Writing Traumatic Injuries References
Writing Traumatic Injuries References
So, pretty frequently writers screw up when they write about injuries. People are clonked over the head, pass out for hours, and wake up with just a headache… Eragon breaks his wrist and it’s just fine within days… Wounds heal with nary a scar, ever…
I’m aiming to fix that.
Here are over 100 links covering just about every facet of traumatic injuries (physical, psychological, long-term), focusing mainly on burns, concussions, fractures, and lacerations. Now you can beat up your characters properly!
General resources
WebMD
Mayo Clinic first aid
Mayo Clinic diseases
First Aid
PubMed: The source for biomedical literature
Diagrams: Veins (towards heart), arteries (away from heart) bones, nervous system, brain
Burns
General overview: Includes degrees
Burn severity: Including how to estimate body area affected
Burn treatment: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degrees
Smoke inhalation
Smoke inhalation treatment
Chemical burns
Hot tar burns
Sunburns
Incisions and Lacerations
Essentials of skin laceration repair (including stitching techniques)
When to stitch (Journal article–Doctors apparently usually go by experience on this)
More about when to stitch (Simple guide for moms)
Basic wound treatment
Incision vs. laceration: Most of the time (including in medical literature) they’re used synonymously, but eh.
Types of lacerations: Page has links to some particularly graphic images–beware!
How to stop bleeding: 1, 2, 3
Puncture wounds: Including a bit about what sort of wounds are most likely to become infected
More about puncture wounds
Wound assessment: A huge amount of information, including what the color of the flesh indicates, different kinds of things that ooze from a wound, and so much more.
Home treatment of gunshot wound, also basics More about gunshot wounds, including medical procedures
Tourniquet use: Controversy around it, latest research
Location pain chart: Originally intended for tattoo pain, but pretty accurate for cuts
General note: Deeper=more serious. Elevate wounded limb so that gravity draws blood towards heart. Scalp wounds also bleed a lot but tend to be superficial. If it’s dirty, risk infection. If it hits the digestive system and you don’t die immediately, infection’ll probably kill you. Don’t forget the possibility of tetanus! If a wound is positioned such that movement would cause the wound to gape open (i.e. horizontally across the knee) it’s harder to keep it closed and may take longer for it to heal.
Broken bones
Types of fractures
Setting a broken bone when no doctor is available
Healing time of common fractures
Broken wrists
Broken ankles/feet
Fractured vertebrae: Neck (1, 2), back
Types of casts
Splints
Fracture complications
Broken noses
Broken digits: Fingers and toes
General notes: If it’s a compound fracture (bone poking through) good luck fixing it on your own. If the bone is in multiple pieces, surgery is necessary to fix it–probably can’t reduce (“set”) it from the outside. Older people heal more slowly. It’s possible for bones to “heal” crooked and cause long-term problems and joint pain. Consider damage to nearby nerves, muscle, and blood vessels.
Concussions
General overview
Types of concussions 1, 2
Concussion complications
Mild Brain Injuries: The next step up from most severe type of concussion, Grade 3
Post-concussion syndrome
Second impact syndrome: When a second blow delivered before recovering from the initial concussion has catastrophic effects. Apparently rare.
Recovering from a concussion
Symptoms: Scroll about halfway down the page for the most severe symptoms
Whiplash
General notes: If you pass out, even for a few seconds, it’s serious. If you have multiple concussions over a lifetime, they will be progressively more serious. Symptoms can linger for a long time.
Character reaction:
Shock (general)
Physical shock: 1, 2
Fight-or-flight response: 1, 2
Long-term emotional trauma: 1 (Includes symptoms), 2
First aid for emotional trauma
Treatment (drugs)
WebMD painkiller guide
Treatment (herbs)
1, 2, 3, 4
Miscellany
Snake bites: No, you don’t suck the venom out or apply tourniquettes
Frostbite
Frostbite treatment
Severe frostbite treatment
When frostbite sets in: A handy chart for how long your characters have outside at various temperatures and wind speeds before they get frostbitten
First aid myths: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Includes the ones about buttering burns and putting snow on frostbite.
Poisons: Why inducing vomiting is a bad idea
Poisonous plants
Dislocations: Symptoms 1, 2; treatment. General notes: Repeated dislocations of same joint may lead to permanent tissue damage and may cause or be symptomatic of weakened ligaments. Docs recommend against trying to reduce (put back) dislocated joint on your own, though information about how to do it is easily found online.
Muscular strains
Joint sprain
Resuscitation after near-drowning: 1, 2
Current CPR practices: We don’t do mouth-to-mouth anymore.
The DSM IV, for all your mental illness needs.
Electrical shock
Human response to electrical shock: Includes handy-dandy voltage chart
Length of contact needed at different voltages to cause injury
Evaluation protocol for electric shock injury
Neurological complications
Electrical and lightning injury
Cardiac complications
Delayed effects and a good general summary
Acquired savant syndrome: Brain injuries (including a lightning strike) triggering development of amazing artistic and other abilities
Please don’t repost! You can find the original document (also created by me) here.
More Posts from Emptyholeland and Others
Apologies in advance for any spelling errors, I’ll fix stuff in the morning…too tired now…
oh hey it’s a tutorial on glowing stuff I guess…I already made one 2 years ago but I don’t make things glow like that any more :|
…also when I’m manually doing colours I pick things like this as if I was shading.
there’s a lot more I could put in as well, but it really varies on the picture how I do the glow…it is usually just fiddling around with styles and colours though.
Resources for Writing Injuries
Patreon || Ko-Fi || Masterlist || Work In Progress
–
Head Injuries
General Information | More
Hematoma
Hemorrhage
Concussion
Edema
Skull Fracture
Diffuse Axonal Injury
Neck
General Information
Neck sprain
Herniated Disk
Pinched Nerve
Cervical Fracture
Broken Neck
Chest (Thoracic)
General Information
Aortic disruption
Blunt cardiac injury
Cardiac tamponade
Flail chest
Hemothorax
Pneumothorax (traumatic pneumothorax, open pneumothorax, and tension pneumothorax)
Pulmonary contusion
Broken Ribs
Broken Collarbone
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So apparently last year the National Park Service in the US dropped an over 1200 page study of LGBTQ American History as part of their Who We Are program which includes studies on African-American history, Latino history, and Indigenous history.
Like. This is awesome. But also it feels very surreal that maybe one of the most comprehensive examinations of LGBTQ history in America (it covers sports! art! race! historical sites! health! cities!) was just casually done by the parks service.
Fat/Plus Size Transmasc Resources and Advice
recently i’ve been doing a lot of research about packers, and I’ve noticed that a lot of the info out there isn’t made with fat transmascs in mind. Well, i’m a fat transmasc, and I want to help out with that. Please keep in mind that I am pre-T, pre-top, and am speaking mostly from personal experience! this post will probably be long, so info is below the cut. At the end, please feel free to add more advice or something i have missed.
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HEY THIS IS IMPORTANT whats your favorite place to find drawing references?
What to do if you suddenly find yourself homeless
FOOD
Find your nearest food bank or mission, for food
grocery stores with free samples, bakeries + stores with day-old bread
different fast food outlets have cheaper food and will generally let you hang out for a while.
some dollar stores carry food like cans of beans or fruit
SHELTER
Sleeping at beaches during the day is a good way to avoid suspicion and harassment
sleep with your bag strapped to you, so someone can’t steal it
Some churches offer short term residence
Find your nearest homeless shelter
Look for places that are open to the public
A large dumpster near a wall can often be moved so that flipping up the lids creates an angled shelter to stay dry
HYGIENE
A membership to the YMCA is usually only 10$, which has a shower, and sometimes laundry machines and lockers.
Public libraries have bathrooms you can use
Dollar stores carry low-end soaps and deodorant etc.
Wet wipes are all purpose and a life saver
Local beaches, go for a quick swim
Some truck stops have showers you can pay for
Staying clean is the best way to prevent disease, and potentially get a job to get back on your feet
Pack 7 pairs of socks/undies, 2 outfits, and one hooded rain jacket
OTHER
first aid kit
sunscreen
a travel alarm clock or watch
mylar emergency blanket
a backpack is a must
downgrade your cellphone to a pay as you go with top-up cards
sleeping bag
travel kit of toothbrush, hair brush/comb, mirror
swiss army knife
can opener
Favourites and superlatives music ask!!!
[info in brackets is to be specified by the asker]
In your opinion, what is:
The best song of [band/ artist]
The best album of [band/ artist]
The best 'era' of [band/ artist]
The best song of [album]
The best song of [genre]
The best album of [genre]
The best band/ artist of [genre]
The best 'era/ generation' of [genre]
The best song of [year]
The best album of [year]
The best song of [decade]
The best album of [decade]
The best band/ artist of [decade]
The best genre of [decade]
The best song of [language]
The best album of [language]
The best band of [language]
The best genre of [language]
The song with the best vocals
The song with the best instrumental
The song with the best [instrument]
The song with the best melody
The song with the best intro
The song with the best outro
The song with the best bridge
The song with the best verse melody
The song with the best chorus
The song with the best pre-chrous
The song with the best structure
The song with the best rhythm
The song with the best sound effects
The song with the best lyrics
The song with the most poetic lyrics
The song with the best rhymes
The song with the most relatable lyrics
The song with the most inspirational lyrics
The song with the most meaningful lyrics
The song with the most blorbo/ AMV-able lyrics
The best song title
The best album title
The best band name
The most well-known song you know
The most well-known band/ artist you know
The most well-known genre you know
The most unknown song you know
The most unknown band/ artist you know
The most unknown genre you know
The saddest song you know
The most emotional song you know
The most nostalgic song you know
The most awe-inspiring song you know
The most energising song you know
The catchiest song you know
The most badass song you know
The funniest song you know
The happiest song you know
The most inspirational song you know
The most romantic song you know
The most chill song you know
The angriest song you know
The weirdest song you know
The creepiest song you know
The most unique song you know
The most shocking song you know
The most comforting song you know
The softest song you know
The softest song of [band/ artist]
The heaviest song you know
The heaviest song of [band/ artist]
The best cover of another song
The best live version
The best demo/ alternate version
The best acoustic version
The longest song you know
The shortest song you know
The most prolific band/ artist you know
The least prolific band/ artist you know
The best love song you know
The best break-up song you know
The best party/ dance song you know
The best song with a social message
The best narrative song
The best song about friendship
The best song about family
The best song about loneliness
The best song about childhood
The best song about inner conflict
The best song about interpersonal conflict
The best song about suffering
The best song about hope
The best song about forgiveness
The best song about the band's/ artist's experiences
The best song of a genre you dislike
The best song of a band/ artist you dislike
The best song of an album you dislike
The worst song of a band/ artist you like
The worst album of a band/ artist you like
The most overrrated song of a band/ artist you like
The most underrrated song of a band/ artist you like
The most underrated song of a genre you like
The shit just never ends huh
Resources For Describing Physical Things
Setting
Abandoned Mine
Airplane
Airport Check-in
Alley
Amusement Park
Attic
Bakery
Bank
Basement
Bathroom (home)
Barn
*GE* Barn 2 (Dairy Focus)
Beach
Bedrooms
Birthday Party
Bonfire
Bowling Alley
Bridge
Bookstore
Cafeteria
Casino
*GE* Catacombs
Cave
Church
City Park
Classroom
Closet
Coffee House
Courtroom
Cruise Ship
*GE* Cryogenic Sleep Chamber
Daycare
Desert
Diner
Dragon’s Lair
Dungeon (Caution Graphic Description)
*GE* Egyptian Pyramids
Elevator
Farms
Forest
Frozen Tundra
Gallows
Garage
Garage Sale
Garden
Graveyard
*GE* GLOBAL WARMING (dystopian)
Grocery Store
Halloween Party
Haunted House
Herbalist Shop (fantasy)
High School Hallway
Hospital
Hotel Room
House Fire
House Party
Kitchen
*GE* Laboratory
*GE* Laboratory (secret genetic)
Lake
Library
Locker Room
Meadow
Medieval Castle Armory
Medieval Marketplace
Middle School Dance (informal)
*GE* Mindscape (Mind Magic)
Mountains
Movie Theatre
Night Club
Nursery
Ocean/Sea Bed
Old Pick-Up Truck
Pirate Ship
Playground
Pond
Pool Hall
Prison Cell
Pub
Public Pool (Outdoor)
Rainforest/Jungle
Ranch
Restaurant
River
School Bus
School Office
Shopping Mall
Sleep-Away Camp
*GE* Spaceport
*GE* Spaceship
Stands at a Sporting Event
Storm Sewer
Subway Station
Swamp
Taxi cab
Teacher’s Lounge
Toolshed
*GE* Trailer
Treehouse
*GE* Tropical Island City
Urban Street
Video Arcade
Waiting Room
Waterfall
Water Slide Park
Wedding Ceremony (Church)
Woods at Night
Zoo
Weather
Air Pollution
Avalanche
Blizzard
Breeze
Clouds
Dew
Drought
Dusk
Dust or Sand Storm
Earthquake
Eclipse
Fall
Falling Star
Flood
Forest Fire
Frost
Hailstorm
Heat Wave
Hurricane/Typhoon
Lightning
Mirage
Mist or Fog
Moonlight
Mudslide
Rain
Rainbow
Sky
Sleet
Snow
Spring
Summer
Sunrise
Sunshine
Sunset
Thunderstorm
Tornado
Vortex
Wind
Winter
Color, Texture, & Shape
Color
Black
Blue
Brown
Gray
Gold
Green
Orange
Pink
Purple
Red
Silver
Spotted
Striped
Transparent
White
Yellow
Texture
Bumpy
Barbed/Spined
Crackled
Crumbly
Crusty
Foamy/Spongy
Fuzzy
Gritty
Pitted
Powdery
Prickly
Saw-edged/Serrated
Slimy
Smooth
Sticky
Shape
Arch
Circular/Sphere
Crescent
Heart
Oval & Oval-like
Rectangle
Spiral
Star
Square
Triangular
Tube
Wavy
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ask game
1. whats your favorite thing in your room?
2. how tall do you wish you were?
3. what color is your hair?
4. whats a rare fear that you have?
5. are you single?
6. has your heart ever been broken?
7. what was your favorite thing as a kid?
8. favorite coping mechanism?
9. whats your favorite love language?
10. how often do you get nervous?
11. if you had three wishes, would you use them?
12. if you could be fluent in any language which one would it be?
13. where do you wish to live?
14. what’s something surprising about you?
15. when did you last shower?
16. when did you first join tumblr?
17. do you want any tattoos? if so, where, what, and why?
18. whats the most prominent dream youve had?
19. whats your dream job?
20. whats your ideal date?
21. what do you wish you could do better?
22. what country would you live in if you could?
23. whos the best person you know?
24. have you ever walked into something you shouldnt have?
25. whats your favorite holiday?
26. when have you been most embarrassed?
27. whats your favorite halloween costume?
28. what are you best at?
29. do you know how to tie your shoes?
30. do you have siblings?
31. if you could know one thing about the future what do you wanna know?
32. whats a dealbreaker for you?
33. whats your favorite current class?
34. how many people have you dated?
35. how often do you wash your hair?
36. do you daydream? what about?
37. where do you go to be alone?
38. which parent do you like more?
39. whats the one standard you hold yourself to?
40. whos voice do you enjoy?
41. if you could announce one thing to the world what would it be?
42. whats one thing you wanna do but havent yet?
43. what do you wish you never did?
44. do you believe in life after death?
45. do you prefer book over movie?
46. whats your favorite season?
47. whats your favorite time of day
48. do you have a beloved stuffed animal?
49. whens a time you wish you acted differently?
50. what’s something you wish that you never bought?
51. do you have your own room?
52. whats your favorite book?
53. who’s someone you hate?
54. whats your best hottake?
55. whats your favorite game?
56. whens a time you felt real genuine fear?
57. are you a morning person?
58. do you drink enough water?
59. how different are you from the little kid you used to be?
60. do you enjoy tumblr?
61. have you ever had a tumblr experience that made you wanna delete the app?
62. whats your least favorite game?
63. were you a markiplier fan?
64. how do you respond to compliments?
65. whats something that would make you fall in love?
66. do you believe in marriage?
67. do you have a crush on someone?
68. do you like tumblr?
69. were you a voltron stan?
70. whats your favorite ship?
71. whats your favorite song?
72. do you like loud crowds?
73. have you ever created conflict on purpose?
74. how do you sleep?
75. do you bite your lips?
76. do you use chapstick?
77. do you have any pets?
78. what color are your eyes?
79. what’s something you wish you could change about yourself?
80. have you ever had surgery?
81. whats your least favorite animal?
82. whats something that youre really bad at?
83. do you have an sqishmellows?
84. do you enjoy fast food?
85. do you like soda?
86. what grade are you in?
87. do you wear any jewelry?
88. what socials do you use?
89. whats your lowest grade in school right now?
90. whats the latest youve stayed up till?
91. did you ever have bangs?
92. what trends did you hate?
93. whats your favorite item of clothing?
94. do you like dinosaurs?
95. whats your opinion on body hair?
96. whats your least favorite time?
97. do you make a wish at 11:11?
98. do you have your phone on military or regular?
99. have you ever been to church?
100. are you lgbtq?
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