HD Kumaraswamy discharged from hospital, emphasises importance of not missing ‘Golden Period’ in stroke cases

Also read: ‘Chukki kayle’-hit families learn to smile as officials kindle hope

‘Don’t take it lightly’

Kumaraswamy urged everyone not to take their health lightly. “No matter what problem you face, immediately go to the hospital and seek treatment,” he implored the public.

He was admitted to Apollo Hospital in Jayanagar early morning on Wednesday after he suffered an acute stroke.

Thanking the people of the state for keeping him in their prayers for the five days during which he was in the hospital, and explaining what happened in the early hours of Wednesday, he said, “I was in my farmhouse. I woke up around 2 am feeling very tired, and my health started deteriorating slightly.”

The JD(S) leader said he quickly called his brother-in-law, eminent cardiologist Dr CN Manjunath, and later consulted neurologist Dr Satish Chandra at Apollo Hospital, who advised him to get admitted.

“Within just 20 minutes of leaving his farmhouse, we reached here,” he said.

Before being discharged, Kumaraswamy also appealed to the people not to take the symptoms of stroke and paralysis lightly.

“For the past five days, some of my friends were in fear. If I am talking to you, then I must say that I got a rebirth,” the former chief minister said.

“With regard to my health, God has given me a third birth. If a person gets one birth, in my case I am of the opinion that in my 64 years of age, I got my third birth,” he added.

Kumaraswamy appealed to the people of the state not to waste even a single minute whenever they experienced such symptoms.

“I sensed the symptoms of paralysis at 2 am. If had ignored it and said I would go to the doctor in the morning, I would have spent the rest of my life confined to the bed,” he said.

Also read: Are you popping vitamins, supplements? Then read this report

Remember to BE-FAST

Speaking on the occasion, eminent neurologist and former NIMHANS director Dr P Satishchandra said people should be aware of the “BE-FAST” method to detect a stroke.

Here, B stands for Balance, E for Eyes, F for Face, A for Arms, S for Speech, and T for Time.

“These are the symptoms. If there is less strength in the arm, if one develops a lisp or stammers, if there are problems with the eyes, or if there are changes in the face, then rush to a hospital without wasting time,” he said.

It was also important to take the patient to the right hospital, noted the doctor. The hospital where the patient is taken should be stroke-ready, he said.

“It should be a hospital that has all the equipment and experts required for treating stroke patients. Then we get the time. We call it the ‘golden hour’, which means the patient should be brought within three hours. Once the patient is brought within three hours, we get one hour to start our work,” the doctor explained.