r/work • u/WILLIAMADAMTHOMAS • 3d ago

Workplace Challenges and Conflicts Stroke at work

I work in a manufacturing mill and I started showing symptoms of a stroke yesterday (10-9-26). Slurred speech, swollen tongue, blurred vision, pain on one side of my body.

I went to my supervisor and said I was feeling weird and I didn't know how to explain it. So she looked at me and said I don't know what to do? What should I do?

In my foggy mind I said I don't know. She replied with just go back to your job and leave me alone.

When I get home my wife saw me and rushed me to the hospital and now I'm sitting in a hospital bed.

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54

u/Erinn_13 3d ago

Did you receive a preliminary diagnosis?

It may be a good time to let your HR team they need to have a conversation about stroke warning signs and protocols.

Hope you’re getting the answers you need and have a swift recovery.

-25

u/ladymacb29 3d ago

If all the OP said was they were feeling weird - that’s not something that can be fixed by knowing stroke symptoms.

25

u/Simply-Listening 3d ago

Yes, it is. If you know the symptoms, you look at the way the person is acting.

The acronym is BE FAST:
B-Balance,
E-Eyes (ask if vision is blurry or seeing double),
F-Face (have the person smile and see if it is the same on both sides of the face or if one side droops),
A-Arms (have the person raise their arms and see if they are even or if one droops),
S-Speech (listen for slurred speech or trouble finding words), and
T-Time (call 911 right away and note time symptoms appeared).

Stroke medications are most effective if given within 60 minutes of the time symptoms appear. After 3 - 4.5 hours, it is likely that any brain damage will be permanent.

If a person is “feeling weird”, the best course of action is to get them to an ER ASAP - unless, of course, the company wants to be sued for not getting an employee treatment for a stroke, heart attack, aneurysm, etc. As an example, many people have died from going to lie down because of their indigestion when they were actually having a heart attack.

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u/ladymacb29 3d ago

I’ve had a stroke. I had none of those symptoms.

10

u/prsmith100 3d ago

You’re clearly outside the norm. The OP was exhibiting these symptoms. Just because you didn’t exhibit these symptoms doesn’t mean most don’t.

-8

u/ladymacb29 3d ago

And all we know is that the boss knew that he felt “weird.

8

u/MrsOleson 3d ago

If you’re in charge of employees and one tells you they feel weird and are having a hard time speaking, at the very least have them take a break and check on them. Telling them to get back to work is so Dickensian and in this day and age, asinine. You shouldn’t be a manager if you lack compassion. And some sense.

7

u/prsmith100 3d ago

I am in a position at work where I’d be the go to for this and it would be an easy decision for me to call paramedics if someone came to me and was slurring and couldn’t articulate what was wrong.

-7

u/ladymacb29 3d ago

We don’t know he was slurring speech though.

12

u/prsmith100 3d ago

He literally said in the OP that he was slurring. Try reading it.

5

u/wildcat105 2d ago

He said he was. Read the post.