What do I do if I think I might be having a stroke.

What do I do if I think I might be having a stroke? This is a question that a lot of patients who have had stroke scares in the past ask us here at Frontline Emergency Room and we thought it wise to address the issue in this blog post.

Strokes are very serious complications which can result in detrimental results if they are not treated on time. Strokes occur to you when your brain isn’t getting enough blood required to replenish all the vital body organs and if the stroke is not treated on time, it can lead to brain damage, permanent disability and in extreme cases, death.

Understanding what to do in the event of a stroke can prove to be a valuable. Every second counts when a person is having a stroke and knowing what to do in the few critical seconds can mean the difference between someone living and them losing their lives. In this blog post, we would like to provide a quick guide to help you understand what you need to do if you suspect that you are having a stroke. Here is what you should do if you or your loved one is suffering from a stroke;

What to do if you are suffering from a stroke

Call Emergency Services Immediately

If you are sure that you are suffering from a stroke, the first thing to do before anything is to alert emergency services. Ensure that you tell the dispatcher that you suspect that you are suffering from a stroke and this will make it easier for them to send appropriate help your way.

Ascertain the symptoms of the stroke using the FAST check

The FAST test is used to check for the most common symptoms of a stroke and you can use the test on yourself or on someone else. Here is how the FACE test works:

Face- Try smiling in front of a mirror and see if one side of the face drops. Alternatively you can smile before someone and ask them to see if one side of the face drops slightly below the other side.

Arm- Try raising both your arms. If one of your arms drifts downwards every time you try lifting it up, you should be alarmed.

Speech- Try saying something and hear if it sounds strange in any way. Any slow or slurred speech should be a red light.

Time- If the answer to any or all of these above questions is yes, call for emergency services immediately and note down the time when you first started experiencing the symptoms.

The FAST check is very important as it helps alleviate the potential of false alarm to the emergency services and also helps record the time one started experiencing symptoms. The time the symptoms started is very important to the emergency service providers as it helps them to make more informed decisions on the treatment options to consider on the patient.

Perform CPR if necessary

Although most stroke patients don’t normally require CPR, it might be needed at times. If you come across a stroke victim, it is important to check their pulse and breathing pattern to ascertain that they are breathing normally and their pulse is as required.

If the pulse and breathing is not regular, you might be required to administer CPR. If you have no knowledge of how to administer CPR, you can give the emergency services a call and let them walk you through the entire process of performing CPR. Perform the CPR until you resuscitate the victim or until the emergency services arrive in the scene to take over.

The most important thing is to be prepared

Now that close to a million people suffer from strokes in the USA, it calls for preparation to deal with strokes whenever they strike. You never know when or where you will need to apply your stroke knowledge to save a life.

Always be aware of the warning signs of a stroke which include difficulty speaking, numbness in the face, dizziness, severe headache, vision loss and confusion. Ensure that your immediate family members and friends are aware of these warning signs as well. This way, you and you friends will always have one another’s back at all times.

Equally if you have any medical condition, ensure that you wear a medical bracelet or some other form of identification which clearly mentions your medical conditions and any allergies.

Give Frontline Emergency Room A Call Today

Are you in Dallas or Richmond Texas and are looking for the best emergency room to report your suspected stroke? Look no further than our way here at Frontline Emergency Room. Frontline Emergency Room is a no wait emergency care facility offering the best emergency services to the locals of Richmond, TX and Dallas, TX at very affordable rates.

Frontline Emergency Rooms accept most of the medical insurances on offer in Texas and you should therefore not be too worried about your insurance. We also offer a flexible payment plan and are always willing to listen to you. Give us a call here at Frontline emergency room today and we will gladly be of help concerning strokes.

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