When it comes to seeking help for someone who has had or is having a stroke, it\u2019s important to act F.A.S.T.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Central Coast Local Health District Neurologist Bill O\u2019Brien is reminding the community time is crucial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen it comes to stroke, most people know to look for signs including a drooping face (F), restricted arm movement (A), and slurred speech (S), but time (T) is also very important,\u201d Dr O\u2019Brien said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe sooner someone who is having a stroke receives medical attention, the better the outcome is likely to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDelaying or failing to seek urgent help for stroke can lead to ongoing disability or death.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Stroke Team at Gosford Hospital has received a platinum award and three gold awards from the World Stroke Organisation for excellence in stroke care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our dedicated team of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals work closely with Ambulance NSW and our emergency department team to ensure patients receive the fastest possible treatment but the community plays a big role too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe thank the Central Coast community for helping us achieve excellence in stroke care by recognising the warning signs and calling triple zero as soon as possible,\u201d Dr O\u2019Brien said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s that quick action that allows us to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
55-year-old Paul Walsh of Wyoming experienced a stroke in June and thanks to the fast response of a work colleague was treated very quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs I pulled into the car park at work I was experiencing a strange sensation on my left side,\u201d Paul said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was getting worse and worse so I called a colleague for help and she called an ambulance straight away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m blessed that she did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was that fast response, combined with paramedics calling ahead to Gosford Hospital to prepare the stroke team that ensured Paul was able to receive clot-busting treatment to stop the stroke within 30 minutes of arriving at the emergency department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paul was well enough to be discharged from hospital 24 hours later, with only mild post-stroke fatigue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m really thankful because I have a cousin who had a stroke years ago and she needed to have speech therapy and physiotherapy,\u201d Paul said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m not quite back to full capacity yet but I\u2019m getting stronger every day and I was well enough to return to work after two-and-a-half weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since his experience, Paul has made lifestyle changes to improve his health and reduce his risk of stroke in the future, including reducing his alcohol intake, improving his diet and he is in the process of quitting smoking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m so lucky the outcome wasn\u2019t worse. I\u2019ve used it as a motivator to get healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When it comes to seeking help for someone who has had or is having a stroke, it\u2019s important to act F.A.S.T. Central Coast Local Health District Neurologist Bill O\u2019Brien is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3371,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[109],"tags":[],"series":[170],"class_list":["post-3370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-events","series-on-the-coast-families"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastfamilies\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/national-stroke-week.png","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastfamilies\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastfamilies\/feed\/podcast\/on-the-coast-families","embedCode":"
Remember the time in F.A.S.T. treatment of Stroke National Stroke Week 8-14 August<\/a><\/blockquote>