Top Stories

People Who Have Been Shot Share How It Felt

People Who Have Been Shot Share How It Felt
Getty Images

"Solders of Reddit who have been shot before: What went through your mind when the bullet hit you?" –– We heard from more than just soldiers after Redditor Ijustwannaposthings asked one hell of a loaded question.

In a country that recently had travel warnings issued against it by other nations perturbed by its epidemic of gun violence, some of these stories hit rather close to home.


"You feel the impact..."

You feel the impact and then you feel weird. It doesn't hurt at the moment, but then you feel a burning sensation. The adrenaline kicks in and you instantly default to survival mode: get to cover, check your gear and see if you are still on the fight.

The first thing I remember is the blood. Despite what everyone thinks, you don't start spitting blood like a geyser and bleed out to death. Granted, it depends of several factors such as calibre, where it hit you and your body. Instead, you bleed little by little and if the wound is left untreated and you don't remain still, then the red flood starts.

Basically, my first thought was: << so this is what a bullet feels like, haha... shite>> and cue the sudden realisation that you are still alive.

JesterTheZeroSet

"My grandfather..."

My grandfather was in law enforcement. He was shot through the upper part of his thigh during an altercation and said he didn't notice anything other than a "spreading wet feeling" until the adrenaline wore off.

Jemayzz

"It didn't necessarily..."

I'm no soldier, but I've been shot. It didn't necessarily hurt at first, the worst part was the terror and dread of realizing there was a bullet in my gut and thinking I was a dead man.

howdyfckhead

"I was shot..."

I was shot in the lower left leg. At the moment of impact U felt exactly that, an impact. Like someone hitting me in the leg with a bat really hard. No initial pain, but i put that down to that we had been in contact for a few minutes and the adrenaline was pumping. Initially i thought i had tripped over something so i pulled it together and made billy bigsteps to the nearest solid object to get cover. Thats when i looked down and saw my trouser leg was a sightly different colour than what it was a minute earlier.


Thats when the realisation of what had happened sunk in. I don't remember saying it, but i was told by several people the first thing i said was " this is going to be a problem". It took a bit longer till the pain became noticeable. It's a burning pain, like when you accidentally stub a cigarette out on yourself, except it builds up into a different pain that i cant describe with words, it's just a new pain. The odd thing is i didn't find it to be a debilitating pain, its just there, its more of an intense discomfort.

The_Man-In_Black

"A soldier..."

A soldier I served with was shot through the hand in a gang incident before he joined the Army, and he said you could imagine it like getting your immunization shots delivered at pistol round velocity. It burns deep under your flesh.

Dunehound

"It was on a warm June Day..."

It was on a warm June day in 2018, 10 clicks northeast of Gao, Mali. My section was dropped off from a chinook to investigate a compound where the rebels were supposedly making IEDS. We had to walk about 20 clicks in the heat , following a ridge that was next to a dry river bed. We were about 2 clicks out when my bro spotted a radio tower in the distance. Intel was right for once. Lt got on comms to tell HQ what was going on when all hell broke loose. Suddenly mortars started raining down and we came under fire.

There was close to no shelter since that ridge was just a straight wall. One of the guys in the back spotted a foxhole about 100 meters west, so we opened fire. We were immediately met by return fire and I felt a sharp pain coming from my shoulder. I looked down and it went straight to my shoulder muscles and was bleeding a lot. I was dragged to a slightly better covered area where they started patching me up. I blacked out shortly after that.

Wooshmeister55

"I was talking to a guy..."

I was talking to a guy just an hour ago who was a sniper in NATO forces in Somalia. He told me how he was shot by a 16 year-old while giving some spare bottles of water to some other kids. He said it felt like being hit with a mallet but without much pain, then he looked down and seen the hole in his body armor, took a few steps forward, then hiss brain just pulled the plug and he woke-up two days later in the base hospital. The round didn't penetrate, but due to internal injuries he was on his back for 5/6 months.

josephanthony

Can't Tell. 

Most soldiers who have been shot don't feel it until they look at it, like many soldiers who have had their legs torn off don't notice it until they see that their leg isn't there.

LuckyWaffles121

In Depth...

Nothing, just a sight then the impact. They can't even feel the pain until after a couple moments. The heat of the battle keeps the going and we have to stop them to get them a medic. I know this post isn't that serious but just wanted to go in depth.

FSTNML

Sing Song Manner...

One time someone threw a Russian Anti-Tank Grenade at me and I def recall was a bizarre sort of resolve but mostly extreme irritation. I saw it coming but there was nothing I could do aside from call it out in what was apparently a much too Sing Song manner bc they thought I was kidding. I wasn't. Then it blew up and everybody was irritated.

DragonCat88

Under Fire. 

While under fire you almost never realize that you took a hit it's after when things have calmed that you begin to feel it or someone points it out then it's instant and it sucks so if you are ever in a firefight and see someone get hit unless it needs immediate medical attention keep quiet about it till the fighting ends or their condition worsens.

Golskyn

Oh Crap. 

I got hit 4 times on the chest and I didn't know what was happening until I was on the floor and couldn't use my arm to get up... Then I realized and thought... Oh crap.

NunaKhan

Try to Survive.

My grandfather was in a war (I don't remember which one) and he and his group were on patrol when they were ambushed. He was shot, and he was rushed back to camp. He wasn't supposed to survive, but he said that the one thing that went through his head when he was shot was the bullet.

Diamonds4days1

Punched. 

At first it felt like a punch, like a fist hit me in the gut and I thought I might have been hit but I knew I needed to keep fighting or else I would get hit. I punched her in the face and she dropped the broom so I jumped on her, held her down until she calmed down and I convinced her I didn't know who Teresa was or why she was texting me at 2am.

Afterwards I got up and realized that she never shot me, only punched me in the stomach with the end of the broom handle but it still hurt and left a pretty good sized bruise so... it feels bad, I'm sure. Later the next morning at work I remembered Teresa was an old hook up that I had forgotten about. I called her and we're meeting up soon but just to catch up on old times, not for sex.

Bacore

Rigged. 

Not a soldier but a courier, someone had my hands tied up and I was on my knees looking at him while he was talking, he had 2 of his buddies on each side of him, before he shot me, he said "truth is kid, the game was rigged from the start" he shot me and buried me, then a robot dug me up and carried me to a doctor and I survived with no injuries.

NoSkillxOverkill

The Bullet. 

So I just wanna point something out. For those who keep saying 'the bullet,' the last I knew, most generally, you cant get shot in the head with a military grade weapon without having some major repercussions. So how are you alive to be typing the joke you think is so clever?

stretchedharpy

Things People Secretly Love But Would Never Admit To In Public

Reddit user sweet_chick283 asked: 'What do you secretly love that you would never admit to in public?;

Collection of VHS tapes
Bruno Guerrero/Unsplash

What makes us all unique is our passions and the things we love, whether it's singing in the shower, reading books, or listening to specific music artists.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where we are judged for our various tastes and interests thanks to social media, and it makes us consciously selective about sharing the things we love on the internet.

Curious to hear about people's personal desires under anonymity, Redditor sweet_chick283 asked:

"What do you secretly love that you would never admit to in public?"

These aren't really chores for the following Redditors.

Good Clean Fun

"Mopping, im a janitor and generally hate my work... but damn mopping is so good."

– MrDDog06

"When you have a great rhythm going it is something special. I get the same feeling while I vacuum, but won’t let my wife know I enjoy it."

– Bogus_34

Act Of Unwrinkling

"Ironing clothes. A dozen of them. Can’t explain how it relaxes me. I told one person and they looked at me like I’m crazy."

– eerie_white_glow

"My mum misses the days when dad would be out on a Friday night, my brother out with friends and me upstairs quietly playing PS1. She would pour herself a Bacardi & Coke and do the ironing while watching her TV shows."

"I'm sure she doesn't really miss it now that we've moved out and they've retired but it was her wind-down after a busy working week so I can see how people can find it relaxing."

– xdq

Our solo actions can spark joy.

Big Brother Is Watching

"pretending to be on the Truman show and whenever im in my house i act all inconspicuous so they dont know that i know that they’re watching me."

– Bec_121

"C’mon man, you’re not supposed to let him know. You signed a contract when signing up for live views. I’m reporting you."

– doeswaspsmakehoney

The Multi-Tasker

"Playing video games naked at home while eating cheese."

– thickening_agent

Releasing The Kraken

"I love the feeling when you've eaten good fibre and let out a solid long train log in the toilet. That feeling is heavenly."

– therapoootic

"Even better when it’s a clean wipe and not a poo crayon."

– TheWarmestHugz

Ultimate Comfort

"My (male 41) weekend routine is coming home from work, make hot chocolate, start a fire, dress in a ugly pink nightgown made for old ladies and watch forensic files."

– crazyloomis

Some people are obsessed with collecting things.

So Kawai

"Sanrio stationery stores. All those different multicolor pens, a thousand kinds of erasers, spiral bound notebooks galore... my kids sadly have absolutely no appreciation for this wonderland..."

– HavingNotAttained

It's A Staple

"Office supplies have a weird, special place in my heart ever since I was a kid. They don't even have to be 'cute' necessarily."

"Japan's legendary stationery stores is unironically a reason I want to go."

– _CozyLavender_

Not Caring Anymore

"The older I get the shorter that list gets. Not because I love less things, but because I don't care about hiding it."

– Bi-Beast

"YES!! I'm 53 now. I'm working my first job in public since 2006. Today is Halloween and we're allowed to dress up so I am sitting here waiting to go to work dressed as a VERY bad Wednesday Addams. My bf said I'd 'look stupid' because no one else will probably dress up and I'm like, 'WHO CARES!' My makeup looks horrible and not like I practiced, but I DO NOT CARE! I'm having fun with it anyhow and I don't care if my coworkers dress up or not. I'm bein' ME! :)"

– deanie1970

Honorable mentions start here.

The Savior

"Picking up worms from the street and sidewalks when it rains and moving them into the dirt so they don’t burn in the sun, every time it rains I do this."

– sky_kitten89

Hero Of The Moment

"Yoooo I scoot SO many snails and worms. I work as a tech/mechanic at an automotive shop, I had a peoject car towed to my house the other day and it was covered in snails. I saw them when the tow guy/coworker was unloading and I was like, 'oh! It comes with free snails!' and began moving them. He laughed then realized and said, '... Oh, you're serious. Uh... Okay.'"

"I don't care who knows it. These little things barely can look out for themselves, why shouldn't we if we can take a moment to help? I don't care what happens next, it probably doesn't matter overall but I can help this moment."

– chris14020

Why should some of the hidden desires mentioned above have to be secret?

Redditors opening up about some of these would make them a hit at parties–no shaming.

As a matter of fact, I'll totally be down for a Forensic Files viewing party where we all make hot chocolate, light the fireplace, and cozy up together in our respective pink ugly nightgowns for old ladies.

historical reenactors
Sigmund on Unsplash

We've probably all heard some variation of the saying "Truth is stranger than fiction."

Real life isn't just strange, it can also be downright ridiculous.

History is riddled with moments of absurdity.

So ridiculous that people have a hard time believing real life is, well, really real.

Keep reading...Show less