Signs of Stroke

Today on Studio 5 (one of the shows I DVR and watch during "mommy's time"), they had a nurse on talking about the signs of stroke. It really is so important to know because you have such a small window to respond and get medical help for them. Also, age really isn't an issue, although it happens in people more frequently later on in life. I actually had an experience with it last year, though the knothead doctors determined it was migraine (riddle me this-how can you have stroke like symptoms from a migraine that never manifests itself?). Anyway, I actually had all of these symptoms they discuss below. According to smarter doctors, I most likely had a small stroke that dissipated on its own. Still freaks me out sometimes. And can I just say that I hate how some doctors treat you like you have some psychological issue when you're a young woman without a clear problem? It's why my doctor is female! Anyway,rant over. Here are the signs. It's an acronym:

F.A.S.T
F=Facial Weakness-Can the person smile? Does their mouth droop to one side?
A=Arm Weakness-Can the person raise both arms? Can they grasp things with both arms? Is there dizziness or unsteadiness?
S=Speech Problems-Can the person speak clearly? Are they slurring their words? Are they suddenly confused?
T=Time Is Important-Call 911 Immediately

You can read about my experience last year here. I really did have all of the symptoms and I think our issue was that the nurse who admitted me didn't listen to a word the paramedic told her. Nice huh? I still think it's a miracle that it went away on its own. As for the garbled speech, here is a clip of a reporter on air who was apparently also having a stroke, who later was diagnosed with a migraine as well (I don't believe she had any of the other signs).