Act fast at the first sign of a stroke

November 21, 2007|by Jennifer Zilko

Lee Sires (Jason Kohler/KTUU-TV)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Strokes are the third leading cause of death in the United States.

Still recognizing the symptoms can be tricky.

Lee and Beverly Sires love to spend their days around their Eagle River home, walking with their dog, Molly.

Simple pleasures were almost a thing of the past for Lee. On the night of April 7, something terrible happened.

"I was watching TV downstairs and my wife came down to tell me goodnight," Lee Sires said. "She came down and I got up and walked over to her to say goodnight and my arm felt like it was going to sleep."

By the time Lee told Beverly what was wrong his entire left side had dropped.

"He was trying to say things and I couldn't quite understand what he was saying," Beverly Sires said.

Beverly asked Lee whether he was having a stroke. He understood that and said, "Yes."

Beverly did exactly what doctors recommend -- she called 911.

Within 45 minutes, Lee was at Alaska Regional Hospital, where doctors determined he had a blood clot in his brain. They were able to successfully treat it, which helped reverse many of the symptoms.

Time was of the essence.

"Typically we look at a three-hour window as being optimal for evaluating the patient and doing their workup, and potentially providing interventions which can reverse stroke," said Dr. David Cadogan, an emergency physician.

While blood clots, like Lee Sires', account for most types of strokes, about 15 percent are caused by a ruptured blood vessel.

Typically strokes occur in those over 50. Still smokers, diabetics and those with high blood pressure are also at risk.

"F" stands for facial weakness. Ask the person to smile. Does one side of his or her face droop?

"A" stands for arm weakness. Have the person raise both arms and notice whether one drifts downward.

"S" is for speech difficulty. Often a stroke victim will slur their words.

"T" means time is ticking. Health care officials say call 911 immediately. The longer blood is cut off from the brain, the more brain cells will die. Consequently, the more abilities controlled by the brain are lost.

Lee Sires is a living testament to acting fast. Today he is almost completely back to normal.

"I feel great I can use my left hand for most things, but picking up coins and things is a little difficult," he says. "For the most part I can do anything I ever did."

Contact Jennifer Zilko at jzilko@ktuu.com

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