In the light of helping eachother I thought I would pass this on.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps, STR . Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S *Ask the individual to SMILE. (In my case, if I don't respond to that one, don't wait-------- call 911)

T *Ask the person to TALK . To SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (I.e. . . It is sunny out today)

R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

{NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue... If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke}

Good info, Ray.

One thing to consider is that stroke symptoms can look a lot like another cardiovascular problem -- brain aneurysms. Unlike strokes (which are caused by a blockage), aneurysms are a weakening in the blood vessel that can eventually rupture, and they most frequently go undetected. Preceding an aneurysm, someone might experience numbness in the face, disruptions to sight, or a bad headache.

having had two family members die of cerebral aneurysms, my mother at 57 and my older sister at 31, I can say that anyone who has a family history of aneurysms, or has had a head injury, should take prolonged headaches very seriously indeed. Don't be stubborn and "tough it out".. See a doctor.. Adavances in science since my Mom's and sister's death mean that MRI's can detect and precisely locate potential aneurysms and Doctors can correct the problem most times through surgery to include catherterization surgery which obviates the need of totally invasive surgery..

pardon the pun, but in the event the symptoms arise, don't be hard-headed, see a doctor.. Better safe than gone for good..

Exactly, Dave. Our family experience with aneurysms was having the radiologist discover my mother's brain aneurysm during an angiogram for a blocked carotid artery -- talk about your choice between a stroke and an aneurysm!! She had surgery for the artery, then three weeks later had neurosurgery to repair the aneurysm. Eight years later, she's still going strong, but I think it's fair to say she would have been gone years ago had she not listened to her body and gotten to the hospital as soon as she started feeling circulation symptoms -- tingling fingers.

By the time we Westerners realize what we've done to our circulation systems, we're often too far gone to repair the full damage -- cholesterol levels in the high 200s, arteries blocked with plaque, hearts that have had to pump too hard for too long.