Symptoms of Ischemic Stroke
During a stroke, blood stops flowing to part of the brain. In an ischemic stroke, usually a blood clot or piece of plaque (fat) blocks a blood vessel in the brain. This can damage areas in the brain that control the rest of the body. Stroke symptoms come on suddenly.
Symptoms of stroke include:
- Weakness: You may feel a sudden weakness, tingling or a loss of feeling on one side of your face or body including your arm or leg.
- Vision problems: You may have sudden double vision or trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
- Speech problems: You may have sudden trouble talking, slurred speech or problems understanding others.
- Headache: You may have a sudden, severe headache.
- Movement problems: You may have sudden trouble walking, dizziness, a feeling of spinning, a loss of balance, a feeling of falling or blackouts.
The National Stroke Association’s acronym FAST can help you quickly determine whether someone is having a stroke:
- F (Face): Ask the person to smile. Does one side of his or her face droop?
- A (Arms): Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
- S (Speech): Ask for a simple phrase (such as,“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”) to be repeated. Is speech slurred or hard to understand?
- T (Time): If you observe any of these signs, call 911 immediately.
If you or someone else has any of these symptoms, act fast and call 911. With stroke, time lost is brain lost.