It’s a normal day and you’re going about your normal routine, and all of a sudden your vision starts to blur and you see double while one side of your body just feels heavier than the other side. Do you know what’s happening? Do you know what to do next?
Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center held a Lunch and Learn Thursday afternoon at the Holiday Inn on North Westwood Boulevard. The purpose of the luncheon was to help inform everyone about the warning signs and dangers of having a stroke.
Kim Shackleford, the stroke coordinator for PBRMC, gave an informative presentation replete with facts concerning the dangers of stroke.
“Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S.,” Shackleford stated. “And it is also the leading cause of disability among adults.”
Shackleford went on to explain the long term differences between heart attack and stroke, and why strokes are often so devastating to a person’s future.
“When you have a heart attack, if you get medical attention immediately and we can take care of you and get those valves clear, you can often recover and go back to your life almost like nothing happened,” She explained. “But, if you have a stroke, often times the effects linger for the rest of your life. One side of your body is compromised and doesn’t function like it did before. It can affect your speech as well as your mobility.”
Shackleford insisted that if a person suspects they are showing symptoms of a stroke, they must seek medical attention immediately.
“There is a medication known as a thrombolytic that can bust up a clot that can help manage the stroke if it’s caught early on,” she noted. “But it must be done within the first four fours of signs of a stroke. After four hours, it’s just too dangerous and risky to administer that medication. I hate situations where someone tried to sleep off their bad feeling and waited to come in until the next day; because we can’t give that medicine, then.”
As far as recognizing the symptoms of stroke, and what to do about it, Shackleford introduced everyone to the acronym BE FAST. B — for balance issues; E — for double vision and difficulty focusing; F — for facial drooping; A — for arm weakness/numbness; S — for difficulty speaking and confused speech; and, T — time to call 911.
“Don’t try to drive yourself or have someone drive you if you suspect a stroke,” she explained. “The reason is because EMS workers can come to you and immediately start getting medical information and do things to start helping you immediately to avoid prolonged effects.”
PBRMC is a level two primary stroke center and is certified as an advanced primary stroke center with the ability to provide definitive care to high volumes of stroke patients within the region.