CHARLIEFOXTROT - " ...This should drive home Dave's point that time and quick action is paramount. Get to an ER as soon as possible. That first Golden Hour is everything."
Exactly! Time is of the essence once a stroke occurs. I watched a PBS seminar several years ago about strokes. Three of the speakers were neurosurgeons from Johns Hopkins and Mayo Clinic, and the fourth speaker was a young woman who had suffered a stroke. She spoke of the symptoms and what happened to her. It was not pretty.
Aside from many valuable pieces of information, all three of the neurosurgeons stated emphatically how important it was to get to the hospital
as quickly as possible. They also said to
NOT drive -- or have someone drive you -- to the
emergency room at the hospital. Call 9-1-1 immediately and tell the operator you're having a stroke!.
(
Of course, there could be exceptions to this, but not many.)
The paramedics who arrive already know what is happening and they will also call/radio the hospital to alert the proper doctors what has happened and they are delivering a stroke patient to them in a few minutes. A stroke team will be waiting to immediately treat the stroke victim in accordance with their proper procedures.
If you go to an Emergency Room, you'll be losing a lot of time to check in, wait, and lose those precious minutes wherein the stroke doctors and nurses could be helping you.
My father died from an hemorrhagic stroke and my wife died from a stroke and complications of Alzheimer's dementia.
Observe BEFAST. Believe you or your spouse is having a stroke?
CALL 9-1-1 immediately!
Best of luck to all who have suffered strokes.
L.W.
