What To Do If You Get Shot (4 Life Saving Tips)


what-to-do-if-you-get-shot

If/when we find ourselves in a survival scenario, there’s a very likely chance that the world will be a much more hostile place. When resources become scarce and our government is collapsed, things will become much more intense and dangerous, and as such, expect quite a bit of gunfire to be flying around. Even if you’re as prepared as possible for such an event, it’s still important to know what to do if you get shot.

No matter how many personal defense classes you’ve taken or how many hours you’ve spent practicing your aim at the range, there’s always a chance that something could go wrong and that you will take a bullet. This is a scenario that isn’t pleasant to think about, but it’s an important one to know how to deal with.

Having the proper knowledge to perform first aid for gunshot wounds (either for yourself or someone else) is critical to making your way through life as a prepper, and today, we’re going to be showing you exactly what to do when it comes to gunshot wound first aid.

Dealing with gunshot wounds in the head

If you happen to find yourself in a firefight, the chances of you or someone in your group being hit directly in the head are rather slim unless the foes you’re facing have a trained sniper. In any case, if a bullet hits the head, you may initially think that all hope is lost.

However, this is not true.

While a shot directly between the eyes will likely mean instant death, a hit somewhere else isn’t always the most critical.

With a gunshot wound in the head, your main goal should be to try and control any bleeding that’s taking place. This is done by applying pressure directly to the area of the wound, but ensure that you do not use tourniquets around the neck when doing this.

Additionally, it’s important to make sure that the blood doesn’t choke either you or the person that got shot. If the wounded person is still conscious after the shot, get them to sit up and lean forward so the blood doesn’t get caught up in their throat and cause serious problems.

If you have someone in your group that’s unconscious after the hit, prop their body up so that they are on their side and bend the top of the knee forward so that they don’t move from this position.

Gunshot wounds to the chest — much more common

Gunshot wounds found in the chest are quite a bit more common than ones in the head, and the main thing you’ll want to be thinking about with wounds in this location is the fact that they’re often nicknamed as “sucking chest wounds.”

Why?

Because with a bullet and hole in your chest, air is sucked into your body and you face the risk of a collapsed lung. The most effective way to get this threat out of the way is by closing said wound with some sort of occlusive dressing. Combine this with a bit of pressure when applying it, and you can help to drastically minimize the potential risk of such a fatal issue.

If the bullet that enters the chest penetrates deep enough, you deal with the possibility that it could damage the spine. In this case, you’ll want to keep the wounded person as still as they possibly can be. Sudden movements could cause damage to the spinal cord, and this could result in permanent paralyzation if not careful.

Lastly, when dealing with a chest wound, it’s important to be aware of the fact that there’s a chance the heart, lungs, spine, and large blood vessels could be damaged. If the wound ends up being this serious, there’s unfortunately not much you can do unless you seek professional medical help.

Moving down to the abdomen

Heading down from the chest to the abdomen, bullets here have the chance of coming into contact with various organs that are found throughout this part of the body. Should you find a gunshot wound in this area that is open and exposed where you can see the intestines, your primary concern should be placing a sterile dressing on top of this area so that the organs are as protected as they possibly can be.

Additionally, someone who suffers a wound to the intestines should refrain from taking anything by mouth until the pain goes away, and then another day or two from here. This is crucial to making sure that your intestines and stomach are capable of handing food and water before you put them into your body, so if possible, an IV drip will come in handy quite a bit here.

The abdomen is a very tricky area to work with, as if the intestines get ripped open, there’s not much you can do unless you have access to professional medical help. Ripped intestines will result in bleeding to death or dying from infection. In any case, it isn’t a pretty ending.

Shots that occur in either the arms or legs

Lastly, let’s talk about gunshot wounds that take place in your arms or legs. Similar to other wounds, you’ll want to keep direct pleasure applied to the wound to try and get the bleeding to stop. Additionally, try to elevate the arm or leg if possible as this will drastically aid in your attempt to halt any and all bleeding.

If the bleeding refuses to stop, you may have to use a tourniquet. This is a step that you’ll want to save for last, as it usually means that you or the person you’re working on could lose a limb. While no one wants to go without an arm or a leg, it’s better to lose a limb than to lose your entire life.

Also, if you notice that the arm or leg that was shot is swelling rapidly, this is a telltale sign that you’re dealing with internal bleeding. There’s also the possibility that a bone in this area was injured during the shot, and if this is the case, you’ll need to apply a splint.

Final Thoughts

Being aware of knowing what to do if you get shot is something that all preppers should be prepared to deal with. You might like to think that you could go through a survival or Doomsday situation without any sort of gun wound, but you never know what could happen. It’s better to be safe than sorry, so be sure that you know everything you need to do when it comes to handling with gunshot wounds so you don’t end up losing a life that doesn’t need to be lost.

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