First Aid and CPR - Symptoms for a Stroke

It is a great thing to get your First Aid and CPR certification,  especially if you get trained by a good teacher.  Terri Benoit, a nurse and EMT who is an American Red Cross instructor, has been teaching 1st Aid and CPR for many years here in Connecticut.  She was first recommended to me as an instructor through the Westbrook Parks and Recreation Department and has been very helpful in getting sailing instructors trained in First Aid and CPR over the years.  She started out as a hospital nurse and also works as a personal trainer and is the mother of two school age children.   I would describe her teaching method as relaxed, hands on, realistic and very informative.  She has lots of  stories to share from the field that help one make sense of all the information. 

One of her stories was about the symptoms for a stroke.  She told us that there is a 2 hour window for the victim to get to the hospital.  She said that if you call 911, then do CPR and recussitate them right away, there is an excellent chance that they will be back to normal.  People who are having strokes may get dizzy, confused, lose their balance, not be able to see out of one or both eyes, have numbness on one side or the other of their body, not be able to move their arms.  A good test for stroke is to have the person stick out their tongue; if they can't do that, there is a good chance they have had a stroke.  Another is to ask them to stick their arms out to the front or the sides. 

Terri told us about her 96 year old uncle who couldn't talk because he was having a stroke so they called the ambulance right away.   Medical breakthroughs have provided medications that can reverse the effects of a stroke if the victim is taken to the hospital quickly enough.  Remember that one can suffer from a stroke at a much younger age and it is much better to call 911 if there is a health emergency than to suffer pangs of regret.  Here's to your good health and that of your family and friends and also to your ability to act correctly and effectively in any health emergencies.