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If someone you love collapses tonight, the emergency will not wait while your family searches for a phone number or argues about which hospital to use.

Make the plan now.

In Nigeria, save 112 as the national emergency number. Also save the direct number of a reliable local ambulance service or nearby hospital because response arrangements may differ by location.

Choose the hospital your family would use for a suspected heart attack or stroke. Know how you would get there if an ambulance is delayed.

Keep an updated medication list where another family member can find it. Write down any allergies and important medical conditions.

If someone becomes unresponsive and is not breathing normally, call for help and begin chest compressions. Push hard and fast in the centre of the chest.

If an automated external defibrillator, usually shortened to AED, is available, turn it on and follow its instructions. An AED is a portable device that checks the person’s heart rhythm. It will tell you whether an electric shock is needed and guide you through what to do next. You do not have to make that decision yourself.

If the person suddenly develops a drooping face, weakness in one arm or a change in speech, suspect a stroke. Note the time the symptoms began and get urgent medical help. Do not wait for the symptoms to disappear.

Do not give food, water or herbal mixtures. Do not give aspirin unless an emergency professional specifically advises it. A collapse may have several causes, and some strokes are caused by bleeding.

Before today ends, complete the emergency card on this poster. Let everyone in your household know where the information is kept.

The best time to make an emergency plan is before your family needs it.

Mummy survived the stroke. That was the prayer.

Then she came home, and the family discovered that survival was only the beginning.

She cannot walk without help. Her words no longer come easily.

Can she still improve?

Yes. Stroke recovery does not have a fixed deadline. Some people improve quickly. For others, progress continues slowly over months or even years. The amount and pace of recovery will differ because every stroke affects the brain differently.

The right rehabilitation depends on what the stroke changed.

A physiotherapist can help with strength, balance and safer movement.

A speech and language therapist can help when speaking, understanding or swallowing has become difficult.

An occupational therapist helps the survivor relearn everyday activities such as dressing, bathing and feeding.

Changes in mood, memory or behaviour should also be discussed with the healthcare team. They are not simply stubbornness or ingratitude.

At home, practise only the exercises recommended for her. Give her enough time to answer. Do not shout because her speech has changed, and do not speak as though she is no longer in the room.

Watch her carefully during meals. Coughing or choking may mean that swallowing is unsafe. Stop the meal and ask for a swallowing assessment. Food or liquid entering the lungs can cause serious illness.

Do not measure her recovery against another stroke survivor’s progress.

Look for the small victories that are easy to miss.

Remember the man from yesterday whose weak arm recovered after ten minutes?

Now imagine you were beside him when the weakness began.

What would you do?

Today is World Stroke Day. If someone suddenly develops a weak arm, a drooping face or a change in speech, one sign is enough to suspect a stroke. Get help immediately.

While help is being arranged:

• Note the exact time the symptoms started.

• Keep the person safe, calm and supported.

• If the person becomes unconscious but is still breathing, place them on their side.

• If the person stops breathing, begin CPR if you know how, or follow instructions from the emergency call handler.

Do not give food, water or herbal mixtures. A stroke may affect swallowing and the person could choke.

Do not give aspirin unless a medical professional tells you to. Some strokes are caused by a burst blood vessel, and aspirin could make the bleeding worse.

Do not massage the weak arm or leg. Do not wait for sleep, prayer or a home remedy to make the symptoms disappear.

Pray for sure. But let prayer happen while help is already on the way.

The first treatment is not at home. It is getting the person to the hospital fast.

Save this post. Someone may need you to remember it.

His arm suddenly became weak.

Ten minutes later, the strength returned, so the family cancelled the trip to the hospital.

That relief can be dangerously misleading.

Temporary stroke symptoms may be caused by a transient ischaemic attack, called a TIA. This happens when blood flow to part of the brain is interrupted briefly.

The weakness may disappear. The speech may return to normal. But at home, you cannot tell whether the person has had a TIA or a stroke. Emergency assessment is still needed.

Remember ‘BE FAST’

B for sudden loss of balance
E for sudden changes in eyesight
F for one side of the face drooping
A for weakness or numbness in one arm
S for slurred or confused speech
T means it is time to call for emergency help

Call even if the symptoms disappear while help is on the way. Note the exact time they started. Do not give food, drink or aspirin unless an emergency professional tells you to do so.

Nearly one in five people with a suspected TIA will have a stroke within three months. Almost half of those strokes happen within two days.

A TIA is not a harmless “partial stroke.” It is an opportunity to investigate the cause and prevent a potentially disabling stroke.

#HeartAndStrokeMonth
#StrokeWarning
#BEFAST
#HealthyLivingWithDrKetch

Your report says “enlarged heart.”

The word “enlarged” may sound as though the heart has grown bigger and stronger.

It usually does not mean that.

An enlarged heart is a finding, not the final diagnosis. The muscle may have thickened because it has been working against high blood pressure. It may also have stretched because it has become weak or damaged.

Other possible causes include heart-valve problems, a previous heart attack, severe anaemia and thyroid disease.

The next step is to find out what has changed and why. A heart ultrasound can show which chamber is enlarged, whether the walls are thickened and how well the heart pumps.

Ask your clinician:

1. Which part of my heart is enlarged?
2. Is the muscle thickened or stretched?
3. How well is my heart pumping?
4. What is the likely cause?

Can the heart return to its normal size?

Sometimes. This is more likely when the cause is temporary or treated early. In other cases, the enlargement may remain, but treatment can reduce the strain on the heart and prevent further damage. Treatment depends on the underlying cause.

Do not begin strenuous exercise or stop prescribed medication until your clinician has explained what the finding means for you.

Seek emergency help for chest pain, severe breathlessness, fainting or a fast or irregular heartbeat accompanied by dizziness.

Bigger does not automatically mean stronger.

#HeartAndStrokeMonth

#EnlargedHeart

#HealthyLivingWithDrKetch

Your shoes fit in the morning.

By evening, your ankles look swollen and the straps are leaving marks.

Standing or sitting for many hours can cause mild swelling in both ankles. It often improves after rest or overnight. But recurring swelling should not automatically be blamed on a long day.

Notice the pattern.

If one leg suddenly becomes swollen, painful, warm or darker than usual, seek urgent medical help. This can happen with a blood clot or infection.

Swelling in both legs accompanied by breathlessness, difficulty lying flat or rapid weight gain may mean that fluid is building up because the heart is not pumping effectively. Kidney or liver disease can also cause swelling.

Call for emergency help if swollen feet occur with chest pain, sudden breathlessness, fainting or coughing up blood.

Record when the swelling appears and whether it affects one leg or both. Elevate your legs while resting and take walking breaks if you sit for long periods.

Do not start taking “water tablets” on your own. Treatment depends on why the fluid is collecting.

Swollen ankles are a symptom, not a diagnosis.

#HeartAndStrokeMonth

#SwollenAnkles

#HealthyLivingWithDrKetch

You feel burning in your chest after dinner and assume it is your usual heartburn.

This time it feels different, but you go to bed anyway.

Heartburn often causes burning behind the breastbone, a sour taste in the mouth and symptoms that worsen after eating or lying down.

The problem is that a heart attack can also feel like burning or indigestion. Even experienced clinicians may need an ECG and other tests to tell the difference.

Call for emergency help if the discomfort is new or unexplained and lasts more than a few minutes. Treat it as urgent if it keeps returning, spreads to your arm, jaw, neck or back, or comes with sweating, breathlessness, nausea or severe dizziness.

Do not drive yourself to the hospital.

Feeling better after an antacid does not safely prove that your heart is fine. Both reflux and heart-related pain can settle temporarily.

If recurring reflux is the problem, eat smaller meals and identify your personal triggers. Avoid lying down for three to four hours after eating. Arrange a medical check if the heartburn occurs most days or you develop difficulty swallowing.

When you are not sure, treat new chest pain as urgent.

#HeartAndStrokeMonth

#Heartburn

#ChestPain

#HealthyLivingWithDrKetch

You can still walk and talk, so you tell yourself the chest pain cannot be serious.

That assumption can waste precious time.

A heart attack does not always cause unbearable pain or immediate collapse. Some people experience mild pressure, tightness, burning or discomfort that feels like indigestion.

Call for emergency help if the pain lasts more than a few minutes, keeps returning or spreads to your arm, jaw, neck, back or upper stomach.

Chest pain accompanied by sweating, nausea, breathlessness, severe dizziness or fainting also needs immediate attention.

Stop what you are doing and sit down. Call your local emergency number. Do not drive yourself to the hospital. Emergency responders may be able to begin treatment on the way.

Chest pain can come from heartburn, strained muscles, anxiety or a lung problem. But new or unexplained pain should not be diagnosed at home.

Do not wait for the pain to become unbearable.

#HeartAndStrokeMonth

#ChestPain

#HealthyLivingWithDrKetch

You are sitting quietly when your heart suddenly takes off.

Before you dismiss it as anxiety, notice what else is happening.

That racing, pounding, fluttering or skipping feeling is called a palpitation. Common triggers include stress, too little sleep, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, fever and some medicines. Palpitations are often harmless, but they can occasionally come from anaemia, thyroid problems or an abnormal heart rhythm.

While it is happening, sit down and note when it started. Check your pulse or smartwatch if one is available. Record how long the episode lasts and what you were doing beforehand. This information can help your doctor investigate the cause.

Arrange a medical check if the palpitations are new, keep returning, become more frequent or last longer than a few minutes.

If your racing heartbeat comes with chest pain, severe breathlessness, fainting or severe dizziness, seek emergency help immediately.

Do not assume every racing heart is anxiety.

#HeartAndStrokeMonth

#Palpitations

#HealthyLivingWithDrKetch

Some mornings, you are not drinking an energy drink because you want one.

You are drinking it because you do not know how else you will make it through the day.

The can may keep your eyes open, but it cannot give your body the rest it missed. Energy drinks can increase your heart rate and blood pressure. Taking them late may also disturb your sleep, leaving you reaching for another can the next day.

Before you drink one, check the label. Some energy drinks contain more than 300 mg of caffeine in a 16-ounce container. For most healthy adults, 400 mg a day is generally considered the upper limit, not a target. Remember to include caffeine from coffee, tea, cola and pre-workout products in your total.

Never mix an energy drink with alcohol. Caffeine may make you feel more awake, but it does not make you less impaired. The combination may encourage you to drink more and can increase the risk of high blood pressure or an irregular heartbeat.

If you develop chest pain, fainting, severe breathlessness or a heartbeat that remains very fast or irregular, seek urgent medical help.

And if you need energy drinks every day just to function, pause. The exhaustion itself deserves attention.

Energy drinks do not replace the rest your body needs.

#HeartAndStrokeMonth

#EnergyDrinks

#HealthyLivingWithDrKetch