A Scots dad has told of the moment he suffered a devastating stroke after he dropped his coffee cup in bed and suffered ‘incomprehensible’ slurred speech.
Archie Strachan, from Glasgow, woke up in the early and went downstairs to make a coffee before returning to bed to plan his working day. But when the cup dramatically slipped from his hand he leaped out of bed, knowing something was seriously wrong, Glasgow Live reports.
The 65-year-old charity worker and lecturer was saved by his wife Karen, a long-time A&E nurse who woke up and confirmed that he had a stroke.
The quick-thinking mum rushed him to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where medics carried out a scan. Doctors flooded Archie’s body with clot-busting drugs known as thrombolysis which aims to dissolve the blood clot that had caused the stroke.
Dad-of-two, Archie, spent the night on the stroke ward in the hospital and was able to return home the next day following assessments.
Having made a full recovery following the stroke at his home in Bishopton physically, though he still suffers from the psychological effects of what happened, the doting dad says he ‘owes his life’ to Karen for getting him the urgent help he needed.
He said: “I know how lucky I am to have made the recovery I have. I saw other people in the stroke ward and know things could have been different.
“I owe everything to Karen for how quickly she reacted and for the brilliant nurses and doctors who did so much for me. Physically, I am feeling no ill-effects, but psychologically there’s a hangover.
“I still replay what happened every time I make a cup of coffee in the morning or I’m driving to see students – I can’t help thinking about what might have happened if I’d been behind the wheel when I had the stroke rather than in my own bed. But I am getting there. And I’m just glad still to be here.”
Archie had the stroke in September 2022 and Karen called 999, where the emergency operator talked her through the F.A.S.T. test.
F.A.S.T. is a mnemonic that stands for F – Face, A – Arm, S – Speech, T – Time.
It illustrates three of the common signs of stroke and highlights the importance of acting quickly to call emergency services.
Catching these signs got Archie help quickly and he has now returned to his role as a visiting lecturer in social care with the charity Quarriers. He and Karen are also doing the legendary 95-mile hike in weekly sections, and he intends to complete the hike again next year, this time raising vital funds for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland.
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service have now launched a new F.A.S.T. campaign at Glasgow Central Station, to highlight awareness of stroke signs and symptoms and encourage fast action when contacting emergency services.
According to local health board data, 2,526 people in Greater Glasgow and Clyde had a stroke last year. YouGov polling commissioned by the charity revealed that 39% of adults in Scotland were not familiar with F.A.S.T.
This number rises significantly for younger adults aged 18 to 24 as more than half were not familiar with F.A.S.T.
The public awareness campaign is aimed at increasing the correct identification of stroke symptoms and assessment for hyper acute stroke treatments for those who require them.
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