But do you know what to look for?
Often, a stroke is mistaken for an event that takes place in the heart.
But it happens in the brain when blood flow is disrupted either by a blockage or bleeding.
Deprived of the oxygen it needs, that part of the brain starts to die.
“If you think about it, the brain is really responsible for everything that you do.
A quick and easy way to remember the most common signs of a stroke is withthe acronym FAST.
It stands for face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty and time to call 911.
Severe headache is another warning that shouldn’t be overlooked, he says.
One of the reasons, experts predict, has to do with COVID-19s impact on blood clotting.
Critical illness and severe infections also predispose patients to stroke.
However, not everyone who has a stroke experiences the hallmark symptoms or is clued into them right away.
Headache and dizziness, for example, are easy to attribute to everyday triggers such as allergies and stress.
Perhaps it was tweaked at the gym.
“The brain is tricky; neurology is tricky.
So these things can sometimes be written off or ignored, Elkind says.
Here’s what four stroke survivors experienced during the days and minutes leading up to their strokes.
It wasn’t his first one that day either.
He’d also been having severe headaches for days sinus pressure, he thought.
That’s when his friend, John, started to notice something was off.
“He looks at me at some point and says, What’s wrong?
Stop mumbling; you’re mumbling, " Tapking recalls.
And I don’t remember mumbling.
Frankly, I thought we were just having a conversation like we’re doing right now.
So he would ask a question and I would respond.
At least I thought I was responding.
… And all of a sudden he blurts out, Are you having a stroke?
