Watching out for signs of a stroke

Posted By: Jenn Hatcher
jhatcher@klkntv.com

May is stroke awareness month.

A stroke can happen at anytime and for that reason, doctors at Bryan Medical Center are on standby 24/7, 365 days a year if anyone comes in with stroke symptoms.

Dr Sunil Nair is Lincoln‘s only Neurohospitalist, he works with the Bryan Medical Center Stroke Program.

Nair explained, “Stroke is a sudden death to a part of the brain, due to lack of blood supply.”

He says to spot a stroke use the acronym FAST.

–Face drooping

–Arm weakness

–Speech difficulty

–Time to call 911

One recent patient, Channel 8 introduced the public to last month.

In February, Tyler Sprouse was playing with his grandson, Jackson.

Jackson noticed something was wrong and alerted his grandma Bev.

Tyler was indeed having a stroke.

Jackson said quietly, “He couldn’t talk.”

Bev rushed Tyler to the ER at Bryan where she says they were ready and the system worked like a well oiled machine.

Bev said, “Everybody knew their roles and what sequence of order to do those and how quickly they needed to work and everybody was professional when they did it. I’m really thankful.”

“I was in a wheelchair and down the hall and into a room and so it was pretty amazing that there was that fast of a reaction to this situation,” added Tyler.

Within an hour, Tyler was treated with, TPA (Tissue Plasminogen Activator), which for some people, basically reverses the stroke by breaking down the blood clot causing it. The medication should be administered in the first three hours.

Something that may not have happened, if little Jackson hadn’t spoken up about grandpa symptoms.

Dr. Nair said, “This little guy realized that, it’s pretty remarkable for a four–year–old to realize that right away.”

So, thanks to that 4–year–old and a prepared hospital, Tyler is living a normal life, even after a stroke.

For more information on Bryan‘s Stroke Program head to http://www.bryanhealth.com/stroke-treatment