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Warning Signs of Stroke
If you experience any of the warning signs below for 2 to 3 minutes, seek emergency medical help immediately.
Dial 911 - Do NOT wait to see if the symptoms go away—immediate treatment may be able to stop a stroke before permanent damage occurs
- Do NOT call your family doctor; do NOT drive yourself to the hospital
- DO call 911
Common warning signs: - sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg on one side of the body
- blurred or decreased vision in one or both eyes
- difficulty speaking to or understanding others
- sudden severe headaches with no apparent cause
- dizziness
- sudden loss of balance or coordination
- recent change in personality or mental ability
Mini-Strokes Ministrokes are called Transient Ischemic Attacks (TIAs). A TIA has the same symptoms as a full blown stroke, but symptoms usually go away within an hour or less. It is extremely important to seek urgent medical attention for a TIA because intervention may prevent a full scale stroke. TIAs are extremely important warning signs of stroke.
What is a Stroke? Strokes, oftentimes called brain attacks, occur when arteries leading to the brain burst or become blocked. When this happens, parts of the brain and the functions they control are destroyed. This can lead to paralysis; speech problems; loss of memory, feeling, and reasoning; coma, and even death.
Treatable risk factors for stroke: - high blood pressure (hypertension)
- diabetes
- heart disease
- high red blood cell count
- smoking
Other conditions that indirectly increase the risk of stroke include: - high blood cholesterol
- drinking too much alcohol
- physical inactivity
- obesity
Non-Treatable Risk Factors - Age—two-thirds of all strokes occur in persons over age 65
- Gender—men are at 30% greater risk than women
- Race—African Americans have a 60% greater risk than Caucasians
- Family or personal history—of stroke or TIAs
Stroke Treatment at BCH Boulder Community Hospital offers advanced comprehensive care for stroke patients. Many treatments can reverse symptoms or limit the damage caused by stroke if administered within a few hours of symptom onset. Faster diagnosis and treatment also means rehabilitation can be started sooner, which can reduce the severity of stroke related damage.
With our team approach to stroke treatment, care begins while you are being transported to the hospital by ambulance. The Emergency Department is alerted so that appropriate medical personnel and diagnostic equipment are ready upon your arrival.
Physicians can then quickly determine if you are having an ischemic brain attack. An ischemic brain attack is a stroke resulting from a blocked artery in your brain caused by a clot or by damage from high blood pressure or diabetes. If so, the clot-dissolving drug t-PA can be administered within three hours from the onset of the stroke to help restore blood flow to the brain and improve your overall chance of recovery.
It is likely you will have a CT scan and other tests to confirm the possible diagnosis of the stroke and provide doctors with information about the exact location and type of stroke.
A neurologist, a physician who specializes in treating strokes, will review all your test results, and confer with your personal physician if possible. If you have suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, which is when arteries leading to the brain burst and blood floods the brain tissue, and surgery is needed, a skilled neurosurgeon will be called to provide that care.
During your hospital stay, the neurologist will work with your doctor to direct your care. Our nurses—from the Emergency Department through the Intensive Care Unit and general nursing units—have received extra stroke care education.
Rehabilitation After a stroke, many people have some disability. Rehabilitation is an important part of recovery, restoring functions lost from the stroke. Our rehabilitation teams work to retrain and educate you on how to walk, eat, dress, bathe, and complete personal care. They also provide help so you can return to work and relearn how to manage your time and money and organize your daily activities.
The hospital provides both inpatient and outpatient care, especially important for those who have been partially paralyzed or whose speech or thought processes have been affected by a stroke. For more information regarding inpatient rehabilitation for stroke, contact us at (303) 440-2250. For more information regarding outpatient rehabilitation, contact us at (303) 441-0493. Inpatient Rehabilitation Services Outpatient Rehabilitation Services
Our HomeCare agency provides nursing care, physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy in your home so that you may continue your progress over longer periods of time. Support For Stroke Clubs, please call your local American Heart Association or Stroke Connection at 1-800-553-6321 Return to Top
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