May is Stroke Awareness Month!

[RSLancastr]

Hello, Everyone!

Robert Lancaster here!

May is Stroke Awareness Month, and I am sending this to my various "families." You guys were my "UC family," so I am sending it out to you as well.

Before I had my stroke, I knew almost nothing about them. I was in a very high-risk group (from my weight and high blood pressure) but knew none of the dangers, warning signs, or self-diagnoses.

RISK FACTORS - Controllable

High Blood Pressure
High Cholesterol
Diabetes
Smoking
Alcohol Use
Obesity
Physical Inactivity

Sounds like a description of a typical card collector, doesn't it? PLEASE take a look and see which of these risk factors you can reduce or eliminate in your life.

Strokes are no fun, people. Mine almost killed me - twice! It has left me with a paralyzed left side, living my life in a wheel chair. Had I paid more attention to these risk factors, I might still be walking, a useful part of the workforce, and not so much of a burden to my wonderful Susan. And I met dozens of other stroke patients during my hospitalization, many of whom had far worse stroke-caused conditions than I did, including total blindness, deafness, and Alzheimer-like dementia.

RISK FACTORS - Uncontrollable

Age: while I always associated strokes with the elderly, don't think you are "in the clear" if you are not yet in that age group. I had mine when I was only 50 years old, and have learned that strokes can strike at any age. In fact, strokes have happened even to babies - even to foetuses in the womb!

Gender: While strokes are more commonly associated with men, they are increasingly common among women (women are twice as likely tp die from stroke than from Breast Cancer), and are the highest cause of death in women in the Western world today.

Race: There is a higher incidence of strokes among African Americans, Hispanics and Asian/PacificIslanders than among caucasions

Family History of stroke is also a factor. If others in your family have had strokes, pay even closer attention to the Controllable risk factors.

STROKE SYMPTOMS

Learn the F.A.S.T. Method for diagnosing strokes. If you think someone may have had a stroke:

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. Does the speech sound slurred or strange?
T = Time -- If you observe any of these signs, it’s time to call 911. Time is crucial, brain cells are dying!

MORE INFO

Far more information can be found on the web site of the National Stroke Association (www.stroke.org)

PLEASE SHARE

Feel free to forward a copy of this to any friends and loved ones you feel may benefit from it.[/QUOTE]