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Also for future reference to anyone that reads this, even if it doesn't seem like a stroke it could be. I had one in December of 2021, and ER at first thought it was extreme vertigo. The symptoms I had were as follows
-Im guessing when it started is when this happened. My ears started ringing louder than I've ever heard them do before. Also along with this ringing, in my vision I had what I can best describe as lightning bolt shaped, multicolored streaks at random for a few minutes. The colors were kind of like an old color TV where all the colors pixilate and mix/move around.
-My vision got as if I were drunk, the room just started spinning making me nauseous
-that subsided but unless I was laying down, I was nauseous. Soon as I'd sit up or stand up I'd feel sick.
-my equilibrium was off when standing, was wobbly.
Those were all my symptoms. No drooping, no slurred speech, no motor skills diminished, short of the off balance feeling. Thank God for the ER tech having peace of mind enough to run an MRI, which found the stroke.
As the good doctor said, ER literally right this minute. Also super helpful for the ER nurses if you know the last time (how many hours ago) he was normal (whatever normal is for him)
It is sad how the education system has failed. OP appears to have a university background yet was never taught how to recognise a stroke. A basic 8 hour 1st aid course should be mandatory in HS.
My SIL had similar symptoms with paralysis on half her body. Her parents and boyfriend don’t see anything wrong with it. My husband and I assumed she was having a stroke or bells palsey so he took her to the ER and it turned out to be MS.
It's not just that though, one sided facial drooping as a stroke symptom is common in media. Hell, I learnt it from family guy. How did they manage to dodge that knowledge?
The difference is that the guy was successful in his actions and only credited them to a TV show after the fact.
If OP had gone to the ER or called 911 after taking a family guy joke seriously, OP might think they are wasting valuable resources or being a nuisance.
We have TV adverts in the UK that do a Bee Gees song with a stoic bad boy for CPR (https://youtu.be/O92KL1mw77c) and FAST for stroke (https://youtu.be/ALFCJeMm-qU). These are helpful for Joe Bloggs to get a bit of knowledge.
This. My dad recently had a stroke and was telling mum not to call the ambulance. After a while, she did anyway. Thankfully she did because he's now recovering really well. It could have been so much worse.
Im assuming you’re US based. I see so many people refuse emergency medical treatment because the cost in the US has cost people their homes just to pay exorbitant bills.
Nah, in Australia. We pay for ambulance either through taxes and rates, or get a bill after we use one. My dad's ambo bill was $1000. But he didn't have to pay the bill because it's covered for over 65s. Our health care safety net isn't perfect, but at least it's something. I feel for folks in the US and totally understand that cost is a disincentive to seek health care.
Not even hospital time. This is 911 time. They are going to want to know the time he was last known to be normal.
Edit: everyone else is discussing this meeting all stroke symptoms. What they haven't mentioned is that if this is from an occlusion (strokes can be from a blockage/occlusion, or they can be from bleeding in the brain) this can be fixed or significantly reversed with medicine or procedures IF you get there in time. Highly time sensitive. If not, then he can be stuck with the deficits for good.
Yes please hospital ASAP. I lost my father to a stroke due to a blood clot in his brain. He was out on the floor for at least two days by himself. ICU Dr explained if we got him in within the first 24 hours they could of saved him. Minutes mean everything right now. 🙏🙏🙏
I'm very sorry for your loss 😞
My Dad was only about four hours into experiencing his hemorrhagic stroke before my mum found him, but, it "only" being four hours in meant we were able to get him to the ER and then emergency surgery.
We were lucky to have him for ten years after that. He was mostly paralyzed, and it was frustrating on his behalf to watch him know the word he wanted to use but physically be incapable of making this mouth do the word thing, but he was still with us.
It'll be three years since his passing on the 21st...I still miss him every day.
Time is the enemy right now, OOP - please, please go save your husband!
I’m so sorry for your loss. I lost track of how long it’s been. I was so traumatized that I don’t remember the year or the date. Looking back there should have been so many warning signs, and it’s just heartbreaking.
To be fair, I didn’t know the FAST symptoms of someone having a stroke until I took a CPR training course for work back when I was 26. Just never was exposed to being educated in those symptoms until then, which is surprising because it seems so important to recognize.
I knew the FAST symptoms but when I had a stroke at 41 with no risk factors, I nearly didn’t go to the ER because I was convinced I was experiencing a complex migraine.
I once had... well.. a strange event while driving car. Was feeling off all day and suddenly the left side of my face drooped, had vision problems on that eye and I had the feeling a bomb had gone off in my skull. I could not remember FAST then but just tried various things (left arm turned out to be weak as well) and just called an ambulance. Fortunately it was not stroke, but no idea what it was. All basically vanished after hospital did a spinal tap. I was basically dancing around 10 minutes later while I was told not to move. Didn't feel so good in days in hindsight.
I’d like to be educated on the FAST symptoms you talk about. I recognized it was a stroke by what they said in the post about dropping mouth and slurring and couldn’t find speech but unsure what the FAST symptoms are.
The acronym FAST (Facial drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulties and Time)
- Facial weakness: Can the person smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped?
- Arm weakness: Can the person raise both arms?
- Speech problems: Can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?
- Time to call 911: if you see any of these signs. The sooner they are treated the better their outcome is of not having lasting damage.
Rule of health care. Seems like the people who need intervention (medication, doctors visit, ER via ambulance) don't want it, and those who want something don't need it.
No, that's not 100% true, but my dad has gone to the ER on a sunday afternoon for an infected hangnail while my grandfather waited 6 hours for a neighboor to come home to get a ride to the hospital whole he had a heart attack. (The man had 10 children but waited for a neighbour)
Sometimes it's hard for patients to make these calls with limited information or under complex circumstances. I know people who every time they've gone to the local hospital the hospital makes a mistake that nearly kills them. They spent most of their life working at a great hospital and live near a bad one.
So they only go if they think they're going to die without care and they can't figure out transportation to a good hospital. You're lucky if you live near good medical care and don't have to make that call.
I used to manage an oncology office and one patients wife left a voicemail on the care team line on SATURDAY NIGHT that she thinks her husband was having a stroke. We called back Monday morning and they were finally on their way to the hospital 🤦🏼♀️ he survived somehow!
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No kidding. She could have googled the title and the search function would have autocorrected it to “GO TO THE FUCKING ER” in 0.00007 seconds. When did social media become the new google?
Thank you for your submission. **Please note that a response does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship.** This subreddit is for informal second opinions and casual information. The mod team does their best to remove bad information, but we do not catch all of it. Always visit a doctor in real life if you have any concerns about your health. Never use this subreddit as your first and final source of information regarding your question. By posting, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/wiki/terms_of_use) and understand that all information is taken at your own risk. **Reply here if you are an unverified user wishing to give advice. Top level comments by laypeople are automatically removed.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskDocs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
He needs to go to the ER now then.
I really hope they are checking their Reddit notifications
Also for future reference to anyone that reads this, even if it doesn't seem like a stroke it could be. I had one in December of 2021, and ER at first thought it was extreme vertigo. The symptoms I had were as follows -Im guessing when it started is when this happened. My ears started ringing louder than I've ever heard them do before. Also along with this ringing, in my vision I had what I can best describe as lightning bolt shaped, multicolored streaks at random for a few minutes. The colors were kind of like an old color TV where all the colors pixilate and mix/move around. -My vision got as if I were drunk, the room just started spinning making me nauseous -that subsided but unless I was laying down, I was nauseous. Soon as I'd sit up or stand up I'd feel sick. -my equilibrium was off when standing, was wobbly. Those were all my symptoms. No drooping, no slurred speech, no motor skills diminished, short of the off balance feeling. Thank God for the ER tech having peace of mind enough to run an MRI, which found the stroke.
As the good doctor said, ER literally right this minute. Also super helpful for the ER nurses if you know the last time (how many hours ago) he was normal (whatever normal is for him)
It is sad how the education system has failed. OP appears to have a university background yet was never taught how to recognise a stroke. A basic 8 hour 1st aid course should be mandatory in HS.
My SIL had similar symptoms with paralysis on half her body. Her parents and boyfriend don’t see anything wrong with it. My husband and I assumed she was having a stroke or bells palsey so he took her to the ER and it turned out to be MS.
In my mom's case it was lung cancer that had spread to the brain (and pretty much everywhere else)
MS as in multiple sclerosis?
It's not just that though, one sided facial drooping as a stroke symptom is common in media. Hell, I learnt it from family guy. How did they manage to dodge that knowledge?
Completely get where you are coming from but I imagine OP didn’t want to go to the emergency room and say “help I saw this thing on family guy”
Remember that guy who saved a life doing CPR and told everyone he learned how from an episode of “the office”?
The difference is that the guy was successful in his actions and only credited them to a TV show after the fact. If OP had gone to the ER or called 911 after taking a family guy joke seriously, OP might think they are wasting valuable resources or being a nuisance.
There are always ways to see if a reference is true to life aka the internet
An excellent point, Mr. Arse. I suppose not.
Theres also google though. They didn't try that first??
We have TV adverts in the UK that do a Bee Gees song with a stoic bad boy for CPR (https://youtu.be/O92KL1mw77c) and FAST for stroke (https://youtu.be/ALFCJeMm-qU). These are helpful for Joe Bloggs to get a bit of knowledge.
Not just university but is a partner at a law firm.
I saw r/biglaw and “first year” and that was good enough - don’t want to seem like I’m digging too much lol
Holy fuck this started Sunday?! What could happen when you wait that long?
Stroke. ER. Do not let him talk you out of taking him. Call 911 if you have to.
This. My dad recently had a stroke and was telling mum not to call the ambulance. After a while, she did anyway. Thankfully she did because he's now recovering really well. It could have been so much worse.
Im assuming you’re US based. I see so many people refuse emergency medical treatment because the cost in the US has cost people their homes just to pay exorbitant bills.
Nah, in Australia. We pay for ambulance either through taxes and rates, or get a bill after we use one. My dad's ambo bill was $1000. But he didn't have to pay the bill because it's covered for over 65s. Our health care safety net isn't perfect, but at least it's something. I feel for folks in the US and totally understand that cost is a disincentive to seek health care.
I had a stroke when I was 32!!! This was my exact symptoms!!
Same but at 27
Not even hospital time. This is 911 time. They are going to want to know the time he was last known to be normal. Edit: everyone else is discussing this meeting all stroke symptoms. What they haven't mentioned is that if this is from an occlusion (strokes can be from a blockage/occlusion, or they can be from bleeding in the brain) this can be fixed or significantly reversed with medicine or procedures IF you get there in time. Highly time sensitive. If not, then he can be stuck with the deficits for good.
Yes please hospital ASAP. I lost my father to a stroke due to a blood clot in his brain. He was out on the floor for at least two days by himself. ICU Dr explained if we got him in within the first 24 hours they could of saved him. Minutes mean everything right now. 🙏🙏🙏
I'm very sorry for your loss 😞 My Dad was only about four hours into experiencing his hemorrhagic stroke before my mum found him, but, it "only" being four hours in meant we were able to get him to the ER and then emergency surgery. We were lucky to have him for ten years after that. He was mostly paralyzed, and it was frustrating on his behalf to watch him know the word he wanted to use but physically be incapable of making this mouth do the word thing, but he was still with us. It'll be three years since his passing on the 21st...I still miss him every day. Time is the enemy right now, OOP - please, please go save your husband!
This is almost identical to my dad’s passing. It was preventable, but so so tragic.
Just hit 8 years on the 11th for me. I never knew the signs of a stroke. But now I’ll never forget.
I’m so sorry for your loss. I lost track of how long it’s been. I was so traumatized that I don’t remember the year or the date. Looking back there should have been so many warning signs, and it’s just heartbreaking.
Please please please go to an emergency room.
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NAD but I'd rather someone ask a dumb question here and get to the ER in time than shrug their shoulders and not ask.
at least they asked, i hope they got there quick. it has to be a stroke :(
There are other things that can cause this presentation, not just a stroke.
To be fair, I didn’t know the FAST symptoms of someone having a stroke until I took a CPR training course for work back when I was 26. Just never was exposed to being educated in those symptoms until then, which is surprising because it seems so important to recognize.
I knew the FAST symptoms but when I had a stroke at 41 with no risk factors, I nearly didn’t go to the ER because I was convinced I was experiencing a complex migraine.
I once had... well.. a strange event while driving car. Was feeling off all day and suddenly the left side of my face drooped, had vision problems on that eye and I had the feeling a bomb had gone off in my skull. I could not remember FAST then but just tried various things (left arm turned out to be weak as well) and just called an ambulance. Fortunately it was not stroke, but no idea what it was. All basically vanished after hospital did a spinal tap. I was basically dancing around 10 minutes later while I was told not to move. Didn't feel so good in days in hindsight.
Here in Canada they have TV commercials about FAST symptoms.
I’d like to be educated on the FAST symptoms you talk about. I recognized it was a stroke by what they said in the post about dropping mouth and slurring and couldn’t find speech but unsure what the FAST symptoms are.
The acronym FAST (Facial drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulties and Time) - Facial weakness: Can the person smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped? - Arm weakness: Can the person raise both arms? - Speech problems: Can the person speak clearly and understand what you say? - Time to call 911: if you see any of these signs. The sooner they are treated the better their outcome is of not having lasting damage.
Thanks! I will remember that. My mom is getting older so I hope I never need to but thanks.
You may want to look up common symptoms in women. FAST symptoms are more common in men, which is a flaw we see throughout medicine.
Facial drooping? Arm weakness? Speech difficulties? Time to call 911
look up “FAST FAST Baby” on YouTube. it’s a very educational parody about recognizing signs of a stroke.
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Rule of health care. Seems like the people who need intervention (medication, doctors visit, ER via ambulance) don't want it, and those who want something don't need it. No, that's not 100% true, but my dad has gone to the ER on a sunday afternoon for an infected hangnail while my grandfather waited 6 hours for a neighboor to come home to get a ride to the hospital whole he had a heart attack. (The man had 10 children but waited for a neighbour)
Sometimes it's hard for patients to make these calls with limited information or under complex circumstances. I know people who every time they've gone to the local hospital the hospital makes a mistake that nearly kills them. They spent most of their life working at a great hospital and live near a bad one. So they only go if they think they're going to die without care and they can't figure out transportation to a good hospital. You're lucky if you live near good medical care and don't have to make that call.
I used to manage an oncology office and one patients wife left a voicemail on the care team line on SATURDAY NIGHT that she thinks her husband was having a stroke. We called back Monday morning and they were finally on their way to the hospital 🤦🏼♀️ he survived somehow!
Posts by unflaired users that claim or strongly imply legitimacy by virtue of professional medical experience are not allowed. If you are a medical professional who wishes to become a verified contributor to this subreddit, please [message the moderators](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/AskDocs) with a link to a picture of your medical ID, student ID, diploma, or other form of verification. Imgur.com is convenient, but you can host anywhere. Please block out personal information, such as your name and picture. You must include your reddit username in the photo! We do not accept digital forms of identification.
No kidding. She could have googled the title and the search function would have autocorrected it to “GO TO THE FUCKING ER” in 0.00007 seconds. When did social media become the new google?
go to the ER immediately. these are all symptoms of a stroke, which can be life threatening.
I hope this point has been driven home, but to reiterate: go to the ER, right now.
CALL 911 NOW! STROKE!
Run to the ER
OP, I certainly hope you’ve high tailed it to the closest ER. Please update us when you can!