How to Help Someone During a Brain Stroke: Practical Advice

When a brain stroke occurs, one side of the body becomes paralyzed, due to which the person is neither able to move his limbs nor do any work with them. Due to this, the following problems occur-

• Sudden blurred vision or loss of vision (especially from one eye). 
• Difficulty in speaking and understanding. 
• Difficulty in swallowing.
• Headache. 
• Nausea or vomiting. 
• Numbness of face, hands or feet or inability to move them. 
• Lack of control over urine or stool. 
• Difficulty in walking and coordinating the limbs.
• Falling unconscious. 
• Weakness on one side of the body. 
• Dizziness. 
• Pain in the hand or leg and pain increasing with movement. 
• Depression. 
• Difficulty in expressing or controlling emotions.

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Brain stroke is an emergency situation, for which immediate medical attention is necessary. If someone around you is experiencing symptoms of brain stroke, first call the ambulance and then give first aid to the person in the following manner till help arrives -

• Stay calm and try to keep the person calm as well. 
• Give support to the person, as he may fall.
• Lay the person down in a safe and comfortable manner.
• If possible, lay the person on one side and raise his head a little.
• Do not leave the person alone under any circumstances.
• If the person is wearing tight clothes, loosen them.
• Check the person's pulse. 
• After this, see if the person is breathing or not. 
• If the person is not breathing or his pulse is not beating, then give him CPR.
• If the person is having difficulty in breathing, then remove any tight thing from his neck, such as a tie or dupatta etc. 
• Cover the person with a sheet, so that his body remains warm. 
• If the person's hands or legs are getting weak, then do not move his hands and legs. 
• Note how much time has passed since the person had symptoms until help arrived and told the doctor.
• Open the door of the house as soon as possible, so that help can reach the person quickly.
• If you are experiencing symptoms of a brain stroke, immediately call an ambulance and open the door of your house so that help can reach you easily.

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If you or someone around you is experiencing symptoms of a brain stroke, keep the following things in mind -

• Do not try to drive to the hospital yourself, this will endanger your life and the lives of others.
• If someone around you is experiencing symptoms of a brain stroke, do not take them to the hospital yourself because in this situation time is very precious and the person's symptoms may worsen by the time you reach the hospital. It is better to give the person first aid as mentioned above and wait for the ambulance. The paramedics present in the ambulance will start treating the person while taking him to the hospital, which will save time. 
• Do not give the person anything to eat or drink.
• Do not give the person any kind of medicine, especially aspirin.
• When the person experiences symptoms of a stroke, he starts feeling sleepy, but do not let him sleep at all. 
• If the person is feeling weakness in hands and legs, do not try to move his hands and legs at all.

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Brain stroke is an emergency situation, so if you experience its symptoms, call an ambulance or call someone for help. Call for help immediately in the following situations -

• Sudden numbness of hands, legs or face or feeling weakness or tingling in them. 
• Suddenly getting a very severe headache. 
• Sudden loss of vision or other vision problems. 
• Not being able to understand common things.
• Suddenly having trouble walking and maintaining balance.
• Suddenly having trouble speaking.
• Confusion.

If you suspect that someone is going to have a brain stroke, you can confirm your suspicion and help them with the 'FAST' test. The F.A.S.T. test is done as follows -

• F - F means face. Ask the person to smile and see if one side of his face is drooping. 
• A - A means arm. Ask the person to raise both his hands and see if one of his arms automatically goes down. 
• S - This means speech. Ask the person to repeat the same sentence again and again and see if he is having difficulty in speaking.
• T - T means time. If you notice the above symptoms, call an ambulance without wasting any time.

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Acting fast in case of a brain stroke is crucial in saving lives. Symptoms of a stroke may include sudden weakness, drooping of one side of the face, difficulty in speaking, and confusion. Follow the FAST (Face, Arms, Speech, Time) rule to identify it. Immediately make the affected person lie down in a comfortable position, keep the head slightly elevated, and call an ambulance or emergency medical help immediately. Timely hospitalization and starting the right treatment helps reduce the impact of a stroke. Avoid home remedies or procrastination, as every minute is crucial.