I don't like feeling wooly headed in the morning and sick in the evening. I don't like feeling tired all the time. I don't like having swollen ankles and feet in the evening. I don't like having bad dreams. But the news that Andrew Marr has had a stroke is a wakeup call to remind me (if I needed reminding) why I take the tablets that make me feel like that. Andrew Marr is the same age as me and now has to face the consequences of having had a stroke. Whilst looking at photos I found pictures of my grandma before she had her stroke. I can't really remember her very well before the stroke but she was a very large part of my life after the stroke. The consequences to her life were huge. It affected her speech, coordination, walking and fine motor skills on one side. She came to live with us as my grandfather had a heat attack and died while she was in hospital. Thankfully so much more can be done now when someone has a stoke if they get to hospital quickly.
These are the symptoms of a stoke - we should all know them, maybe you could save someone from living with the terrible consequences of a stroke.
The main stroke symptoms can be remembered with the word FAST: Face-Arms-Speech-Time.
- Face – the face may have dropped on one side, the person may not be able to smile or their mouth or eye may have drooped
- Arms – the person with suspected stroke may not be able to lift one or both arms and keep them there because of arm weakness or numbness
- Speech – their speech may be slurred or garbled, or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake
- Time – it is time to dial 999 immediately if you see any of these signs or symptoms
Today I am having lunch with a friend and doing some of those post Christmas jobs in town, thankful that I can get about independently.
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