Posted June 05, 2025 by Anupreet Kaur, M.D., FAAFP, Medical Director, Care Management and Population Health
A stroke can change your life in an instant. It can affect movement, speech, emotional health and more, and in some cases, can cause long-term disability or death. It’s critical to recognize the signs and ACT FAST if you or someone else experiences one.
Also known as “brain attacks,” strokes occur when blood flow is cut off to an area of the brain either by a blockage or a burst artery. Without blood flow—and the oxygen and nutrients that blood flow brings—brain cells die in just minutes. Needless to say, it’s a medical emergency—EVERY minute counts!
Not all strokes or symptoms of strokes are equal in severity. For example, sometimes stroke symptoms can be fleeting, lasting only temporarily, when blood flow is briefly interrupted. Called a transient ischemic attack, TIA or mini-stroke. It is, however, a warning sign that a more severe stroke can occur in the future—and it should be treated as a medical emergency. Even more so since there’s no clear way to tell if someone is experiencing a mini-stroke or full ischemic stroke in the moment.
Knowing your risk factors and the signs of a stroke can save a life—maybe even your own! That’s why SummaCare is here to shed some light on what to do if the unfortunate happens. Even with preventative steps, strokes can and do occur—but learning how to act quickly and get medical intervention fast can vastly increase the odds of improved outcomes and recovery.
The BE FAST acronym is an easy way to remember stroke symptoms.
Recognizing the signs of a stroke is critical for timely medical intervention to minimize damage or save a life—even your own!
A stroke is an emergency and EVERY minute counts. The longer a stroke goes untreated, the greater the potential for brain damage and disability. Act fast and call for an ambulance instead of driving to the hospital yourself during a stroke, so medical personnel can begin providing lifesaving treatment immediately.
It’s also important to note the time symptoms of a stroke begin. Timing matters, and this information can help medical personnel determine what treatment options are best.
Treatment at the hospital is dependent on the type of stroke (which is diagnosed by brain imaging in the hospital):
For an ischemic stroke, treatment involves removing the blockage as quickly as possible, either with medication or surgery. Medication called Alteplase (or tPA) can be given up to 3 hours of the onset of the stroke to dissolve the blood clot and restore blood flow in the brain which can completely reverse any deficits.
For hemorrhagic strokes, treatment focuses on controlling bleeding and reducing pressure in the brain, usually through a combination of medication and surgery.
A stroke is life-changing and can have far-reaching effects, including paralysis or weakness, especially on one side of the body, trouble speaking, swallowing, issues with memory, concentration and learning, difficulty controlling emotions, even personality and behavioral changes.
How a stroke affects a person depends on which part of the brain is damaged and the extent of the injury.
For example, if a stroke occurs in the left side of the brain, movement and feeling on the right side of your body may be affected, along with speech and language problems, and difficulty with abstract thinking, organization and reasoning. If a stroke occurs in the right side of the brain, movement and feeling on your left side of your body may be affected, along with vision problems and difficulty with spatial thinking, memory, emotional processing and judgement.
No two stroke survivors are the same, and there are many ways to aid recovery. That’s why it’s so important to work closely with your healthcare team to develop a personalized approach to managing and coping with a “new normal.”
Depending on the brain damage, your stroke rehabilitation may include: