I wish I had known what to look for, so that I could have avoided my stroke. I really hope that I can help spread the word about the important symptoms before a stroke, so that fewer people suffer the same fate as I did.
  1. Painful headache with no known cause. The pain supersedes all other headaches. You might also feel pain around your eyes, in your neck and in or around your face. Often this headache comes out of the blue is a major symptom before a stroke.

  2. Difficulty walking. You might notice that you're stumbling, feeling dizzy or experiencing a lack of coordination. If you're having a stroke, you may stumble or have sudden dizziness, loss of balance or loss of coordination. It can feel like you've just gotten off boat and haven't gotten your land legs yet.

  3. Problems with speech. You might notice some problems with speech like slurring your words or even difficulty understanding other people speaking.

  4. Vision problems. You might notice that you're having problems seeing with either eye or with both eyes. You might suddenly experience blurred vision, double vision or even just see black.

  5. Numbness or paralysis on one side of the body. You may suddenly experience numbness or paralysis in your face, arm or leg. One thing you can do if you think you're having a stroke is lift your arms up over your head. If one arm starts to fall down, you might be having a stroke.
The common denominator among the above symptoms is their SUDDEN onset. Should you experience one or more of these stroke symptoms, call 911 immediately and tell them that you believe you might be having a stroke. 

Please share this list of symptoms before a stroke with everyone you know. I know from experience that the key to recovery from a stroke is immediate medical attention. I was not so lucky and therefore would like to save other people from the exhaustingly slow recovery that I am still enduring. 

Take heart and know that should you experience a stroke, time is of the utmost importance. Of this I am positive. Wishing you loads of aloha. Tara

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