Blood Clots/Stroke - They Now Have a Fourth Indicator, the Tongue

I received this as an email, I did not write it and have edited the content to fit this posting, I assert no copyright of said piece and reproduce as a community awareness gesture only.

TBB  

STROKE  IDENTIFICATION:

During a BBQ, Ingrid  stumbled and took a little fall - she assured  everyone that she was fine (they offered to call  paramedics) .she said she had just tripped over  a brick because of her new shoes.

They  got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of  food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid  went about enjoying herself the rest of the  evening

Ingrid's husband called later  telling everyone that his wife had been taken to  the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.)  She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they  known how to identify the signs of a stroke,  perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some  don't die. they end up in a helpless, hopeless  condition instead.

A neurologist says that  if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours  he can totally reverse the effects of a  stroke...totally. He said the trick was  getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then  getting the patient medically cared for within 3  hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A  STROKE

'3' steps, STR

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are  difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack  of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim  may suffer severe brain damage when people  nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a  stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can  recognize a stroke by asking three simple  questions:

S  *Ask the  individual to SMILE.
T  *Ask the  person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE  (Coherently)
(i.e. It is sunny out  today.)
R  *Ask him  or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If  he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these  tasks, call emergency number immediately  and describe the symptoms to the  dispatcher.

New  Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your  Tongue

NOTE:  Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the  person to 'stick' out his tongue.. If the tongue  is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the  other,  that is  also an indication of a  stroke.