5 Critical Stroke Symptoms You Should Recognize. Knowing These Could Save a Life!

A stroke can come on quickly and do a significant amount of damage to the brain and body if you are not prepared to act quickly. The signs of a stroke can seem minor at first although they are very clear once you know what to look for. Being able to recognize five critical stroke symptoms could save the life of someone near you.

Severe Headache

The first symptom is a severe headache. This might start as a dull ache and then expand into an intense pain. The pain could be limited to one side of the head or could encompass the entire skull. The severe pain usually comes on without much warning and indicates something is seriously wrong. If you are near someone who is starting to experience a nearly debilitating headache, then you need to act quickly and get professional medical help for the individual.

Weakness or Numbness

One of the clearest symptoms that a person is about to have or is having a stroke is sudden weakness or numbness. The weakness is often just on one side of the body and involves the arms or the arms and legs. The person might collapse or drop items being held when this happens. The weakness could be followed quickly by partial or complete numbness in the extremities. The face of the individual might also start to sag as muscle control is lost. You need to act quickly and get help when you see this happening.

Unexplained Confusion and Disorientation

A critical symptom of a stroke is disorientation or total confusion. This occurs because the signals in the brain are being scrambled. The person might immediately have trouble speaking for no reason or could begin uttering random words that make no sense. The confusion could leave the person unable to do anything, communicate or even move in some instances. An individual who shows sudden confusion is already in the process of having a stroke and needs professional medical attention immediately.

Problems Seeing

A symptom of a stroke that you need to be aware of is trouble seeing. Vision problems are actually very common when a person is having a stroke. The vision problems can manifest differently depending on the individual. The trouble seeing could be due to blurry vision. Double vision has also been commonly reported. Some people actual have flashing lights or a white aura in the field of vision that obscures almost everything. These problems require fast action especially if the person is also starting to experience one or more of the other symptoms of having a stroke.

Dizziness and Coordination Problems

Dizziness and coordination problems are symptoms of a stroke when they come on for no reason at all. The individual will likely start to feel very dizzy and might actually become unable to stand and balance. The person will become unable to walk any distance and could just fall to the ground. You must act quickly if someone near you starts to experience dizziness and coordination problems to this degree. Getting medical attention fast could save the life of the individual.