Still learning to be me (canciona) wrote in little_details,
Still learning to be me
canciona
little_details
  • Mood: curious

Wounds and fever/delirium: medical questions

I have a character who receives a bullet wound which most likely goes untreated for a few days, other than bandaging and possibly cleansing or even cauterising it. It doesn't involve any vital organs and bleeding is contained, but under what circumstance could he develop an infection that might lead to an extended fever and fever-related delirium? Could his condition be successfully treated without professional medical intervention - or at most, only moderate medical intervention, preferably some which could be administered by an untrained friend? (It is imperative that he stay out of actual hospitals.) I'd prefer to stay away from the gangrene/loss of limb solution, btw.

If medical advice/intervention is needed, would the patient's two friends be encouraged to warm/cool the patient's body (ice, etc, to bring the fever down - or might he develop chills as a result), with relation to the fever, in this instance? Would the delirium be treated separately, or at all? What topical treatment to the wound itself would be necessary? Story is set in the present, in a large US city, and the characters could potentially have access to information via the internet, and general over-the-counter remedies and medical supplies, if that helps.

Thank you for any help you can provide, with regards to any of these questions. :)
Tags: ~medicine: injuries to order, ~medicine: injuries: gunshot wounds
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