From the American Stroke Association: the Top 15 strangest reasons why men ignored their stroke symptoms. (For full release, scroll down below this list)

• Thought the vision loss was caused by something I ate.
• Thought my arm numbness was due to my recent knee surgery.
• Had been partying the night before, so the next day when I was slurring and couldn’t see, I thought it was just a hangover.
• Thought my wife would get mad, so I waited until she woke up to tell her I couldn't move my arm.
• Wanted to make it to Florida by morning so I kept on driving until I passed out at the wheel.
• Did not have anyone to watch my dog.
• Didn’t want to break my bodybuilding training – until my arm went numb and the weight dropped on my head.
• Didn’t want to waste my free dinner-for-two prize, so I made the restaurant bag the meal AND dessert before I would go to the ER.
• Didn’t want to miss my prepaid cruise vacation, even though I suddenly couldn’t walk.
• Didn’t want to leave the conference until I could hear the keynote speaker, Sarah Palin.
• (From a pilot): Knew my airline would ground me and I wouldn’t be able to fly the plane.
• Had to close on a house.
• Had to vote but couldn't operate the voting machine.
• Didn’t want to miss my court date and get another contempt of court charge.

And the No. 1 strangest reason why a man ignored his stroke symptoms:

• The playoff game was on.

From “The game was on” to “I thought it was a hangover”

Real-life reasons why men ignore stroke

MURFREESBORO, TN - When it comes to stroke, a key message is “time lost is brain lost.” But judging by the behavior of many men in Middle Tennessee, that message is getting lost as well.

Stroke is the No. 3 killer in the country and the leading cause of severe long-term disability. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so it starts to die. According to the American Stroke Association, reacting quickly and seeking immediate medical care when symptoms occur is critical to increasing chances of survival and minimizing disability.

With men, getting them to react quickly can be a particular challenge.

Common wisdom holds that men are often reluctant patients. A 2008 Harris Interactive study bears this out, showing a whopping 92 percent of men wait at least a few days before seeking medical care when they’re sick. But those extra hours– or even a few extra minutes - can be a deadly delay when stroke occurs. And the reasons men wait can be stranger than fiction.

As part of the American Stroke Association’s new Warning Signs of Stroke campaign in Middle Tennessee, aimed at men, an informal study was recently conducted to look at the actual reasons men delayed getting help when stroke struck them. These were cited by men who had stroke symptoms, put off seeking medical attention and were later diagnosed and treated for stroke in Middle Tennessee hospitals.

Here are some of their real-life responses, and why these are good examples of how NOT to react.

“I thought it was something else” – Dazed and confused

The party also ended unexpectedly for one man who got drunk with his friends, woke up the next day with slurred speech and vision loss, and figured it was just a hangover. It wasn’t.

“It's so important that you understand your body and what's going on and to really pay attention to the warning signs,” said Eddie George, former Tennessee Titan and American Stroke Association spokesperson. “They are there for a reason."

"Time is brain,” said Sonya Brooks, M.D., neurologist and medical director of Skyline Neuroscience Center in Nashville. “The more time that you wait deciding whether or not you should seek medical treatment may be time that we won't be able to give you the help that you need."

The warning signs of stroke include sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination; or sudden severe headache with no known cause.

”I had things to do” – Taking responsibility too seriously

A good number of men in the Middle Tennessee study thought that taking care of business was more important than taking care of their body’s stroke warning signs.

Reasons cited ranged from the everyday “had to pick up wife,” “had to pick up child from school” and “had to close on a house” to the civic-minded “had to vote.” That man realized he’d made the wrong election when he arrived at the polling station and couldn't operate the voting machine.

One gentleman was driving at night to his summer home in Florida when he noticed the road was becoming dim and his arm felt numb. As he wanted to make it there by morning and he didn't want to wake his spouse who couldn't drive at night, he kept driving. His wife awoke to the sound of tires thumping along the safety bumpers as the car ran off the road. She barely had enough time to grab the wheel as he lost consciousness.

A grandfather had stroke symptoms while babysitting his grandson but refused to leave his shift to get help. Frightened, the 11-year-old grandson called his mother to report that his grandfather was dying.

Then there was the man who wouldn’t call for help because he did not have anyone to watch his dog.

Some men who delayed getting medical attention for stroke were trying to avoid getting in trouble, such as the employee who was afraid to miss work out of fear he would be terminated.

An overly-cautious husband did not wake his sleeping wife because he feared she would get mad at him, so he waited until she woke up to tell her he couldn't move his arm.

And a man already in trouble with the law thought he’d better keep his scheduled court appearance - despite his symptoms - because he’d already been cited for contempt of court for failure to appear on a previous occasion.

Though a sense of responsibility is admirable, taking care of business when stroke strikes means taking immediate action. Stroke is a medical emergency that takes priority over any other “business.” Most strokes are treatable, and can even be reversible, if the patient calls 9-1-1 and gets to the hospital for treatment - such as the clot-busting drug tPA - within three hours of the first symptom. But the clock is ticking. The longer the delay, the more damage the stroke can do.

Losing a few minutes could mean losing full use of an arm or leg. The faster one starts treatment, the more chance one has to walk out in good shape.

“If you’re having a stroke, you definitely don't want to ignore it,” said Curtis Hagenau, M.D., neurologist at Baptist Hospital in Nashville. “Stroke symptoms may not be severe initially and stroke doesn't usually cause pain. So, some guys decide to just wait it out for a while and see if it will go away on its own. That’s a bad decision. Stroke is more likely to improve in the hospital, especially if you get there quickly.”

“I can tough it out” – When stubborn becomes serious

Many men figured they’d wait out their symptoms because they hoped “it would just go away.” But some men showed their stubborn side in notable ways.

There was the football fan who refused to seek help for his stroke symptoms because the playoff game was on. Time lost: three hours – an “overtime” he could ill afford.

There was the vacationer embarking on a nonrefundable cruise who didn’t tell his wife that his leg was numb until they got to the airport and he couldn’t walk. Ignoring his wife’s protests, he grabbed a wheelchair, fully intending to board the plane - until the flight attendant stopped him at the gate.

There was the dinner winner who was enjoying his free meal for two at the restaurant when he started to choke, drool and have difficulty swallowing. Wanting to get his money’s worth, he kept trying to eat, and finally insisted that the restaurant bag their meals – and desserts - before he would go to the ER.

And there was the pilot who tried to “power through” his symptoms because he knew he would be grounded by his company – unable to fly - if he had a diagnosis of stroke. Unfortunately the stroke did the grounding: he was found on the floor in the airport bathroom.

“Powering through” also did not work for the bodybuilder training for a tournament when his arm went numb. Not wanting to break training and miss his show, he tried to lift the weight, only to have it crash down on his head. His double diagnosis: stroke – as well as a traumatic brain injury.

“Men sometimes like to prove their toughness by minimizing symptoms, but the warning signs of stroke may be the only harbingers before disaster strikes,” said Howard Kirshner, M.D., medical director of the Vanderbilt Stroke Center in Nashville. “It's not cool to ignore key warning signs, and they may pay for this with disability for the rest of their lives.”

"Men tend to fight through the hard stuff,” added George. “If we have a headache, we take aspirin, and if you are feeling dizzy, we lay down. But you just can't ignore the signs."

Real men take action - immediately

So what should men – and women – do if they have one or more of the warning signs, or see someone who does? The answer from the American Stroke Association is simple and clear: call 9-1-1 immediately. This ensures the fastest treatment, which is critical when stroke occurs.

“Don't just tough it out,” said Hagenau. “Don't waste time by calling your wife or family doctor. Call 9-1-1 and get to the ER.”

For more information on the warning signs of stroke and how to take action, visit the American Stroke Association’s Nashville website at www.strokeassociation.org/nash.