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Posted: 1/23/2005 12:37:37 PM EDT
Made a trip to the range Saturday which turned out to be a short one. One of the guns I was checking for a feed problem fired a round out of battery. I was holding it out about waist level on it's side to observe the bolt operation when it occured. You can see from the case how it ruptured while partially chambered.
   A piece of the shrapnel struck my cheek indicated at the lower arrow but didn't enter, the other piece entered my eyebrow where indicated, blood flowed and within seconds my upper eyelid and tissue below the eyebrow swelled up obscuring my vision. It looked like someone stuffed a 45 round under my eyelid. 24 hours later it is still swollen closed.  A 4 hour wait in the emergency room and some x-rays later, indicated the shrapnel had entered and traveled somewhat. The ER docs were not interested in removing it. They gave me a Tentnus shot which is actually more painfull than the injury and gave a me a referal to an Ophthalmic/Plastic Surgeon for Monday. The swelling is no doubt a result of hemoraging in the tissue & blood vessel damage because there wasn't any impact trauma. Docs told me to put some ice on the eye. Been taking asprin in hopes it would thin the blood and help the body reduce the swelling. For the Docs here, any recommendations on getting the swelling down? Guess I shouldn't lance it huh  I suspect the specialist will ultimately tell me don't worry about it. The ER Doc pointed out that they leave bullets in people all the time. Didn't see the xrays but I suspect it is a small piece of metal and any digging in that area of the tissue can risk nerve damage etc. Yes I can see fine. But 1/2" lower & I'd be blind. I see folks at the range all the time without saftey glasses, let this be a warning, it can happen to you. |
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Posted: 1/23/2005 12:38:45 PM EDT
[#1]
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Posted: 1/23/2005 12:42:15 PM EDT
[#2]
Funny...you spent all that money on a firearm...and yet a $2 pair of shop glass could have prevented this...
WEAR EYE PROTECTION!!! |
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Posted: 1/23/2005 12:42:47 PM EDT
[#3]
Been there, get to a eye surgeon NOW, do not wait......
Dont mess around with this. I had the optic nerve in my left eye allmost severed in 2, buy a rifle expolding on me, dont screw around.......get to a eye surgeon........... |
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Posted: 1/23/2005 12:45:11 PM EDT
[#4]
Sure, I've got some advice. Quit fucking taking aspirin. Geez.
Other than that ice it and leave it alone. If you have vision problems or cannot move the ey you need to be seen. Otherwise wait for your appointment--they have clearly directed you to the correct person. |
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Posted: 1/23/2005 12:47:01 PM EDT
[#5]
My Smith & Wesson safety glasses don't cover my eyebrows, pic to follow. ETA Pic. 
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Posted: 1/23/2005 12:47:15 PM EDT
[#6]
Jeeeeeesh!
Ice for the swelling. FYI "RICE" for swelling R est I ce the area C ompress E levate I'm not a doc, but have had some training in the past. Probably should stay away from compressing the area due to the possibility of shrapnel moving or cutting something. |
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Posted: 1/23/2005 12:49:26 PM EDT
[#7]
uhhhh ... I don't think aspirin will help with swelling |
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Posted: 1/23/2005 12:50:15 PM EDT
[#8]
I would suggest Amputating everything from the neck down, just to be sure gangreen does not set in.
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Posted: 1/23/2005 12:56:14 PM EDT
[#9]
Didn't anyone ever tell you not to look into the end of the mortar tube while you were lighting the fuse.
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Posted: 1/23/2005 1:02:44 PM EDT
[#10]
Take one of your dental pics ------ the ones you use to clean guns with.
And dig out that sucka............. the enlarged hole after you remove the metal pieces will allow for more drainage and reduce the swelling. As for the scars that this procedure will do ------- just remember, chicks dig scars. That is why I use this when I shoot --------  Was it a Glock ??? Good luck. |
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Posted: 1/23/2005 1:46:28 PM EDT
[#11]
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Posted: 1/23/2005 1:53:39 PM EDT
[#12]
The best glasses I have found are the Gargoyles Classic 85s. Will resist 22 rounds. Large enough to give you good protection of a decent amount of your face. You can get the side shields for further protection. I wear them in surgery as well. A tad pricey but what is your eyesight worth?
Youre damn lucky you didnt hit the eye itself. Ice and rest is all you really can do. There are huge blood vessels and nerves in that area of your head. There are actual notches where these coarse out from your orbits. You should be ok, and yes we leave bullets in all the time. The foreign bodies are usually sterile and not cause any infections and will slowly be reabsorbed into your body. |
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Posted: 1/23/2005 1:55:49 PM EDT
[#13]
Your SW glasses may not look large enough but if the projectile was coming at an angle it may have deflected the piece. This is a lesson that all of should learn. What kind of gun? I would guess a Glock of somekind.
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Posted: 1/23/2005 2:05:06 PM EDT
[#14]
if it is real brass get the piece out now brass has a bad habit of turning a wound gan green(sp?).when i worked for a local amusment park the brake pads are made out of brass .one worker didn't remove a piece of brass he got from the brakes and next thing he knew he was in the hospital with blodd poisoning and a very bad infection.
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Posted: 1/23/2005 2:05:18 PM EDT
[#15]
 
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Posted: 1/23/2005 2:12:14 PM EDT
[#16]
Gangrene, has nothing to do with the actual projectile but the bacteria that is sucked in with it. The nice thing about firearms is that the pieces are usually sterile. But the clothing that you might be wearing especially if its a sock or shoes will cause dirty debris to enter the wound. And you get infection. Usually clostridium perf. |
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Posted: 1/23/2005 2:13:20 PM EDT
[#17]
I have to agree with drjarhead (Ithink it was) who said "quit taking aspirin". If you need pain relief, take tylenol. You are correct about aspirin "thinning" blood. This will make the swelling and bruising WORSE as you continue to bleed into the tissue surrounding your eye. Do what the E.R. doc told you and ice it. Take tylenol for pain if needed as it does not affect platelet aggregation.
"That others might live." |
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Posted: 1/23/2005 2:15:52 PM EDT
[#18]
At least if you'd lost the eye you could've worn a black eyepatch. Arrrr!
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Posted: 1/23/2005 2:26:37 PM EDT
[#19]
Ouch!
 Nice shiner!What kind of pistol were you shooting? I hope all goes well for you. |
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Posted: 1/23/2005 2:37:36 PM EDT
[#20]
I bet it was NOT a Glock.
That round was quite a bit out of battery. Glocks don't allow that much. I'm still waiting to hear what it was though. I'm shocked that much bruising resulted. Sure the girlfriend didn't punch you ? :) |
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Posted: 1/23/2005 2:47:10 PM EDT
[#21]
Looks like the wife socked you in the eye.
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Posted: 1/23/2005 2:51:54 PM EDT
[#22]
Ow! I never thought I would see someone post pics of his/her own head with an entry wound pointed out.
Back, and to the left. You used up some of your lifetime allotment of luck on that one; I hope for a speedy recovery! Jim |
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Posted: 1/23/2005 2:53:12 PM EDT
[#23]
Aspirin will if anything help it bleed more, since it works as a platlet inhibitor and blocks clotting (ie why you take it for a heart attack). Sorry to hear about your injury, hope all works out ok.
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Posted: 1/23/2005 2:57:29 PM EDT
[#24]
As said:
Ice it, no more asprin. Appointment. Doc |
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Posted: 1/23/2005 3:03:11 PM EDT
[#25]
congrats on being smart enough to have been wearing the safety gear, cs223!
i'm glad your injuries are as minor as they appear to be. i would heed the advice you have been given and let the doc dig out the brass flecks...and be glad you are still seeing out of two eyes. http://www.northerntool.com/images/product/images/1645150_lg.jpg the smartest guys at my range range those grinding shields, too, cyanide. i'm thinking about getting one for our steel plate shoots. |
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Posted: 1/23/2005 3:12:02 PM EDT
[#26]
this is why I wear a pair of shop goggles over my glasses
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Posted: 1/23/2005 4:34:14 PM EDT
[#27]
The gun in question was not a Glock. It was a open bolt subgun being fired semi-auto. I can't think of any modern pistol that would allow a round to fire that far out of battery unless the firing pin were broken and jammed in the bolt.
The metal piece has to be thin and small because a good portion of the blown out case is intact & flared out back towards the head. I've cut out the asprin, cold only and should be able to see the eye surgeon tomorrow if they aren't over booked with Botox clients. ER Doc was to have done the referal. So I'll be calling first thing in the morning for the apointment. ER docs didn't seem to be too concered, oddly, they didn't even clean the wound . They did the black light dye test to see if there was any damage to the eye, about 6 xrays, a tetnus shot and antibiotics. THe puncture is pretty small. Judging from the other grazing cut on my face, it had some serious velocity behind it. As for safety, it was a dumb move, had the gun been held normally, no injury would have resulted, to me anyway, quite possibly to someone else had they been standing next to me on the line. Keep that in mind when you are at a crowded range. Something else I'd like to point out, I was at a steel plate match not long ago and one of our young shooters who was behind the shooting line, about 25 yards or more from the plates got struck in the cheek by a small piece piece of jacket. It cut him about 3/16" long and 1/8" deep. He bled pretty good for a while, borderline needing stitches. You plate & hard target shooters need to keep that in mind. |
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Posted: 1/23/2005 5:04:14 PM EDT
[#28]
Holy Crap!!! I've got those same safety glasses!
 Those S&W sellouts really are out to get us! This is the excuse I need to get some new bigger safety glasses. Thanks for the warning and heads up CS223, I hope everything works out for you tomorrow.Blackops_1. Granted the odds are slim I'll ever have a small particle lodge into my eyeball socket/eyebrow but I'm not taking any unneccasary (sp) chances 
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Posted: 1/23/2005 5:14:24 PM EDT
[#29]
Something else I'd like to point out, I was at a steel plate match not long ago and one of our young shooters who was behind the shooting line, about 25 yards or more from the plates got struck in the cheek by a small piece piece of jacket. It cut him about 3/16" long and 1/8" deep. He bled pretty good for a while, borderline needing stitches. You plate & hard target shooters need to keep that in mind.
we have cars parked 50 yards away from the line get dented by ricochet slugs. i caught an 8mm jacket from a maxim mg that traveled 100 yards out to a car and came 100 right back into my groin...too close for comfort! remind me to tell you about the woman that was blinded in one eye by a broken extractor from a potato digger...as she read a book in a lawn chair 20' behind the line. those grinding sheild look better to me every time i go shooting the fast stuff. |
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Posted: 1/23/2005 5:20:25 PM EDT
[#30]
I shoot steel quite a bit --------- and I shoot it close for times on occasion.
You would have to be nuts to shoot steel without them. Heck, like you said -- you would have to be nuts to watch w/o eye protection. Kid is real lucky/smart he had them glasses on........ I would rather shoot w/o ear protection than eye protection |
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Posted: 3/3/2005 5:21:54 PM EDT
[#31]
Well tomorrow morning I go under the knife to have the brass fragment removed. It measures 2mmx3mm. They did a CT scan to better locate it's position. They plan on doing general anesthesia which I am not at all thrilled about.
Hell people have their junk pierced to intentionally put in foreign bodies without anesthesia. Had my wisdom teeth pulled without general anesthesia, bro had a large cyst removed from under his scalp without general anesthesia, mom had skin cncer cut from her face without general anesthesia. I made sure everyone including the doc's nurse that I didn't care for general anesthesia and that I would prefer some other option like local. Hell, tape my eyelid down and give me an xacto knife, I'll get it. Anyway, this is once case where the cure seems to carry greater risk than the disease. Gonna be black & blue again and have to explain the second black eye. Maybe I'll have a t-shirt printed or hand out cards. |
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Posted: 3/3/2005 5:24:22 PM EDT
[#32]
tell everyone it was spousal abuse, your wife will love it |
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Posted: 3/3/2005 5:27:16 PM EDT
[#33]
Good luck on the surgery CS! Let us know how it turns out.
 |
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Posted: 3/3/2005 5:27:52 PM EDT
[#34]
Bad thing is, authorities don't take that as a joke anymore. Don't need some nosey investigator paying me a visit. |
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Posted: 3/3/2005 5:28:06 PM EDT
[#35]
So WHY won't they do local anesthesia?
Because it is too close to your eye? Did you consider seeing another doctor? I would think it could be done in the office. Dave |
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Posted: 3/3/2005 5:35:06 PM EDT
[#36]
Hope everything goes well for you .
Doesnt look to bad. Good luck |
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Posted: 3/3/2005 5:38:42 PM EDT
[#37]
Ouch! Hope you get better soon!
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Posted: 3/3/2005 5:39:38 PM EDT
[#38]
Well, I won't know until tomorrow if they will consider a local. You have a lot of nerves & vessels in that area so they need it immobile which I would think they could do with a local. The doc is an occular surgeon, all he does is work on eyes. I expect micro surgery but I dunno, a lot of fuss for something so small. |
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Posted: 3/3/2005 5:44:22 PM EDT
[#39]
So... after it entered your skin, which direction did it travel? I would think the path would take it up and away from your eye. Why an occular surgeon? Did it end up near your eye? I'm not a doctor, but if it is above your eyebrow, I would seek a second opinion. My brother was clumsy as a child, and had at least 5 cuts on and around his eyebrow. None of the stiches were put in my an occular surgeon. And going in to retrieve a tiny piece of brass shouldn't be much different. So... again... did you ever say where exactly the fragment ended up? Dave |
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Posted: 3/3/2005 5:57:40 PM EDT
[#40]
Just reply: "What, you think I would do this to MYSELF to arrest her?!?!!?" |
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Posted: 3/3/2005 8:25:36 PM EDT
[#41]
Dang, CS. Just saw this.
When we met a few weeks ago, I wondered who got a hold of you and hoped they looked worse than you. As a kid, I shot a tree at close range with a BB gun. BB came straight back and hit me right between the eyebrows. No glasses, and damn scary. Saying a prayer for you this morning and hope it's all behind you soon. |
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Posted: 3/3/2005 8:28:42 PM EDT
[#42]
tag for post surgery pics
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Posted: 3/4/2005 1:04:54 PM EDT
[#43]
The fragment traveled down as best I could tell, just to the bottom of the eyebrow hair line. The doc is a plastic surgeon who specializes in the eyes. Along with Botox, & eyelifts, doing stuff like making orientals more round eyed etc, he fixes folks up after car wrecks etc. All he does is surgery around the orbits. The problem is with material penetrating the muscular tissue beneath the skin. Cuts & stuff on the surface are not a serious issue, but the nerves that control your eyelids, your tear ducts & glands, and the blood vessels are all real delecate in that area. Your blood vessels actually loop from behind your eye thru your eyebrow area and back behind your eye so I'm told. |
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Posted: 3/4/2005 1:18:29 PM EDT
[#44]
Surgery went fine. I was able to get an IV sedation & local anesthesia instead of a complete general anesthesia. I was able to more or less tell what was going on and communicate with the doc as he cut, scraped, caurterized & stitched. It didn't take long at all as best I could preceive under the anesthesia. Felt like maybe 10 minutes. Anyway, as you can tell from the whip stitching, he made an incision the length of the eyelid. Didn't take long in recovery before I was on my way. Got some good pain pills but the pain is really slight all things considered. Not as bad as I though in the way of swelling.
THe prep nurse was middle aged and she asked what happened, I've been real reluctant to tell folks the whole story because of the liberal bastion and the Liberals that seem to dominate the medical field. Anyway when I mentioned target shooting, she perked up, her husband were IPSC shooters, & shot skeet & trap. Whew, that was a sigh of relief! Anyway, here are the pre-op and post-op pictures, looks worse than it feels, maybe my experience will save someone from being too lazy to put on their safety glasses. Pre-op this morning:  Post-op this afternoon: 
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Posted: 3/4/2005 1:26:06 PM EDT
[#45]
My girlfriend wants to know what kind of eyeshadow that is. |
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Posted: 3/4/2005 1:33:55 PM EDT
[#46]
Why did he have to make an incision along the entire lenght of you eyelid? He is the expert but I would have really loved to have seen what was done. I am sure it will turn out fine. Thats mighty fine stitching by the way.
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Posted: 3/4/2005 1:40:17 PM EDT
[#47]
That makes my eyes water!
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Posted: 3/4/2005 1:42:00 PM EDT
[#48]
Dunno, maybe scar tissue covered the piece & had to be removed? It had a lump there. Anyway, I've sure got the Frankenstein look going on. |
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Posted: 3/4/2005 4:14:15 PM EDT
[#49]
Well now you have stories to tell your kids and grand kids about. Glad everything went ok. Hopefully it will encourage someone to make sure they use eye pro. Why anyone would do recreational shooting without ear and eye pro just makes no sense.
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Posted: 3/4/2005 5:03:54 PM EDT
[#50]
Oops. Dupe post.
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