Do this now
- Call 108 — say “possible stroke,” give the location and a landmark. The ambulance is free.
- Note the exact time symptoms started — or when the person was last seen completely normal. Write it down. Tell the ambulance team and the hospital.
- Lay the person on their side if they are drowsy or vomiting. Loosen tight clothing at the neck. Stay with them.
- Do not give food, water, aspirin, or any other medicine by mouth unless a doctor instructs you to. Swallowing is often affected after a stroke, and some strokes are caused by bleeding.
- Do not drive the patient yourself if an ambulance can reach you sooner. If 108 is delayed in a rural area, take them by the quickest safe means to the nearest hospital with an ICU.
BE-FAST — the signs
- B — Balance.Sudden loss of balance, dizziness or difficulty walking.
- E — Eyes.Sudden blurred, double or lost vision in one or both eyes.
- F — Face.One side of the face droops; the smile is uneven.
- A — Arms.Weakness or numbness in one arm — it drifts down when both are raised.
- S — Speech.Slurred or strange speech, or difficulty understanding what is said.
- T — Time.Time to call 108 immediately, and time to note when symptoms started.
Stroke signs come on suddenly and are usually painless. That is exactly why families wait — “let him rest, it may pass by morning.” It does not pass. Waiting is what turns a treatable stroke into permanent paralysis.
Why minutes matter
A stroke happens when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked or when a vessel bleeds. From that moment, brain cells begin to die — and the brain does not regrow them. Treatment that dissolves a clot can restore blood flow and save the threatened area, but it only works within roughly the first 4.5 hours from when symptoms began; other procedures have somewhat longer windows in selected patients. Every part of that window spent waiting, discussing, or travelling to the wrong place is brain lost. This is the reason the exact time of onset is recorded and repeated to every clinician: it decides which treatments remain possible when the patient arrives.
24×7 emergency & ICU at PPK Hospital, Marthandam
PPK Hospital, NH 47, Marthandam — the emergency entrance is on the highway and receives 108 ambulances directly.
The hospital runs a 24×7 emergency department and intensive care units with ventilator support and continuous monitoring, led by Dr. Dante Ruskin, critical-care specialist and diabetologist. For patients already under his care for diabetes, this means their sugar history, kidney function and medicines are known to the doctor directing their emergency treatment.
Diabetes raises stroke risk — and lowers the warning
People with diabetes carry a substantially higher risk of stroke, and the damage builds silently over years through blood vessels injured by high sugar, high blood pressure and high cholesterol acting together. Nerve damage can also blunt the warning symptoms of related emergencies. The protective work is unglamorous and effective: keep sugar in your target range, treat blood pressure and cholesterol seriously rather than treating them as optional extras, stop tobacco, and attend reviews so that deterioration is caught while it is still numbers on a page rather than weakness in an arm.
Questions people ask in this emergency
What are the first signs of a stroke?
Sudden loss of balance, sudden vision trouble in one or both eyes, face drooping on one side, weakness or numbness in one arm, and difficulty speaking or understanding speech. Remember BE-FAST. Signs appear suddenly and are usually painless — which is why they get wrongly dismissed as tiredness.
What number do I call for an ambulance in Tamil Nadu or Kerala?
Call 108. It is free, works 24 hours across both states, and sends the nearest ambulance with a trained emergency technician. Say "possible stroke," give the exact location and a landmark, and keep the phone line free afterwards.
How fast must stroke treatment be given?
Clot-dissolving treatment usually works only within about 4.5 hours of symptoms starting, and some procedures have slightly longer windows. This is why noting the exact time symptoms began — or when the person was last seen normal — matters as much as reaching hospital quickly.
Where is the nearest ICU to Marthandam?
PPK Hospital, Marthandam, on the Trivandrum–Nagercoil highway opposite the CSI Church, runs 24×7 emergency and intensive care with ventilator support. Critical care is led by Dr. Dante Ruskin, an intensivist and diabetologist.
Should I give aspirin to someone having a stroke?
No — not unless a doctor instructs you. Some strokes are caused by bleeding in the brain, and aspirin can make those worse. Give nothing by mouth: no food, no water, no tablets. Call 108 and let the hospital determine the type of stroke by scan.