How do I know If I am having a stroke?

You will know you are having a stroke if symptoms you have never experienced before come on very suddenly. Neurologist Carolyn Brockington, MD, explains the red flags to be aware of and why it's crucial to get medical care immediately.

Transcript

00:00

We say that time is brain, meaning that the more moments that go by that the brain is not getting enough blood flow, the more likely the brain

00:07

is going to be irreversibly injured. [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:15

The symptoms are going to be sudden and are going to be something that you haven't experienced before. So the brain works in a very specific way.

00:22

The left side of the brain takes care of the right side of the body. The right side of the brain takes care of the left side of the body. So if you're not getting enough blood flow

00:28

to the right side of the brain, you might get symptoms all of a sudden on the left side. So it's a sudden symptom, weakness on one side of the body, numbness

00:36

on one side of the body, problems with vision, problems with walking, problems with speech. Again, all these symptoms are going

00:44

to happen quickly because the brain is not getting enough blood flow. And it's an emergency. We say that time is brain, meaning

00:50

that the more moments that go by that the brain is not getting enough blood flow, the more likely the brain is going to be irreversibly injured.

00:57

So the important thing is that if you feel the symptoms that we described, you should go to the emergency room and say, I think I'm having a stroke.

01:04

And then you can outline the symptoms you're talking about, but say that these are symptoms you've never experienced before and that you're concerned that these are stroke-like symptoms.

01:13

Brain is very important. And if the brain doesn't get enough blood flow, then the brain can be injured. So if you think you're having a stroke,

01:20

it's not time to hesitate. It's not time to look it up on the computer. It's time to go to the emergency room right away. Say, I think I'm having a stroke,

01:27

in order to get appropriate and prompt treatment. [AUDIO LOGO]