Am I Having a Stroke?

The window of opportunity to successfully treat a stroke is short — about three hours — so awareness of stroke symptoms is important. Maybe you think you can spot stroke symptoms in someone else, but would you know if a stroke was happening to you?

Stroke Symptoms: What Can Happen

Mark Alberts, MD, professor of neurology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and director of the stroke program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, lists these common stroke signs:
Trouble with speech or having difficulty talking — you may struggle with finding words, slur your speech, or find yourself unable to speak
Trouble understanding what other people are saying to you
Feeling weak or numb on one side of your body, especially if it strikes you suddenly — you can't move your face, one leg, or one hand
Having trouble with coordination on one side of the body, especially when it happens all of a sudden
Seeing double or having trouble focusing on objects or people
An excruciating headache that comes out of nowhere
Headache is a stroke symptom that many people may not know about, but it's a serious warning sign. You may dismiss a headache as an everyday occurrence, but a stroke headache is one that hits you hard and fast, and with no apparent cause. And while migraine headaches have been linked to increased stroke risk, this doesn't feel like your average migraine either. Dr. Alberts describes it as the “sudden onset of the worst headache of your life,” and he says, “Call 911 and get to the hospital if you notice any of these symptoms.” Don't waste any time by contacting your doctor instead.

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Stroke Symptoms: What It Feels Like

Lily U. Burns of Boston suffered an ischemic stroke two and a half years ago at the age of 33. Her boyfriend was with her at the time, and what he heard and saw was some mumbling, a drooping of her mouth, and her inability to respond. Immediately, he recognized those symptoms as stroke signs and took her to the nearest hospital. But a stroke feels different to the person who's having it than it looks to someone else. As Burns was having her stroke, here's what she experienced:
Nausea
Stumbling
Thinking she was speaking but not being able to talk
Awareness of what was happening but not being able to do anything about it
Memory loss
While her boyfriend answered questions and doctors quickly worked on her, Burns' mouth was paralyzed by what was happening in her brain.

"I was 100 percent aware of what was happening, but unable to give any kind of answer. I couldn't answer a single question, and in my head I knew I couldn't answer," says Burns. "The best way to describe it is being locked in your own head. You are physically unable — it's like a switch shuts off — you can't talk to anyone."

"The only things I knew in my head were the first two letters of my boyfriend's name," says Burns. After a few hours, she adds, "Everything started coming back as if you're a kid and you're relearning it." Burns says her speech was very slurred, and she would quickly forget things. Luckily, these symptoms also only lasted a few hours, and by later that night, she could speak normally again — thanks to her boyfriend's quick thinking.

Burns is, and was before her stroke, a young and healthy fitness instructor with no risk factors for stroke — or so she thought. A thorough medical work-up uncovered an atrial-septal defect (ASD), a congenital heart defect that is thought to have caused her stroke. She did suffer from migraines before her stroke, but seemed to be in great health, other than the undetected heart defect.

Burns' story shows that stroke can happen to anyone. Whether or not you think you are at risk, awareness of stroke symptoms is an important part of protecting yourself. And because you may be unable to call for help yourself, making sure your loved ones know the warning signs is equally important.

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