Stroke Program

Stroke Warning Signs

Warning signs of a stroke mean your brain is not getting enough oxygen.

Call 911 Warning Signs of Stroke FAST Test

If you experience any of these symptoms, do not delay. Call 911 immediately!

Warning signs of a stroke are clues that your brain is not getting enough oxygen. You and your family should learn these warning signs. You could have only one, or you may have several. They may last only a few minutes. You can help lower your risk of death or disability by knowing these warning signs.

Warning Signs of Stroke

Watch for sudden:

NUMBNESS or weakness of face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body.
CONFUSION, trouble speaking or understanding speech.
TROUBLE SEEING in one or both eyes.
TROUBLE WALKING, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
SEVERE HEADACHE with no known cause.

If you suspect a stroke, do the FAST test to recognize the symptoms

F = Face Drooping - Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person’s smile uneven? Is there tingling or numbness in the face?
A = Arm Weakness - Is one arm or leg weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? Is there tingling or numbness in one arm or leg?
S = Speech Difficulty - Is speech slurred, are they unable to speak, or are they hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence like, “The sky is blue.” Is the sentence repeated correctly?
T = Time to call 911 - If the person shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 911 and get them to the hospital immediately.

Time lost is brain lost; with every minute that goes by, brain cells die. There are treatments which can be started in the hospital to open up a blocked artery in the brain but they need to be started as soon as possible. One is a medication called alteplase, but it can only be given within a few hours of the start of stroke symptoms. There are other treatments including emergency surgeries to open up blocked blood vessels; these treatments must be started as soon as possible as well.