To mark American Stroke Month, Erlanger Southeast Regional Stroke Center would like to help you recognize the common and not-so-common signs of a stroke.
Each year nearly 800,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke. It’s the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the U.S.
But too often, the signs of a stroke can be hard to recognize. Common symptoms, like arm weakness, headache or dizziness can be easily ignored. Rather than call 911, many people wait for the symptoms to go away — only to realize later they suffered a mini stroke or that they could have prevented a major one.
Why it’s important to know the signs
According to Dr. Thomas Devlin, Co-Director of Erlanger Southeast Regional Stroke Center, “If you even think it’s a stroke, it’s time to act fast. A few minutes can mean the difference between a full recovery and severe disability — or even death.”
To help you recognize the many different signs of a potential stroke, the specialists at Erlanger have compiled this convenient list.
F.A.S.T. is a widely-accepted guide that can help you determine whether someone is
having a stroke:
- F = Face drooping: Ask the person experiencing symptoms to smile. Is one side of their face drooping?
- A = Arm Weakness: Tell the person to close their eyes and raise their arms above their head. Is the person unable to lift one or both arms?
- S = Speech Problems: When the person speaks, is their speech slurred, or are they having issues speaking or understanding words?
- T = Time to call 911: If the person is experiencing any of the above signs, call 911 immediately.
These symptoms are also often associated with a stroke:
- Sudden dizziness
- Difficulty walking, lack of coordination
- Severe headache
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg — particularly on one side
- Blurred or double vision, lack of vision
These signals are not as common, but are indicative of certain types of strokes:
- Sudden agitation, migraine headaches, indigestion or nausea — unique symptoms that women often present during a stroke
- Quick, inquisitive behavior — typical of a stroke that occurs in the right side of the brain
- Inability to move anything below one’s neck — indicative of a stroke that occurs in the brain stem.
While not a complete list of symptoms, these guidelines provide a helpful base of knowledge that could make a difference to you or someone you love. Help spread awareness by sharing this article and visit Erlanger.org to learn more.
Erlanger is dedicated to helping prevent strokes through education, prevention and comprehensive treatment. Visit our website to learn how Erlanger can help you manage risk factors and get the care you need.
Very helpful thank you
Thank you very much!! Stroke symptoms need to be reviewed often. I have numerous migraines and have been to a number of doctors so strokes are a major concern for me!
I just hung this on my office door
We are so glad that you found the post useful, Rose. Thank you for sharing it with others!
Thank you Dr Devlin .. and team! Great information!
My brother has to wait until November to get in to see a Neurologist I am not sure who it is with but he needs to see one sooner. His hands are trembling, really bad headaches, lips quivering, why do they make him wait so long???
Hi Brenda, thank you for reaching out to us. We would like to look into your concerns; Can you confirm which neurologist your brother is scheduled to see?
I been having headache in double vision could it be that i had a mini stroke
Hi Tearria, if you feel this is an emergency, please call 911 or get to an Emergency Room immediately. If not, we recommend talking with your primary care physician regarding your symptoms.
Thank you for sharing this info. Some people ignore the signs and symptoms. Dr. Devlin is an awesome Dr. I am so thankful he was willing to see my son when he did. Thank you.
Thank you, Linda! We are glad your son was able to see Dr. Devlin.
My cardiologist believes I had a TIA.. my blood pressure runs in the high 200s and it was 230/140 last week and i lost vision in my right eye for about 10-15 minutes.
Hi Jeremy, if you feel this is an emergency, please call 911 or get to an Emergency Room immediately. If not, we recommend talking with your primary care physician regarding these symptoms.
I had a 15-20 minute event where I initially had vision issues that further developed into inability to read words or speak words. I was totally aware during the episode and knew I was unable to speak. My b/p was 107/60, my bs was in the 90s, my cholesterol is 155,I had lost 30 lbs since Dec and was near my ideal weight, so decided I did not have the risk factors so was in denial that it was a stroke type event. I had a full recovery (I think)and told my husband I preferred to wait and call my PCP the next day. She direct admitted me for 24 hour telemetry, MRI, MRA, Echo and labs ( I do have a 16 yr hx of mild cardiomyopathy with EF of 40%). I was told that I possibly could have gone on to have a more severe CVA in my sleep that could have even resulted in death as the 3 days falling a TIA are high risk for further more severe stroke. My MRI showed small vessel ischemic disease with a mild lesion burden, some of which was also from an older event. ( I know I had a TIA 10 yrs ago). I was put on Plavix for 90 days and ASA along with Lipitor. I now have a healthy respect for TIAs which I was told the correct term is “incomplete Stroke” and in the future if I have any of the described symptoms, I will not wait but go immediately to the ER. I am thankful for no lasting effects at this point.
Hi Deborah, thank you for sharing your story so others can learn from your experience!
I had a stroke in January of this year. Thanks to quick thinking of my daughter, she told me to,call 911. I was met at Erlanger when the ambulance arrived by Dr. Devlin and after quick Cat scan, I was told that I had a stroke and was admitted to Erlanger for treatment and then to Siskin Hospital for Rehab. I am now driving and almost back to normal. Thanks also to my cardiologist, Dr. Carol Gruver for the continued great care.
Wow, Joann! Kudos to your daughter. We are delighted that you have regained your quality of life and appreciate your kind words.
I am almost 50, a smoker, no high blood pressure but high cholesterol and for the past few weeks the right side of my face feels numb. Just last week I had a few days with really bad headaches. My neck and shoulders hurt a lot (desk job). The soonest I could get in to see my Dr. is a week from today. Should I go to the ER?
Hi Stephanie, if you feel this is an emergency, please call 911 or get to an Emergency Room immediately. If not, we recommend talking with your primary care physician regarding your symptoms.
I was experiencing floating light anomilies then 2 mins later complete temporary blindness for up to 5 mins, A head rush that put me on the edge of blacking out, followed by a 6 hour long migraine headache. Diagnosed with Scintillating scotoma due to a severe sinus infection brought on by nasal polyps. Felt very stroke like when going on, but after the antibiotics they went away. Sometimes it’s a simple fix to a complicated problem.