Amputation in Apocalypse
I'd like this to be as realistic as possible, and I've been researching amputation on the arm for a while now, but I just can't absorb what I read and I feel like I'm still missing a lot. Apocalyptic setting. MC gets her arm (upper arm) chopped of by an axe, relatively clean cut. First question: if it's a clean cut, would the arteries kinda retract into the limb? Would it narrow the blood flow and slow bleeding? Something like vasospasm maybe?
Also, imediately, her buddy is there to tourniquet the wound, and they're in close distance to the main camp where they have recourses and people. Second question: how would you treat it? I'm so confused, I've read about all this surgery talk, but that's not exactly doable in their situation. I thought about cauterization, but I've also heard that it can actually worsen things and is a bad thing in fiction (???) Would MC's arteries need to be clamped? Would they just like, remove whatever's dead or something from the stub and then use excess skin tissue as a flap and put it over the bone, then stitch it up?
Third question: I know adrenaline would play a big part when it's first cut, but what about after she wakes up? I'm sure they'd have some sort of anesthesia drug, but would that wear off?
Know I asked a lot, sorry! <3