Stroke : A Spooky Tale in reverse

By Dr. Shivangi Shankar
It first appeared on Lexicon and can be found here: https://www.lexiconin.com/uncategorized/stroke-day-2020/

Let us begin this spooky tale

backwards, so- this ail

arises when the brain

or its parts are in strain

due to dearth of the blood it needs

but can’t get due to bleeds

or blocked, choked arteries

and so die, brain cells, these.

Then we get what we call stroke

You ask, but how do we know?

Well here’s a memory aid-

FAST. F stands for Face

(smile drooping on a side)

A for Arms that cannot rise

S for Speech incoherent/slurred

As soon as you grasp what has occurred

T is for Time, that you must save

Call an ambulance lest it get more grave.

So remember, act F-A-S-T.

Etch this one in memory.

Let us now go back to before

back to when there was no stroke.

What was there? I hear you ask

Well, let’s get down to the task.

There could be a couple of things-

Hypertension, diabetes possible beginnings

of all that could lead up to stroke

there’s also heart disease and those who smoke.

Hypertension uncontrolled often

is the culprit, if you soften

and miss regular BP meds

You’re likely to end up in hospital beds.

Let us go back furthermore

Pardon me, but we can’t ignore

the bit before hypertension

where lifestyle, genetic predisposition

slowly creep up on the person

and slyly, quietly- worsen and worsen.

Now that we have gone so far

I hope you remember where you are

in this perilous journey to stroke

(Really good time to ditch that smoke)

Maybe cut down the salt and get moving,

control diabetes, keep on improving.

See your doctor, ask them how

You can proactively prevent stroke now.



For information visit: https://www.who.int/southeastasia/news/speeches/detail/world-stroke-day-2019