GSW

We were toned out for an EMS call just a couple of blocks from the station. At times it is difficult to understand our dispatchers so we were responding without knowing fully what we were headed into. Once we understand that this was a GSW and that PD was not there yet we shut down and staged. No sense in getting us shot. After a few minutes PD cleared the scene and we pulled up. We found a teenager sitting on the ground up against a couch. He was holding his left hand. He had been shot once by a .40 caliber weapon. He was one of the luckiest people I know getting shot. The bullet grazed the side of his head leaving about a 1 inch laceration. After that (an assumption) the bullet entered his left hand between his thumb and index finger (in the thick meaty part) and then exited out the palm. We quickly bandaged his injuries and then sent him on his way. One thing that I thought was interesting. One of the first things that he asked for was Morphine. A bit of advice. Paramedics don't like giving out narcotics to people that don't need them. And most medics that I know agree that if a patient immediately asks for Morphine the likelihood of that patient getting it drops to about zero. If you want something for the pain...let us know that you're in pain. We know what to do from there. I don't know if the transporting paramedic gave him Morphine or not but somehow I don't think so.