The long-standing basics for catching strokes early may be familiar to you, as they start with the first three letters of the word stroke, STR:
Ask the person you suspect has suffered a stroke if they can SMILE, TALK in a simple sentence, and RAISE both of their arms in the air. But the newish thinking on this is to also ask that person to STICK out their tongue. If the tongue looks crooked or only goes to one side or the other, that could be an indicator that there has been a stroke. Knowing to call 911 if you see any of these symptoms could help you save someone’s life. So, the new letters to keep in mind are STRS!
But wait, there are other stroke symptoms you should know
- Numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Confusion or understanding speech
- Trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Problems walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Intense headache with no known cause