Do your part to prevent heart attacks and strokes - Post ITT

[Thrill]

Hey everybody,

over the recent years, I've lost a few friends to both heart attacks & strokes (and a close family member of mine suffered a mild stroke over 1 year ago - she's over 70 years old and still recovering), which is what pushed me to make this thread.

Stroke
"Stroke's no joke!"
What is a stroke? - "is the rapid loss of brain function(s) due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain." [source]

What's it like having stroke? - In general, it's horrifying. Every stroke is unique. In general, people become confused (don't know where they are, what day it is, sometimes you don't even know who you are), have a hard time speaking (including slurring words), often there is moderate to severe paralysis (almost exclusively on one side of the body).

What are the warning signs?

• Face Drooping (ask the person to smile - does one side of their mouth stay down, or even droop down?)
• Arm Weakness (usually on one side of the body)
• Speech Difficulty (does the person slur their words? Ask them to repeat a simple phrase several times over)

If you notice these symptoms - You should call emergency services immediately. Literally, brain cells start to rapidly die, as they are deprived of oxygen, and therefore can not live longer than a few seconds.


Heart Attacks
What is a heart attack? - "interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die." [source]

What's it like having a Heart Attack? - Just like strokes, all heart attacks are unique, however, there are several classic/common symptoms such as mild to intense chest pain (specifically in the center of the chest). This may also be accommodated by an intense squeezing, crushing feeling (in the center of the chest, and sometimes in the arms and neck). You'll feel your heart racing - palpitations (the feeling that your heart is skipping beats), pounding heart beat (very noticeable, similar to the feeling you get after sprinting hard for half a minute). It's a terrible thing to experience. It is something that will change you for the rest of your life.

What are the warning signs?

• Chest discomfort/pain (primarily in the center of your chest, not on one side)
• Back pain (upper back, right below your neck, and in-between your shoulder blades)
• Shortness of breath (with or without chest pain)
• Lightheadedness
• Nausea (sometimes vomiting)

Heart Attacks & Strokes are very real, debilitating, & life changing events. Heart Attacks & Strokes combined kill more than every type of cancer & every known disease world wide, annually.

What can YOU do to help?

Donate!
Donations play a strong role in research that helps treat & prevent future heart attacks & strokes.

For every post in this thread, I'll donate $1 (unique, individual posts, 1 per person).
To REALLY show that you give a damn - You may also donate @ heart.org

Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroke
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_attack
http://heart.org
http://stroke.org


I'd be very grateful if some members here were thoughtful enough to go the extra mile & donate to the AHA and make a difference in the future.

Thrill Reviewed by Thrill on 6th Oct 2012. Do your part to prevent heart attacks and strokes - Post ITT Hey everybody, over the recent years, I've lost a few friends to both heart attacks & strokes (and a close family member of mine suffered a mild stroke over 1 year ago - she's over 70 years old and still recovering), which is what pushed me to make this thread. Stroke "Stroke's no joke!" What is a stroke? - "is the rapid loss of brain function(s) due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain." source] What's it like having stroke? - In general, it's horrifying. Every stroke is Rating: 5

[stingray]

I don't believe this.... Two days after the initial post and no one made a single comment so that the OP will give one dollar to heart.org.
I hope that you have donated directly there, like I did, and kept a low profile by not posting here.
If you can't afford donating , just type a reply here to

show that you give a damn

[bnehost]

Here is a post, because i DO GIVE A DAMN. I am walking this weekend in the 5k for breast cancer. As well as making donations to assist. We need more people like the OP in this world.

[cvrle77]

For every post in this thread, I'll donate $1 (unique, individual posts, 1 per person)

I like the idea.

[juraska]

Great article!

[VuVu]

I like this thread. I suffered my first stroke just about a year ago. We should maybe do a run for wikipedia as their asking for donations as well