A close friend had an emergency situation. She started speaking in word salad, went by ambulance to the hospital and it turned out to be a benign brain tumor. It was removed, she's recovering and it looks like she'll be fine with therapy. I'm grateful and shook. Can't stop crying for some reason.
@StillIRise1963
Wow, that’s scary. Glad it was figured out and fixable. Grateful that someone recognized it as an emergency situation. I recently had a patient that didn’t recognize that her inability to use one side of her body normally was an emergency, she stayed at home monitoring the situation a little longer than ideal. Her problem turned out to be a stroke. There’s a mnemonic for when to seek emergency care for potential stroke (and other neuro problems):
BEFAST
Balance problem
Eye vision changes
Face drooping/uneven smile or eyebrows
Arm/leg weakness (especially one side)
Speech problems
Time to call 911 because time is tissue
Thanks for sharing.
@nursetonyf Thanks for this info. I'll keep BEFAST in mind and I'm sure it will help many others too.