It takes less than a second for the bullet to destroy intricate structure.
Damaged tissue unleashes chemicals that serve as a battle cry, marshaling the body's infection-fighting white blood cells and other healing agents to the wounded area. The injury site becomes swollen, or inflamed.
Tiny nerve fibers pick up on this inflammation and respond by firing off pain signals to the brain.
Getting shot in the bone hurts. So does getting shot in the kidney. But each produces a different kind of pain.
It takes about 15 minutes for the pain to kick in.
The degree of suffering sparked by a bullet to any one of these areas can vary greatly from person to person.
Everyone has a different threshold for pain, and circumstances count when computing just how much something hurts.
It takes 10 years until physical pain leaves your body.
Emotional pain never goes away.