AN NHS worker’s life was saved after a fast-thinking nurse spotted she was having a stroke during her shift – on a STROKE ward.
Caroline Swan, 65, started her shift at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth hospital on January 29 when she suffered the medical emergency.
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The healthcare support worker, from Thornliebank, East Renfrewshire, was luckily on the stroke rehabilitation ward at the life-threatening moment.
The fast actions of Charge Nurse Sharon Woods, 34, who spotted the signs Caroline was in danger, ended up saving her life.
Sharon sprung into action and called the emergency stroke team, before getting Caroline onto a trolley and dashing her to A&E, getting her crucial help within 45 minutes.
Mum-of-two Caroline said: “She saved my life. Simple as that.”
Hero medic Sharon reacted after noticing something wasn’t right with her colleague.
She said: “Caroline was sitting in a chair and just staring. When I asked her if she was OK she couldn’t speak. There and then I knew.”
Caroline managed to regain her speech within two hours after the harrowing medical incident and told of how she knew something was wrong.
She added: “I was coming out of a room and couldn’t get my glove off. I just kept staring at it and thinking ‘something’s wrong’.
“I can vaguely remember being put on to a trolley, going through corridors, and then going for a scan. I remember then thinking something was really wrong.”
The lucky mum believes her “stars were aligned” that day saying being at work saved her life – when she wasn’t even meant to be there.
She added: “But it honestly feels like my stars were aligned that day. I wasn’t even meant to be working, then Sharon found me really quickly and got me the help I needed.
“Because of her and the rest of the team who took care of me, I recovered really well. I’ve lost my sense of taste, and I need to wear a monitor, but I’m feeling well and hoping to be back at work soon.
“I’ll never be able to thank them enough for what they did for me.”
The signs of a stroke
A stroke is a serious, life-threatening medical condition that happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off.
To remember the signs of stroke, all you need to do is say FAST. The FAST acronym (Face, Arms, Speech, Time) is a test to quickly identify if someone is having a stroke.
· Face weakness: Can the person smile?
· Arm weakness: Can the person raise both arms?
· Speech problems: Can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?
· Time to call 999: if you see any of these signs.
More information about strokes and what to do to save someone’s life can be found at NHS Inform.
Caroline praised under-pressure medics for her care, and is back home with her husband Alan and recovering from her stroke, and is planning to return to work once she is better.
She said: “The care I received was just amazing.
“I thought it would be weird, given that I worked with everyone and I know them so well, but they were brilliant.
“They just treated me like any other patient and looked after me really well. Everyone was so nice, and I felt so safe.”
Sharon added: ““You don’t expect something like this to happen to a colleague, so to begin with I was quite shocked. But we take care of people – we’re nurses after all, so that’s what we all did.
“I’m just so glad that everything turned out so well for Caroline.”
“She saved my life. Simple as that.”
Caroline Swan
Rebecca Fulton, Lead Nurse for the Older People and Stroke Services, said: “I’m so proud of the team. Despite the fact the patient in this case was one of our staff, everything just kicked in and people knew exactly what to do.
“In fact, being a close-knit team was probably the critical factor here, and why Caroline has made such a positive recovery.
“I’m delighted that in this case everything worked out so well, and that Caroline will be back with us soon.”
The chief medic stressed that time really is of the essence when someone is suspected of having a stroke, and urged people to know the signs of stroke so they know when to act.
“When I asked her if she was OK she couldn’t speak. There and then I knew.”
Hero nurse Sharon Woods
She said: “It is well documented that the quicker a patient can get to hospital and receive treatment, the better the chance of a positive outcome.
“Because of that time imperative, learning the signs of stroke, and being able to act quickly in the event of one, really can be a lifesaver.”
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Caroline said: “I was so glad that I was at work – because of that I was seen quickly, and that was the key thing here.
“Please, if you do anything today, get to know the signs of stroke so you can help others, like Sharon helped me.”
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