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In a candid chat to TV hosts Ant and Dec, Susan Boyle admitted she thought it was “crazy” that she was back singing on stage following her health scare.
While Susan delivered an outstanding rendition of I Dreamed A Dream – a throwback to her 2009 audition on the TV show – the stroke she had last year would have been a fright.
The 62-year-old feared she would never be able to sing again when she had a stroke in April 2022.
According to the Stroke Association, around 100,000 people have strokes each year in the UK.
Most people are familiar with the acronym FAST, which stands for the symptoms of a stroke to look out for:
- Facial weakness
- Arm weakness
- Speech problems
- Time to call 999.
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There are, however, other signs of a stroke to be aware of, which stroke expert Professor Martin Dennis pointed out.
The expert in stroke medicine at the University of Edinburgh shared six lesser-known signs of a stroke.
“People who develop aphasia or dysphasia [difficulties understanding language] will jumble their words,” said Professor Dennis.
Consequently, the person affected “may not be able to say anything, or understand anything”.
Professor Dennis elaborated: “Their reading and writing may be affected.
“They may be described by lay people as being confused, or having loss of memory because they cannot answer questions.”
Thus, one of the other signs to look out for when it comes to a stroke is what appears to be sudden memory loss.
When sitting or laying down, a stroke might lead to numbness in the limbs, however this symptom on its own is not a sign of a stroke.
Professor Dennis also pointed out that blurry vision or complete loss of eyesight is another less commonly known symptom of a stroke.
So too is difficulty swallowing but, again, this is “very, very, rarely a sign of a stroke on its own”.
If there is a bleed in the space around the brain, a sudden and severe headache could come on.
Even sudden vertigo – if accompanied by double vision, weakness or clumsiness and sudden slurred speech – can be a sign of a stroke.
Alternative signs of a stroke
- Apparent, sudden memory loss
- Numbness in limbs
- Blurry vision or loss of eyesight
- Difficulty swallowing
- Sudden, severe headache
- Vertigo.
If you suspect that you or someone else is having a stroke, phone 999 immediately and ask for an ambulance.
