Know the signs of a stroke

And advocate for people in your life

On Thursday when my dad picked me up from the kitchen he wasn’t able to speak in full sentences.

He is currently in the hospital – and stable. He had a small bleed inside his brain that is stabilized now.

The doctors are currently investigating the root cause. It may have been a stroke, CAA, hypertension, spontaneous, or from a recent car accident. At this point we don’t know, but he is most likely going to recover and go home in a few days if this trend continues.

It’s very important to know the signs of a stroke and be observant of the people in your life, and advocate for people in your life.

My dad wasn’t making sense, but you could see he knew what he wanted to say but couldn’t speak the right words (aphasia). But he also refused to go to the hospital, so I called 911 and I spent 3 hours with him and the paramedics negotiating that he go to the hospital.

He is stubborn and refused to go. With a stroke time really matters. Don’t be stubborn when people are telling you that you medical treatment.

If someone in your life is showing the signs of a stroke call 911. Do not give them any medication. For example, someone suggested giving my dad aspirin – but given that his brain was bleeding that would have made the situation worse.

Leave it to the medical professionals. If your family is getting conflicting advice call 911. That is what they are there for.

Signs of a stroke:

• Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body.

• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding speech.

• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.

• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or lack of coordination.

• Sudden severe headache with no known cause.

If you think someone may be having a stroke, act F.A.S.T. and do the following test:

F—Face: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?

A—Arms: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

S—Speech: Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is the speech slurred or strange?

T—Time: If you see any of these signs, call 911 right away.

Write down the time when any symptoms first appear. This information helps health care providers determine the best treatment for each person.

Do not drive to the hospital or let someone else drive you. Call 911 for an ambulance so that medical personnel can begin life-saving treatment on the way to the emergency room.

Create a note in your phone with information about the people you care for (or for yourself to share with the people who will take care of you).

• List of medications, including past medications

• List of past surgeries

• Chronic conditions and/or disease

• Baseline metrics like how they walk, talk, blood pressure, blood sugar, etc

• Family lawyer who has their will

• Discuss how they want to handle the situation if their heart stops

• Set a power of attorney for medical decisions in case of an emergency

Setting up all this stuff when a person is healthy is very uncomfortable. No one wants to discuss illness or death. But it’s better than figuring it out when everyone is in crisis mode. Write it down, give the note to the hospital. You’re going to have to repeat it 15 times a day.

If you don’t know how to have the conversation, you can say “you know that guy on internet with the granola? His dad just had a stroke and said we should discuss this. It will take 10 minutes.”

I am fine – my support system is supporting me.

My dad can somewhat hold a conversation now and has no other issues at present, but is at risk for stroke while he’s off blood thinners

Because I knew the signs of a stroke, on Thursday I was a stubborn asshole until he got to the hospital.

Now you now know the signs of a stroke. If there is a time you need to be a stubborn asshole to get someone to the hospital for a stroke, do it.

Marko