Thread by @meganranney

Over the past 2 days, hundreds of doctors have shared heartbreaking accounts of how #gunviolence is a #publichealth issue. These are the stories of #docs4gunsense ... May their words make a difference.

@choo_ek @physicianwomen @darakass @gitapensa

The result of a bullet ricocheting inside the skull and destroying the brain on CT scan. The worst trauma I have seen. GUNS ARE A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE – Gen Geller MD, NY #docs4gunsense @drgenngeller

The damage a bullet does to a 1 year old brain as it ricochets back and for. The guilt the family feels. The sadness we all feel.
Melissa Miller MD, Missouri
Peds EM #docs4gunsense

His kids told him to give up driving as dementia took over, but didn’t mention his gun. Then he accidentally shot himself while holstering it. Talk to your aging parents about their guns. It’s a public health issue.
M Gonsalves DO, FL #docs4gunsense

My dear friend, whose adult son ended his life while none those closest to him knew of his quiet suffering. Guns are a public health emergency. Melissa Lindenau, MD, OK #docs4gunsense

My teenage patient had been verbally and physically abused by her boyfriend. She could tell me because thank God, he didn't have a gun. Daisy Bassen MD, RI #docs4gunsense

Never again having to resuscitate a child accidentally shot to death by his sibling, while Mother was weeping in the background-begging for her child to live.- Carol Lilly MD, FL #docs4gunsense

Suicide attempt+ gun= deadly. A moment of desolation equals a life lost when a gun is involved. #gunviolence #publichealthissue
Kay Judge, MD CA #docs4gunsense

Will never forget the patient shot in the face by an AK-47. Never, even though he was one of the first patients I saw. Image burned into my brain forever. Kay Vandenberg, MD, Maryland @kay_vandenberg #docs4gunsense

Patient who almost od’d on heroin said he started using after finding father dead from gunshot to head. It doesn’t end with one life lost
N. Attiullah MD, RI #docs4gunsense

A 10-year-old’s friend accidentally shot him in the face with a parent's gun. #gunviolence is a #publichealth issue. Sidney Merritt MD #docs4gunsense @sidmerritt

Will never forget, how this mother shot her school-age step-child out of anger. The years spent in prison, will never bring this sweet child's life back. Preethi Raghupatruni, MD, IL #docs4gunsense

I had to help amputate a hunter's arm at the shoulder after he rested his rifle butt down and it went off, mangling his entire arm into hamburger with two fingers left. – anonymous, MD #docs4gunsense

Accident on the shooting range. No deaths, two families devastated. #guns are a #publichealth issue. - Debra Johnston MD, South Dakota #docs4gunsense

A teenager shot himself in the head with his family's gun. The father's grief was enormous. Wright, MD Denver, CO #docs4gunsense

Young woman dealing with a new life-threatening diagnosis. Went home and shot herself and three kids. - . E. Cartwright, MD, Georgia. #docs4gunsense

A colleague, killed by her husband. We had no idea. If he hadn’t had a gun.....
Heidi Olander MD, San Jose, CA #docs4gunsense

I am haunted by the screams of mothers whose children have died in our trauma bay. For each life lost to guns, there is a multitude of victims. Anna Weiss, MD, Philadelphia, PA. #docs4gunsense

I lost my sister to a .357 Magnum. She was struggling with depression. #gunviolence is a #publichealth issue.
Jane M. Jenab, MD
Denver, CO #docs4gunsense

I've whispered to too many gunshot victims, as we are putting them to sleep to help them breathe, "we are taking care of you, it's going to be ok." So often I know that it won't be. #gunviolence is a #publichealth issue. - @KateKelloggMD , Washington DC #docs4gunsense

Two deaths at our medical center. In the prime of their lives. Killed by significant others despite restraining orders. Guns. 😢 -Dr Padalkar MD, San Jose #docs4gunsense

A man was blinded from GSW through both orbits. Next day, same injury in a little child caught in the crossfire. They live their lives without vision. - S. Padmanabhan, MD California #docs4gunsense

Not all die. I’ve seen many young people who are left paralyzed and forever ill with bedsores, infections, chronically ventilated, as a result of gun-related violence. #docs4gunsense
Amee Patrawalla MD Newark, NJ

My staff member’s godson, 19 years old, was gunned down around Christmas while trying to sell his car. The trauma has devastated so many. There is always a 2nd victim. R. Ashok, MD #docs4gunsense @RohiniAshokMD

Teenage boy with very violent thoughts. Father in armed services. Father keeps firearm at work always. - Child Psychiatry, NY. #docs4gunsense

I am haunted by the sounds of the parents wailing when I told them I couldn’t save their baby; his friend killed him with while playing. - Sarah Sindell MD General Surgery California #docs4gunsense

The little boy whose older brother was shot and killed on his front porch who now can’t sleep because he misses his brother, and his home doesn’t feel safe. #Gunviolence is a #publichealth issue Lauren Morea, DO VA #docs4gunsense

Young adult patient with thoughts of "going into schools and shooting them all to put them out of their misery". He could have legally purchased firearm. - Kristin Bruning, MD NY #docs4gunsense

I am always aware of the patients that didn't make it to my list, the victims who never left the scene alive
Dr Rahim MD, from Texas #docs4gunsense

My husband’s nephew found a hidden handgun and killed himself with it. All guns are potentially lethal.
Patti Albertson, MD. California #docs4gunsense

I cared for a teenager with multiple gunshots from a driveby shooting. He survived, his friend didn't. Tiffany Wells, MD, Florida. #docs4gunsense

#GSW shouldn't be a well known medical acronym, but it is. Dana Bussing MD, Illinois #docs4gunsense

Kids caught in the crossfire of guns- the damage the bullets does to their bodies and trying to fix them in the OR. -Pam Demnicki, MD, FACS. (General Surgery) #docs4gunsense

A child survivor of gunshot wounds still dealing with reconstructive surgery a decade later. Kathryn Brigham, MD from MA. #docs4gunsense

In the ICU I take care of patients who die from or survive with terrible disabilities from their gunshot wounds. #Gunviolence is a #publichealth emergency. Kristina Crothers, MD, Seattle, WA #docs4gunsense

Having to tell a family that their beautiful child, who was accidentally shot by her baby sister (who idolized her), was dead. ~Anonymous MD, MPH #docs4gunsense

Often i care for children who were injured by guns during domestic violence incidents. They have seen enough pain, why did they need to feel it too? -Maya Dewan md mph #docs4gunsense @mommimaya

My lovely teenage pt had a fleeting episode of psychosis and shot himself in the head. He survived, but often wished he hadn’t. Parents thought the guns were locked; they weren’t. – Anonymous doc, PA #docs4gunsense

The number of times patients have told me- “if I had a gun I would have shot myself.” Guns are a public health issue. Neha Jain, MD, CT. #docs4gunsense

I lost my 13 yo cousin when he and his friend played with the friend's dad's handgun. No one should die that young.- Lindsey Rentschler, MD; Boulder CO #docs4gunsense

I see many patients who survive gun shots but left disabled & with horrible sacral wounds from their immobility. These are the forgotten victims of #GunViolence - Vineet Arora MD Chicago IL @FutureDocs #docs4gunsense

My very 1st patient accidentally shot off his foot hiding a gun. Can't even count the number of lives and limbs I've seen lost since then. #gunviolence is a #publichealth emergency. Dr Mitzman MD #docs4gunsense

I shouldn’t have to prescribe drugs to muffle the nightmares of getting shot just for walking in your neighborhood. -Vanessa Stan MD Chicago, Illinois #docs4gunsense

High school student and her two best friends, parents out of town... all 3 murdered by an intoxicated boyfriend who found the family shotgun. #Guns are a #publichealth issue. – anonymous doc, OR #docs4gunsense

Toddler playing with a family gun - shot his slightly older brother - killing him. Parents were home and thought the guns were out of reach. #Guns are a #publichealth issue! Frances Turcotte Benedict, MD MPH, KCMO #docs4gunsense

My patient's son was shot and killed. She became consumed by grief, anxiety, and PTSD, terrified that her son's killers would return to kill her too after she testified against them. I don't know whether she's still alive. – K Lee MD, MN #docs4gunsense

90% who try to kill themselves with overdose, hanging, or running into traffic I can save. When the depressed person uses a gun, I have only a 10% chance to save a life. #docs4gunsense
Heena Santry Trauma surgeon
@heenastat

Have detected cases of lead poisoning in patients with retained bullet fragments and in people who go to shooting ranges. Leigh Simmons, MD, internist, Boston, MA. #docs4gunsense

More than 25 years as an Emergency Physician. I've stopped counting the number of gun deaths and injuries. The aftershocks go on and on for victims, family, & docs. – Liz Mitchell MD; Mass #docs4gunsense

Young boy shot and killed his twin brother playing with a gun they found on top of the refrigerator. How does the surviving twin live with that the rest of his life?- Anonymous MD, OR #docs4gunsense

The boy who accidentally shot himself in the head after school, showing off dad’s gun to classmate. #gunviolence is a #publichealth crisis.
@drjootz Pediatrics, Portland, OR #docs4gunsense

The sound a mother makes when you tell her her child is dead from a GSW. Having to hear that sound over and over and over again with each life senselessly lost to #gunviolence.
R. Herrington, MD, VA. #docs4gunsense

Teenager shot multiple times, mistaken identity. Paralyzed for life. Michelle Gorra, MD, MD #docs4gunsense

My long-time best friend got in argument with husband. In a moment of rage, she took out handgun in the home and shot herself in the chest in front of her husband. She left behind a 4 yr old daughter. #Guns are a #publichealth issue. Anonymous doc; Indiana #docs4gunsense

A guy accidentally shot in the abdomen by a “friend” showing off his gun (survived). E Ester M.D. – MN #docs4gunsense

Adult with lifelong epilepsy after accidental GSW to head in childhood by his cousin. – Anonymous Neurologist, NY #docs4gunsense

So many young ones suffering in the aftermath as survivors of, witnessing, or losing a loved one to gun violence. Frances Aledo, MD, CAP, Pennsylvania #docs4gunsense

My uncle was part of a murder-suicide because #gunviolence is a #publichealth issue. Carlotta Lindsay MD PHILADELPHIA, PA #docs4gunsense

Years ago, my grandfather came home from the bar angry. What started out with yelling ended up with him briefly in jail, and her in the hospital from a GSW. - anonymous doc, Maryland #DoctorsSpeakOut #docs4gunsense

16yo sitting upright on the stretcher as he was wheeled in. A bifurcated face, the bullet having destroyed the jaw, tongue, and nose.
But alive,
and all too aware.
They rebuilt his face, but what about his mind?
-Anonymous ER RN #healthcare4gunsense

I asked my teenage patient with ODD and behavior problems what he got for his birthday. His grandfather got him a gun. #gunviolence waiting to happen. E.Varadi MD in SC @eliza_varadi #tweetiatrician #docs4gunsense #doctorsspeakout

My nurse was murdered in clinic by her husband. He choked and threatened her but she was alive until he got the gun.
Kati Eisenhuth, MD, Mississippi
#docs4gunsense #DoctorsSpeakOut

My first pediatric code: toddler shot in the head by his school-aged brother. -Jan Hallock DO; WA #docs4gunsense #DoctorsSpeakOut

Young boy shot in abdomen by neighbor (a kindergartner). Lived initially but never ate again. Died of complications of the injury. #Guns are a #publichealth emergency. Sara Keller MD MPH MSHP, Laurel MD #docs4gunsense #DoctorsSpeakOut

So many young ones suffering in the aftermath as survivors of, witnessing, or losing a loved one to #GunViolence . Frances Aledo, MD, CAP, Pennsylvania #docs4gunsense #DoctorsSpeakOut

Four patients in five years have killed themselves with guns. Wonderful people, broke my heart. - Anonymous MD, PhD Rural Pennsylvania #docs4gunsense #DoctorsSpeakOut

"Live fast, die young" tattoo, 18yo M death by GSW, Baltimore medical examiners's office, my 1st autopsy. Such sadness thinking about this tattoo and his death. He was 1 of 4 under 20yo that week. #gunviolence strips futures. - @DinaHfarbMD MD, Providence, RI #docs4gunsense

Post traumatic stress that lingers for years after the physical wounds of #gunviolence have healed. The kind of trauma that ripples outward forever, destroying families and communities. Andrea Bowen, MD, Psychiatry, Philadelphia, PA #docs4gunsense #DoctorsSpeakOut

My teenage patient's mom on a psychotic break tried to hang herself and the patient called 911 and stopped the #suicide. Thank goodness there was no accessible gun. - Faith Galderisi, DO WA #docs4gunsense #DoctorsSpeakOut

First responders, ED docs and staff, trauma surgeons,etc. all suffer secondary trauma from these tragedies. We are losing our health care providers to #burnout from #gunviolence #docs4gunsense #DoctorsSpeakOut Melissa Miller MD
Peds EM Missouri

A man had been shot in the penis by an angry girlfriend. His life was changed. #gunviolence is a #publichealth issue. – @sidmerritt MD, California #docs4gunsense

A man gasps for air after being shot in the chest. He grabs my hand and pleads, “please, don’t let me die!” He died. Jillian Buhler MD, MA #docs4gunsense #DoctorsSpeakOut

In an average month over 50 women are shot to death by their intimate partners. #gunviolence is a #publichealth issue – Liz Dewey MD, NC #docs4gunsense #DoctorsSpeakOut

Last fall our 17 yo niece purchased a gun illegally and killed herself in AR. We all still grieve. Yesterday my son said, “I’m only 8 and my life has been changed forever.” - K Pleacher, MD Maine #docs4gunsense

20-something man shot in head by stranger for "walking while gay." The bullet tore through his brain. Died in the ER - Hannah Kotch, MD, New Jersey #docs4gunsense #DoctorsSpeakOut

The police officer told a mother that her 1st grader was “collateral damage” in a drug deal gone wrong. He was playing in his yard and a stray bullet hit him in the chest. He died in the ER. Karin Reed, MD, EM – CA #docs4gunsense

The 93yo grandma with a GSW to her leg from a drive-by while she was drinking iced tea on her porch.
#Gunviolence is absolutely a #publichealth issue. -Amber Champion MD, Baltimore #docs4gunsense

On my pathology rotation at the morgue we had a child who had been accidentally shot by his grandfather who was cleaning his gun and it went off. – Pathologist, DE #docs4gunsense #DoctorsSpeakOut

Ran to a Code Blue in the VA Hospital to find that a patient had committed suicide with his own handgun in his hospital bed. – anonymous MD #docs4gunsense #DoctorsSpeakOut

Veteran who shot himself in the head at the entrance to the VA emergency department. - Karli Edholm, MD Utah #DoctorsSpeakOut #docs4gunsense

8yr old girl shot herself in the head when dad left the loaded gun on the nightstand while away at military training. Mom and brother in the house. I will never forget her sweet face. Anonymous DO - #docs4gunsense #DoctorsSpeakOut

Everyday I treat infections in patients who can’t walk or talk or eat due to gun shot wounds. And these are the ones that DIDN’T DIE.. #gunviolence is a #publichealth issue - Dana Byrne MD, MSCE. Camden, NJ #docs4gunsense #DoctorsSpeakOut

High school senior - accidental victim during a drive by. Told her parents she was sleeping over at a friend's, but they went out instead. Brain dead. - Kathryn Bondani, MD, Florida #docs4gunsense

Victim after victim pour into the ER during the #Pulse shooting. Cracking the chest of a victim and him dying anyway, watching his last agonal breaths. I remember each and every one one of them. Kathryn Bondani, MD, Orlando FL #docs4gunsense #DoctorsSpeakOut

Man shoots himself in the abdomen as an angry gesture after girlfriend breaks up with him. #docs4gunsense #gunviolence is a #publichealth issue - Emily Bronec, MD

Man with new diagnosis of cancer, shoots and kills himself. I remember cleaning the blood from his body and floor before his distraught family could say goodbye. #docs4gunsense - Anonymous, MD

My cousin, a #Veteran , killed himself with a gun.
His antidepressants weren’t being refilled due to recent insurance issues.
Three heartbroken kids and wife.
@CarinVG MD, Connecticut #docs4gunsense

2 of my schoolmates committed suicide using guns that were kept in their home. Another friend killed himself playing Russian roulette. - #GUNVIOLENCE IS A #PUBLICHEALTH ISSUE. – WCM MD, Los Angeles California #docs4gunsense

Took care of a grandmother who was asleep in bed with her granddaughter when a stray bullet came through the window hitting the little girl in the head. Pt died in her grandmother’s arms. -ER doc, NC #docs4gunsense

50 yo patient who survived a impulsive suicide attempt by gun 25 years ago. Now he is intellectually challenged, paralyzed on one side, dependent on his 80 yo mother, and has severe post-traumatic Epilepsy. - anonymous MD #docs4gunsense

Cared for a little girl after she was “in the wrong place at the wrong time” on her front porch with her mother when she was shot in her head. She now has L-sided hemiparesis. Dr. K Ohio #docs4gunsense

(Editorial note:) The stories keep coming. The ripple effect of these #gun injuries and deaths extend across our nation. Each is unique, yet universal. #gunviolence is a #publichealth issue. #docs4gunsense

My own patient and her mother. The other person in their lives, despite a restraining order, pursued them after they relocated, and ended their lives with a gun. 😥 #docs4gunsense - anonymous MD, California

One gun shot to the gut, multiple abdominal surgeries, a life filled with abdominal pain and dysfunction- Dr Rahim MD, from Texas #docs4gunsense

I shouldn’t have to tell another mother or father that their child is dead due to gun shot injuries. Julie Vieth, MBChB, NY #docs4gunsense

Psych pt chatting with security guard in the ER about the guard’s gun- what type, the ammo used. Pt later told me he was asking because he intended to attack the man, steal the gun, and shoot us all. – Anonymous MD, TX #docs4gunsense #DoctorsSpeakOut

One of my favorite patients has lost multiple family members to gun violence, including his father. He’s 9 years old. – Anonymous, psychiatry, MO #docs4gunsense

A teenager was shot and killed outside her house. She was scheduled to be a witness at the trial of someone accused of a gang-related murder the next day. Dina Burstein, MD, RI. #publichealth #docs4gunsense

One of my patients attempted #suicide due to money and marital problems. He survived but had shot half of his face off. - MD from Virginia. #gunviolence #publichealth #docs4gunsense

60 yo retired #officer got in a fight with ex wife outside of a church. He went to car, grabbed gun, shot himself in center of his chest. - Hospitalist. Cambridge MA. #docs4gunsense

EM rotation during residency. First and last time I saw an exit wound from a GSW to head. No code was performed. – Jamie Kemp MD, Kentucky #docs4gunsense

My brother in law, likely undiagnosed, ended his life with a firearm. Sitting with my sister a widow in her 20s was excruciating. – Kori Hudson MD #docs4gunsense

My mom’s partner of 10 plus years, battling major depression and was finally getting “better”. Came home, left a note, shot himself in the head. April Herlache MD Eugene, OR #docs4gunsense

Middle-aged mother of 3 with depression killed herself with a gun - Catherine Han MD; CA #docs4gunsense

My friend’s younger brother shot himself in the head at age 15. Everyday, waiting for organs to be donated, I saw my friend and her parents suffering.#gunviolence #publichealthcrisis #docs4gunsense @eliza_varadi MD

My cousin’s husband shot and killed by a police officer. We need to do better. Saira Alimohamed , MD Atlanta, GA #docs4gunsense

A #veteran had severe PTSD. Took his gun and shot 3 innocent bystanders. He was haunted by nightmares afterward - family would call EMS when he awoke screaming - became a frequent flyer in ED. #gunviolence is a #publichealth issue - Anonymous MD
Chicago IL #docs4gunsense

Grade schooler accidentally shot in the chest and spinal cord when a sibling dropped a gun. He’ll never walk again. - anonymous, MD #docs4gunsense

10 yo girl, shot by her father in a restaurant. Mom had just left dad and taken out a restraining order against him. My patient was the only survivor. Anonymous doc, RI #docs4gunsense

Toddler shot in the chest while escaping a #domesticviolence dispute. He was hiding in the car, stray bullet. April Herlache, MD #docs4gunsense

Countless (countless) numbers of patients who became paraplegic after a GSW... then develop recurrent sepsis from their neurogenic bladders or from their sacral decubitus ulcers. Tara Vijayan MD MPH, Los Angeles #docs4gunsense

Baltimore: a colleague's child was shot dead in a crosswalk. There's so much inner city gun crime, it's rarely reported. – Amber Champion MD, Baltimore #docs4gunsense

27 yo female shot by husband thru right eye close range. She lived only to arrive at the ED. I had to tell her parents. She had 3 children – Anonymous doc. #docs4gunsense

Pediatrician: “Do you have guns in your home and are they locked?”
Parent: “No, we don’t have any guns.”
Child: “Yes we do! There’s one in the closet and one in the drawer by your bed!”
- #tweetiatrician in NH, #docs4gunsense

Guy shot his younger sister accidentally as a child after finding an improperly stored gun at home (forever devastated). – Ester MD, MN #docs4gunsense

Beloved nurse shot and killed by her husband after telling him she was planning to leave him. They had 3 young children. Jennifer Swingle, DO #docs4gunsense

Two docs are sharing a story about a pregnant woman who was shot. They live in 2 different states. They ask "was xxx news story your patient?" They realize that they are talking about 2 different women & fetuses; both were killed in the same way. @physicianwomen #docs4gunsense

3 separate cases of accidental self-inflicted gun shot wounds that happened while cleaning their guns. MD, Indiana #docs4gunsense

Recession hit- 54 yo man lost his business, went home and shot himself. - Med/Peds doc, AZ #docs4gunsense #DoctorsSpeakOut

My best friends 15 year old son was able to get a 45 caliber gun and committ #suicide last week
He got it at school-he doesn't drive

I am just flabbergasted that one can get a gun
Just like that - anonymous doc, Southwest US #docs4gunsense

I had a teen w/ suicidal ideation. At one point in the conversation I asked Mom if they had guns and if they were locked. She looked taken aback initially, then said “wow, yes we have guns in the house, I had not even considered that”. - Pediatrician, WI #docs4gunsense