How long should it take a bullet wound to heal?!
Question: I caught a small-caliber round (.32 or .38 I think) in my right calf, didn't go too deep and was pretty deformed, so I assume it was a ricochet. Hole's about 1" deep. This was three weeks ago, still hurts, but looks clean so I doubt it's infected. Is this normal? I'm not ordinarily in the habit of getting shot, so I don't know.
Yeah, it's a good story, but I don't want to talk about what happened.
Answers: I caught a small-caliber round (.32 or .38 I think) in my right calf, didn't go too deep and was pretty deformed, so I assume it was a ricochet. Hole's about 1" deep. This was three weeks ago, still hurts, but looks clean so I doubt it's infected. Is this normal? I'm not ordinarily in the habit of getting shot, so I don't know.
Yeah, it's a good story, but I don't want to talk about what happened.
Try to stay off your feet with your leg elevated. Keep the wound clean, even if you change the dressing yourself. If you do it yourself, pour alcohol over it, and a new dressing.
You walk, so a leg wound is especially painful, and may take longer to heal.
If you have never been tested for diabetes, consider getting this done, because wounds take forever to heal for a diabetic.
If the skin is now covering the wound, remember there is an inch of flesh to rebuild.
It's not like TV, movies or books where the tough guy gets hit and goes right on as if nothing happened. Trauma happened, and it takes time to heal.
I've had foot surgery, and they took 4-6 months to stop hurting me.
best of luck!
Tremendous advancements have been made in understanding the processes of wound healing. The cell types and the order in which they appear in the wound have been established; many growth factors and their functions have been elucidated. Despite the advances in understanding the science of wound healing, many more steps have yet to be discovered and elucidated. The frontier of this field includes the prevention of hypertrophic and keloid scar formation and, ultimately, any visual remnant of the wound.
An incision created by a scalpel, trauma resulting from a bullet, or tissue death caused by a myocardial infarction all undergo a similar and predictable reparative process. Understanding how the body repairs damaged tissue and what factors influence the wound healing process helps the surgeon ensure an acceptable outcome from surgery.