Healthcare and Medical Tips for Writers - INJURIES
Ever wanted to write an injury or hospital scene but found yourself lacking the precise knowledge? Ever been hesitant to google, or found that google doesn't give you a straight answer?
Well, you've come to the right place!
Here you will find information on: Wounds and wound care (bandaging, casting, stitches, staples, etc), trauma, emergency room care, blood loss, hypothermia AND SO MUCH MORE!
Source(s): A (so far) seven year career in healthcare, in hospital/ETC, hospice/end of life, and clinic settings, as well as NCLEX and MCAT textbooks.
Let's begin! (ps. this is a LONG post!)
A.
Allergic Reactions: See also, Anaphylaxis. Allergic reactions can be caused by a number of environmental, food, drug, and animal irritants. Reactions vary in severity from mild itching, sneezing, cough, etc to severe with what is called anaphylaxis, which is covered further down.
Mild reactions (hives, itching, sneezing, coughing, watery eyes, hay fever etc.) can typically be treated with over the counter antihistamines (benadryl, allegra), decongestants, anti-itch creams, or eye drops.
Severe reactions (difficulty breathing, throat or tongue swelling, racing heart, etc) require medical attention. Reactions can start out mild and very quickly become severe. The earliest symptoms are typically a cough with tightness in the chest, swelling (tongue, lips) and weak, thready pulse.