While we can't expect to go through life unscathed by health crises, I just wanted to take a moment to list a few things you should NEVER ignore. If you suffer even one of these symptoms, get help:
- Sudden numbness in a part or parts of your body, especially on one side
- Confusion, or trouble understanding
- Dizziness, trouble walking, loss of balance
- Trouble seeing, blurred or double vision
- Severe headache, with no known cause
These are the signs of a possible stroke and should be taken seriously.
Have you seen those adds on TV regarding stroke symptoms? Where the person being affected denies that anything is happening. That's common. We want to deny that anything is going on, to minimize it. Don't! Better to know it's nothing by making a trip to the E.R., than risk the results of a full-blown stroke.
Also, if you witness someone suffering any of these symptoms. Don't worry about offending them -- call for help.
Only one of the friends mentioned above has stroke symptoms, but it causes me to want to share the information we may all know, but forget. (Also, my doctor says everyone over the age of 50 should be taking one aspirin a day - unless they are already on an anti-coagulant medication; this small act might work to minimize your risk.)
Take care of yourselves, your family, your friends, your students, and even those you don't know,
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