My granddad just suffered a stroke
Thankfully my father was on the phone with him and heard it in his voice, picked up my step mom's cell and called 911 for him, while keeping my granddad on the phone. These are a few easy steps to identify an oncoming stroke, sent to me by my EMT..soon to be Paramedic.. sister.
How to ID a stroke.
With the facial droop- get the pt to smile, this will show a more pronounced drooping and see if pt has control of muscle use. Also ask them to stick out their tongue. Once again that will show facial muscle control.
Ask them to say a sentence. "can't teach an old dog new tricks" or something of the like..
With the arm drift...Have the pt place their arms directly out in front of them, have them close thier eyes but keep their arms out. If one drifts or shows weakness, that is a sign of a stroke. This will only take a couple seconds to show.
Also, have the pt squeeze your fingers with both hands...see if you can feel a difference in strength. Ask the pt to push down on your hand with their foot like a gas pedal while you create resistance, do that with both feet. Then have the pt pull up on your hand going the opposite way while you give resistance. If there is any sign of weakness to one side that is a sign of stroke. (unless there is some other explanation for weakness...hx of a stroke-polio, car accident etc)
To have ANY ONE of these symptoms is an approximate 77% chance the pt is having a stroke. Remember, whatever side is effected it is the opposite side of the brain that is having the stroke. The one exception is if you look at the pt's pupils and notice one more dialated than the other- whichever one is dialated...that is the side of the brain the stroke is on. Pretty cool huh?
Now with Heart Attacks...
Did you know that some elderly diabetic people, especially women usually do not show the classic symptoms of an MI. Some might just complain of toe pain that won't go away. Or their jaw hurts for no reason. Women will often experience back pain before ever experiencing the classic substernal crushing chest pain radiating to the left arm and that is if they experience it at all.
True cardiac chest pain will have:
cool, clammy skin, maybe cyanosis to the fingers or toes
epigastric pain...maybe a feeling of heart burn that is not relieved with antacids
back pain
jaw and neck pain
left arm pain or tingling sensation.
feeling of aggitation-due to anxiety and hypoxia (blood is not being pumped appropriately so all the oxygen you are breathing is not being transported to the brain)
Also look at the pt's fingers, how are they shaped, pts with cardiac problems will often have clubbed fingers that are fattened and stump like.
ALL CHEST PAIN SHOULD BE DOCUMENTED (what you were doing when it happened, what relieved it, how long did it last, what did it feel like) AND DISCUSSED WITH A DOCTOR!!!!!!!!! NO MATTER HOW STUPID YOU MIGHT THINK IT IS! LET YOUR DOCTOR DECIDE IF IT IS IMPORTANT OR NOT!
IF you feel like you are having a heart attack take 4- 81mg asprin...total of 324mg. Take deep breaths, stay calm, have someone call 911, stay still (add no more stress to your heart) and the American Heart Association is even looking into the benefits of a forceful cough every couple of minutes. This positive pressure of forceful exhale helps squeeze the heart which helps pump blood through the body...its kind of like your own personal CPR. Have all insurance cards in a handy place. Put a document on your computer that you can easily print off that has your name, birth date, SSN, address, blood type if known (hey you never know what's going to happen!) Meds you take, allergies to medications, Past medical hx. (even your back surgery), name of next of kin, second emergency contact, Dr's name and #, and keep a copy printed, saved on the CPU and a copy in your wallet or purse. This helps save you from h aving to talk and explain everything and the paramedics can focus on care and not this information. This might seem a bit much to keep on a piece of paper (what if someone got a hold of it???) But if you are unconscious it could help save your life ex. god forbid anything were to happen to Sandy but lets say she is at work, gets really short of breath and passes out OR begins to act strange like she's having a stroke. Her history of blood clots would be a huge red flag for a paramedic to see and would lead him to think of a better facility for her to go to and a better route of treatment. You see? So that is just some info I thought I would share hope it is handy and you never have to use it. But if you do...it might be you saving someones life.
How to ID a stroke.
With the facial droop- get the pt to smile, this will show a more pronounced drooping and see if pt has control of muscle use. Also ask them to stick out their tongue. Once again that will show facial muscle control.
Ask them to say a sentence. "can't teach an old dog new tricks" or something of the like..
With the arm drift...Have the pt place their arms directly out in front of them, have them close thier eyes but keep their arms out. If one drifts or shows weakness, that is a sign of a stroke. This will only take a couple seconds to show.
Also, have the pt squeeze your fingers with both hands...see if you can feel a difference in strength. Ask the pt to push down on your hand with their foot like a gas pedal while you create resistance, do that with both feet. Then have the pt pull up on your hand going the opposite way while you give resistance. If there is any sign of weakness to one side that is a sign of stroke. (unless there is some other explanation for weakness...hx of a stroke-polio, car accident etc)
To have ANY ONE of these symptoms is an approximate 77% chance the pt is having a stroke. Remember, whatever side is effected it is the opposite side of the brain that is having the stroke. The one exception is if you look at the pt's pupils and notice one more dialated than the other- whichever one is dialated...that is the side of the brain the stroke is on. Pretty cool huh?
Now with Heart Attacks...
Did you know that some elderly diabetic people, especially women usually do not show the classic symptoms of an MI. Some might just complain of toe pain that won't go away. Or their jaw hurts for no reason. Women will often experience back pain before ever experiencing the classic substernal crushing chest pain radiating to the left arm and that is if they experience it at all.
True cardiac chest pain will have:
cool, clammy skin, maybe cyanosis to the fingers or toes
epigastric pain...maybe a feeling of heart burn that is not relieved with antacids
back pain
jaw and neck pain
left arm pain or tingling sensation.
feeling of aggitation-due to anxiety and hypoxia (blood is not being pumped appropriately so all the oxygen you are breathing is not being transported to the brain)
Also look at the pt's fingers, how are they shaped, pts with cardiac problems will often have clubbed fingers that are fattened and stump like.
ALL CHEST PAIN SHOULD BE DOCUMENTED (what you were doing when it happened, what relieved it, how long did it last, what did it feel like) AND DISCUSSED WITH A DOCTOR!!!!!!!!! NO MATTER HOW STUPID YOU MIGHT THINK IT IS! LET YOUR DOCTOR DECIDE IF IT IS IMPORTANT OR NOT!
IF you feel like you are having a heart attack take 4- 81mg asprin...total of 324mg. Take deep breaths, stay calm, have someone call 911, stay still (add no more stress to your heart) and the American Heart Association is even looking into the benefits of a forceful cough every couple of minutes. This positive pressure of forceful exhale helps squeeze the heart which helps pump blood through the body...its kind of like your own personal CPR. Have all insurance cards in a handy place. Put a document on your computer that you can easily print off that has your name, birth date, SSN, address, blood type if known (hey you never know what's going to happen!) Meds you take, allergies to medications, Past medical hx. (even your back surgery), name of next of kin, second emergency contact, Dr's name and #, and keep a copy printed, saved on the CPU and a copy in your wallet or purse. This helps save you from h aving to talk and explain everything and the paramedics can focus on care and not this information. This might seem a bit much to keep on a piece of paper (what if someone got a hold of it???) But if you are unconscious it could help save your life ex. god forbid anything were to happen to Sandy but lets say she is at work, gets really short of breath and passes out OR begins to act strange like she's having a stroke. Her history of blood clots would be a huge red flag for a paramedic to see and would lead him to think of a better facility for her to go to and a better route of treatment. You see? So that is just some info I thought I would share hope it is handy and you never have to use it. But if you do...it might be you saving someones life.