Saturday, January 05, 2008

Stroke

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke... totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE
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.

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

R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 999/911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue

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



A reply from a good friend of mine and my father's after my dad sent it to all of us:

Thanks Bill ... a good referral for us all,

I was in Croatia with my daughter on a tour a bit over a year ago. I was sitting talking airline economics with a couple of fellow tour members. I suddenly could not formulate my words apparently muttering. The couple excused
themselves apparently embarrassed for me. I tried to get up and walk away. I fell down, got up and then my daughter confronted me. I just stood there dazed. She asked who she was. I could not remember or say her name . Fortunately a Dr. was on tour and immediately recognized the symptoms. They fed me an aspirin and water and rushed me to the nearest hospital. I was "absent" for an estimated 20 minutes.Shortly thereafter I only felt tired but fully conscious.I vaguely remembered the past 20 minutes.

I do understand how experiencing a quick recovery a person could easily want to or simply ignore the happening.

My care was excellent in the local hospital. Ekg, CAT scan, MRI,intravenous,nurse , private room etc. However the only person who understood any English was the Chief Neurologist. After I returned to the States I had every test imaginable and we wrote off the cause to extended and heavy stress.

Hopefully I never have a T.I.A. again !

All my best to the family,

Erik


(Yeah, Yeah, I'll get back to the funnies...)

Friday, January 04, 2008

Why you Puke


Jim Breuer Explains why you throw up when you drink.

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Paul Newman

A Michigan woman and her family were vacationing in a small new England town where Paul Newman and his family often visited.

One Sunday morning, the woman got up early to take a long walk. After a brisk five-mile hike, she decided to treat herself to a double-dip chocolate ice cream cone.

She hopped in the car, drove to the center of the village and went straight to the combination bakery/ice cream parlor.

There was only one other patron in the store, Paul Newman, sitting at the counter having a doughnut and coffee.

The woman's heart skipped a beat as her eyes made contact with those famous baby-blue eyes.

The actor nodded graciously and the star-struck woman smiled demurely.

Pull yourself together! She chides herself. You're a happily married woman with three children; you're forty-five years old, not a teenager!

The clerk filled her order and she took the double-dip chocolate ice cream cone in one hand and her change in the other. Then she went out the door, avoiding even a glance in Paul Newman's direction.

When she reached her car, she realized that she had a handful of change but her other hand was empty.

Where's my ice cream cone? Did I leave it in the store? Back into the shop she went, expecting to see the cone still in the clerk's hand or in a holder on the counter or something. No ice cream cone was in sight.

With that, she happened to look over at Paul Newman.

His face broke into his familiar warm friendly grin and he said to the woman,

"You put it in your purse."