[toc]A stroke usually comes about unexpectedly but may occur over hours. For example, you may have slight feebleness of the face at first, then arm or leg, specifically on one side of the body. The loss of voluntary movement and/or responsiveness may be complete or restricted.
There may a related prickling sensation in the affected area. Over time, you may not be able to move the arm and the leg of one side of your body. It is not always easy for people to identify symptoms of a minor stroke.
Common Stroke Symptoms
Headache
An unexpected, severe headache unlike any the person has had before, may strike all of a sudden and may be accompanied by nausea, giddiness may direct you’re having a stroke, most often hemorrhagic stroke particularly if related to neck stiffness. Migraine headaches, which are more common in women than in men, are vascular headaches that cause blood vessels to contract. These contractions are believed to grow the risk of strokes since they can cause loss of blood flow to the brain and form clotting.
Paralysis or Numbness of the Face, Arm or Leg
You may develop unexpected numbness, weakness or paralysis of your face, arm or leg, specifically of one side of your body. This can range from total paralysis to a very minor weakness. Thorough numbness or a pins-and-needles sensation may be existent on one side of the body or a portion of the body. Try to elevate both your arms over your head at the same time. If one arm falls, you may be having a stroke. Likewise, one side of your mouth may droop when you attempt to smile.
Vision Problems
Stroke can weaken sight of one or both eyes or cause double vision. It can also reduce a person’s capability to make sense of basic visual cues like identifying a face or acquainted objects or being incapable to distinguish between a mirror image and the object being reflected. The person may have hazy or darkened vision all of a sudden in one or both eyes and may see dual images. The patient may develop complications with vision, such as dual vision, loss of peripheral (side) vision or loss of sight.
Trouble with Speaking and Understanding
If a person is facing trouble while talking or understanding, also known as aphasia, it could mean that the part of the brain that controls language is not receiving blood. Others may experience confusion while deciphering your words. Speech may be indistinct because the patient can’t regulate the movement of his/her lips or tongue. You may slur your words or have problems understanding speech. The patient can’t express. Speech may be very incoherent, or when the person expresses, the words sound okay but do not have sense.
Loss of Balance and Dizziness
The patient may feel an abrupt loss of strength, although it can last for a short term and his movements may seem completely clumsy and may indicate that a stroke has taken place in the area of the brain where voluntary muscle synchronization is controlled. He may stagger or face trouble while walking or difficulty in picking up any object. The patient may feel stoned or dizzy or have complications while swallowing. These symptoms can also fluctuate in severity for hours and even days.
The warning signs or indications of stroke may happen alone or in combination. They may last a few seconds or hours and may or may not go. The severity of the stroke depends on the part of the brain affected and the cause.
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