5 Things You Should Know – Part 274

Here are 5 things you should know.

1. A sudden loss of vision affecting both eyes is a sign of a stroke.

30-50% of strokes involve vision loss, yet most people do not know that you can lose vision from a stroke and it is not part of the FAST (Face, Arm, Speech, Time) acronym for stroke. 

If you notice a loss of vision in the periphery of both eyes, call your doctor.

2. If you need help affording medications, many pharmaceutical companies have prescription assistance programs where you may be able to get meds for free or at a significant discount if you qualify.

The website Needy Meds is a great place to start. You can search by brand name, generic drug name or manufacturer.

3. If you’re having transmission issues (especially slipping gears), a transmission flush or fluid service will NOT help you.

Any service center that tries to sell you a flush or a fluid service as a way to fix transmission issues is at best ignorant and at worst malicious. If your transmission is slipping your clutch material is already worn away and free-floating in your fluid which still gives the worn clutches something to grab onto, flushing that material out and filling your transmission with clean fluid will only worsen gear slippage.

The ugly truth is nothing will stop a worn transmission from slipping except an overhaul.

Transmission fluid services are a preventative maintenance item. Not a “fix” for anything.

4. This is what should be done if you find an injured or orphaned animal.

There are wildlife rehabilitation organizations in every state in the U.S. and many other places across the globe. People who find animals that they think are injured or orphaned are often in a race against time to connect with a wildlife rehab to help the animal. Because so many different types of animals have such very different needs, it’s nearly impossible for people who find an animal to learn enough information at the time of crisis to give the best aid to the animal. Often times well-intentioned people do harmful things that the average person would seem reasonable (like providing food or water to an injured animal).

The best time to learn about what to do if you find an injured or orphaned animal is right now before you find it. Take some time to read up on the different scenarios that are most common in your region, and what to do in response. Seasons and regions are very important. Owl with a broken wing in winter in Wisconsin? A litter of baby rabbits in spring in California? Two very different things.

Here is a great place to start. Enter a few contacts into your phone now so if you do come across an orphaned or injured animal you can focus on providing the best possible aid to our wild friends.

5. Only be as harsh to yourself as you would to your own child.

There are a lot of people who are so quick to criticize and judge themselves, they lose sight of how to love and forgive themselves.