Reading through this forum there are a huge number of posts from people who say " I didn’t have the fast symptoms"
In fact I don’t think I’ve read a post yet where it says it was just like on the TV adverts for me .
I do know one person who had those symptoms come on suddenly, some with sudden & partial match to fast. I’ve read of one or two people in other forums who matched fast. Mainly stories like " I was working late in the office and the only one there When suddenly…"
Let’s try and survey ourselves…
I had classic FAST symptoms
I had none of the classic FAST symptoms
I had a mix and FAST helped confirm I was having a stroke
I had a mix and FAST misguided diagnosis
Other - add a post
0voters
We should applaud the stroke association for being in the vanguard with a fast. I think it is now one of the anchors against progress
I’m concerned that continuing to push a less than best message works against ‘Goal A’ and Goal-B in all sorts of ways with the many publications & web pages that are disadvantaging people unnecessarily
it would be very easy for their graphics department to add BE to the beginning.
I’m also concerned that young people evoke a ‘must be drunk’ reaction first; ok as a suspicion but not ok as the guiding assumption behind treatment or lack of
Face : I couldn’t see my face, possibly unchanged
Arm ; it dropped heavily
Speech ; I had it for 30 seconds then it went g45$£"£%
Time ; we called, though the ambulance thought it was a prank call
Horrible vertigo
Could not swallow
Whole right side head to toe very weak, right arm spasticity
could not stand
Severe double vision
WAS ABLE TO:
raise both arms and wiggle right fingers
speak fine and thinking was OK.
No face droop
Ischemic stroke: hospital waited too long to administer clot buster drug, could have saved me much suffering.
Is it possible that FAST only applies to a certain type of strokes in a certain location in the brain ?
Is it a generalisation as it impossible to simplify the vast range of symptoms?
My face and speech were not impacted. I couldn’t hold my arms up or move my legs.
The hospital didn’t think you had a stroke? Is that why the clot buster drug was not given right away? You didn’t have the classic symptoms all the way.
You never had speech or cognitive issues?
My mother had the FAST symptoms (very classic).
We still don’t know why my mother had a stroke. She had a severely low platelet count, but they told us that low platelets alone won’t trigger a brain bleed stroke – they will only make bleed worse if one starts. They said she possible had high blood pressure but there is no real evidence of that (180/95) was her highest reading, and I was told that that was not high enough to induce a brain bleed, even in the setting of very low platelets).
That’s right, the hospital is a stone’s throw away, and nobody turned up. It took 2.5 hours . They thought it was a prank call, and that it was a location of a stabbing… at least, that’s their story. We had to call twice. As it turned out they did no operation; the bleed was too deep… just tried to lower my blood pressure from 268 / 198 to anything safer.
Whether cause/ applicability is plausibly more widely or narrowly applicable or not it is publicised as the headline guidance by the stroke association
The message could be moved on with benefits & AFAICS no costs
if you look around at other organisations in the stroke space we find many (most?) of them now promote BE FAST, a few use FASTER and I’ve seen the VFAST.
I’m glad they’ve got the goals and vision and values that they espouse - because they encourage us to “say it like it is” and thus move the messages forwards
I’m thinking someone needs to work out how many digits most people can remember, especially in a stressful situation.
I suspect it could be made longer, even if more accurate, it might become pointless ?
Something like a Google/Alexa search, type/speak stroke and the top entry is the one for stroke now ? Can cover more items then ?
What if you could dial ‘stroke’ ie 7,8,7,6,5,3 from any UK phone and get a recorded message for checks/symptoms? Would need support from ofcom and perhaps NHS to construct the message.
You’re lucky to be alive, Roland. That should have never happened, but, in life, we realize how little we have control over. We are at the mercy of others, nature, etc. We can’t control when an ambulance will arrive, etc. Things like that…we never think of.
How are you feeling today? I see you’ve made some improvements.
I hear you
A valid concern
so we need to step back from too detailed to be meaningful
I don’t think BE FAST is in danger of confusing the masses. Even fast with a top level level message of “these are some of” or "these are the common amongst others.
In these digital ages Why does a phone numbers have to be purely numeric? Do folk even think the phone is a source of advice now?
Youve highlight a good opportunity.
Maybe the search engine cos would take a good corporate citizen duty to make the messages related to stroke and I’m sure there are many other conditions with emerged or emergent ways to be identified
I believe communities like this one should be an opportunity to identify these potential benefits and a force to get them delivered. We are a new democracy without geographic boundaries with medical condition boundary. Indeed is our boundaries stroke or TBI or ABI or everything neurological?
It’s inevitability of the fact that digital enables community equals interest groups equals influence in democratic societies. The corporations are no longer geographically bound for tax purposes and with social media based interest communities are no longer bound just too be individuals.
I’m surprised at my performance today
It shows me that the possibilities for the future are huge
…and encourages me to keep working. It also feels reassuring.
So many days spent with little to show, now I can reap the benefit of my consistent hard work
