The First Few Hours After a Stroke

When you have a stroke, time is crucial. If you have any stroke symptoms, call 911 to be transported to the hospital right away. Don't delay! Don't try to drive yourself to the hospital. The earlier treatment is started after symptoms begin, the more likely you are to survive and recover. Your doctor can be alerted as you are traveling to the hospital. Any relatives or friends who were with you when your symptoms started should go with you to the hospital.

At the emergency room

In the hospital, a doctor will assess your symptoms and when they occurred. You will also be asked about your health history and risk factors. If they are with you, family or friends can answer if you cannot. You will likely have blood tests. You may also have a CT scan or an MRI. This will help determine what kind of stroke you have. The two types of stroke are blockage (ischemic stroke) or bleeding (hemorrhagic stroke). A CT scan can help show what type of stroke you may be having. The type is important to know before treatment is started. This is because treatment that helps an ischemic stroke can kill a person who had a hemorrhagic stroke.

Acute-phase stroke treatment

Treatment can begin as soon as your doctor knows what type of stroke you had and where it occurred, Phase one begins from the first minutes to the first hours after you begin having symptoms. It involves one or more of the following, depending on what kind of stroke you have:

• Medicine to dissolve clots (ischemic)

• Medicine to prevent blood clots (ischemic)

• Tests to look for damage from the stroke

• Procedures to stop bleeding (hemorrhagic)

• Medicine to control blood pressure

The goal of the acute phase treatment is to minimize damage from the stroke. After the first several hours, treatment turns to your recovery and on preventing future strokes.

Symptoms of stroke

Call 911 right away if you have any of the following, even if the symptom seems to get better:

• Weakness in an arm, hand, or leg

• Numbness on one side of the body

• Sudden dimness or loss of vision, particularly in one eye

• Sudden difficulty speaking

• Inability to understand what someone is saying

• Sudden dizziness or loss of balance

• Sudden, excruciating headache, unlike headaches you’ve had before, or a severe headache accompanied by nausea and vomiting

• Seizure

If you are at risk for having a stroke

• Keep a list of important telephone numbers next to your phone. Include your doctor and relatives or friends you want to be contacted.

• Carry a list of all medicines you take, and the dosage of each, in your wallet. Include over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, and supplements.

• Write a brief health history, including any other medical problems you have had and the dates. Keep this with the medicine list.