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Do you know the signs of stroke? The easy-to-use acronym is F.A.S.T., and it stands for face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty, time to call 911. But as with heart attacks, women may need an entirely different set of symptoms to look for.
As it turns out, there’s one symptom that could fly right under the radar, and it’s one you’d never even think about: hiccups.
Of course, we’re not talking about hiccups that happen when you laugh too hard, or from when you drink your soda too fast.
No, these hiccups are the ones that come out of nowhere. Hiccups that could signify a stroke are ones that last several minutes, are severely painful, and can be paired with numbness or blurred vision. Of course, if your hiccups are that painful, it may be difficult to focus on anything else. But if you have this combination of things, you should definitely get yourself to the emergency room.
The bad news about this symptom is that almost no one knows to look out for it. Only 10% of 1000 women surveyed knew that hiccupping was a symptom of a stroke, and it’s not a common one for doctors to look out for either.
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What’s more, women’s weird symptoms of stroke extend beyond hiccups. Women should also be on the lookout for chest pain, whole-body numbness, and headaches.
These are signs of strokes that occur in the back of the brain, which is, you guessed it, more common in women.
60% of strokes happen to women, so keep an eye out. It could happen to you, and you’re much better off knowing the signs. If you're worried at all that you may be having a stroke, get yourself to the emergency room immediately.
Had you heard of these stroke symptoms? What do you think?
