Questions re: bullet wound recovery

lol its been a long time since i worked in a hospital and i dealt more with industrial accidents. i have no idea about bullet wounds

but the man would probably get some pt in the hospital mainly passive range of motion with follow-up after he is released.

as far as wound care- we would sometimes pack a wound with (ah man i forgot the name) it was long narrow strip of gauze that was soaked in an antibotic. it came in same bottle. i'll remember the name in a day or two. it would keep the wound open and free to drain so it could heal from the inside out. the nurse or wound care tech would use forceps the remove the dressing and repack.

he probably would have a sponge bath the first day or two and the nurse would include his genital area. but these are nurses. there is nothing they haven't seen before. if the guy is cute or hung nice the whole floor will know but if a male gets too frisky with a pretty nurse, his next bath would be with nurse cratchet.

sorry i can't remember the name and things may have changed as for as wound care. like i said it has been awhile. hope this helps and happy holidays.

Depends largely on what was hit, the type of bullet and the range.

A good expanding bullet through bone, well he might never recover full use of the arm. He'd be in physical therapy for years. A ball-type ammunition, missing the bone he'd be mostly recovered, presuming decent medical treatment, within a week (by that I mean he could run, and do stuff with his other arm, that arm would hurt like hell to use) and able to use that arm well within a month or so without much physical therapy.

He would not require a sponge bath. Most of the rest was answered, or I don't know.

It passes through but it causes damage. It can knick bone, muscles, nerves and veins and arteries. To keep it simple have the surgeon examine him and say, "You're lucky, no vessels or bone. We'll clean and debride if needed." The bigger wound is on the bullet's exit (his back).

He won't be in the hospital much longer than twenty four hours and no longer than two days if he doesn't have surgery or complications. He gets a tetnus shot and antibiotics. The surgeon may choose for him to use a sling for a few days and then start passive ROM (range of motion) exercises which he will demonstrate or the nurse will before discharge. Movement will be evaluated in the follow up office visit. Here PT may be considered if patient didn't do his ROM as instructed.

Nurses will show family how to change his dressing and what sypmtoms of infection are. (Redness, stinky, pus-like discharge, or fever). Dressings can be wet-dry which involves packing the wound with the wet one and covering with a dry one. Daikins solution or saline for the wet one. Or just dry. This is simple and easy. If he doesn't have family and can't reach his back dressing, a visiting nurse can be used. He'll get PT-if he's a policeman and he's shot on the gun hand side or if his job requires manual dexterity and his recovery his slow. Muscles heal slower and hurt like heck when you move them, but you have to move them so they don't stiffen or contract.

Yes, he can shower, but he'll be told not to get the dressing wet. Hospital shower streams are pitiful and not like home. Smaller dressings can be covered with a larger plastic dressing. Otherwise, if a patient is awake and alert, can sit up and has one hand working, it's self care. The bathwater in plastic tub is brought to the beside with soap, washcloths and towels. He sits on the side of the bed and washes himself or he can stand at the sink. He's told to hit the areas he can reach and he's left to do it on his own. The nurse steps behind the privacy curtain or returns in a short time and finishes up (usually the back). I don't see why a story needs a section on a bath for an overnight patient, but now you see it's not that interesting.

Longer stays in hospital might warrant a full bed bath, but those folks aren't awake and alert like your guy will be. If he can bathe himself, he will be asked to do it.

A friend of mine used to work in a hospital. He had to clean both males and females, and did have to clean the genitals of both. He's a man, but I would think it would have been the same even if he were female.