Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Worst pain you've ever experienced?

223 replies

Yesthatscorrect · 01/12/2021 23:15

Today I had a vacuum assisted breast biopsy which I didn't expect to be too bad. It wasn't until the anaesthetic wore off! The nurse told me to put a sports bra on tonight. Yeah that's not happening!

I've taken some tramadol I had left over so hopefully the pain will wear off soon but this is definitely up there with appendicitis, severe ear infection and toothache.

Giving birth and labour for 48 hours doesn't even feature in the top ten.

OP posts:
LadyCampanulaTottington · 02/12/2021 10:13

Gallbladder attack
Ruptured Ectopic
Dislocated knee
Labour
Infected molar

In that order. I’d rather do the others all at the same time than have another gallbladder attack. Luckily mine was whipped out.

Dinosauratemydaffodils · 02/12/2021 10:15

75 hours of dc1 smashing his large head into my sciatic nerve/spine. Never known pain like it, the fact that my leg muscles gave way on every contraction was an added bonus. When they put me on the drip to augment labour as his head wasn't in the right position, even turned up high it made no difference to the pain. When I finally got an epidural, it dulled the pain but didn't stop it.

Broken bone, large steam burn, tooth abscess and emcs recovery x 2 didn't even come close.

ThanksIGotItInMorrisons · 02/12/2021 10:15

Womb exam whilst in labour. Thought I was going to die. Think I may have tried to kick the nurse in the face.....

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Antenatal & postnatal General health
TallulahsCurse · 02/12/2021 10:18

When the painkillers wore off after my EMCS after a late stillbirth. I was up and about wanting to spend all the time I could with my child before I couldn't anymore that I hadn't stopped to think I'd had a very complex c sec which had nearly taken my life too. When I woke up in the middle of the night the pain I was in was like nothing I think I'll ever feel again.

Ameanstreakamilewide · 02/12/2021 10:20

@ThanksIGotItInMorrisons

Forgot sinusitis , miscarriage, broken bone
Ooh, sinusitis is shockingly painful.

People took the piss out me at work, when I tried to explain how uncomfortable it was.
I cared not, frankly. Hmm

I once dislocated both shoulders at the same time...that was pretty bad.
The right one went straight back in a few seconds later, but the left one was having none of it, so off I went to A&E.

I have dislocated my shoulders on many occasions, but it still bloody hurts though!
The amount of people who ask 'did it hurt'. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Ameanstreakamilewide · 02/12/2021 10:26

@TheCreamCaker

Gallstones, had constant pain for months until the operation.

At the moment, a torn tendon in my left shoulder. It's been 5 months now, and I'm still waiting for physiotherapy. Several different types of painkillers haven't made any difference, so I'm getting a steroid injection next week.

Hope you soon feel better.

My mother in law really suffered with gallstones many moons ago.

She had gone to some extraordinary lengths to sort out childcare for her 4 children. Her husband really let her down and could have tried much harder to help...but that's another story.

But the surgeon waltzed into the ward and told her that the operation was now cancelled because the theatre was too hot and they were uncomfortable.
My mother in law had to practically beg him to go ahead with the op.

Bless her...

KatnissNeverdone · 02/12/2021 10:27

Forgetting that I'd just had surgery after removal of my gall bladder and sitting straight up in bed.

Stepping out of the bath 4 weeks after a total hip replacement and slipping more or less into the splits on the floor. I felt the repaired muscle tear as I went down.

Fuuuuuckit · 02/12/2021 10:35

I'm coming out of a frozen shoulder now. By far the most excruciating, debilitating pain I've ever experienced. Constant gnawing pain, infinitely worse overnight and if knocked, breathtakingly, on your knees agony. That's whilst taking various combinations of co-codamol, tramadol and morphine. The lack of sleep and sheer longevity has left my MH in tatters.

I'd put my frozen shoulder way in front of both labours, 2 forceps deliveries, 2 episiotomies, ruptured appendix and a slipped disk.

ChocolateDeficitDisorder · 02/12/2021 11:03

and if knocked, breathtakingly, on your knees agony.
@Fuuuuuckit
Known in the FS support circles as 'Zingers'.

I had both frozen at the same time. Multiple daily Zingers. Ouchy.

Bouledeneige · 02/12/2021 11:19

Worst by a country mile was gallstones and an inflamed gall bladder - cholecystitis. So glad to have had it removed.

Tooth ache from a broken tooth with nerve exposed and ear infection were pretty up there too.

LivingTheLifeofMum · 02/12/2021 11:33

Kidney stones. It was the tiniest stone when I eventually peed it out but the pain was horrific.

Would happily give birth to DC2 (4 hour labour, two puffs of gas and air, 9lb2 baby) all over again than another sodding kidney stone 😱

SpookyScarySkeletons · 02/12/2021 11:39

Viral meningitis. Couldn't move my head by even a cm as it felt like my head was about to explode. I have never felt as ill in all my life and never experienced pain like it (after giving birth twice, once with just gas and air). The moment they injected the morphine I could have bloody kissed that nurse!!

Wouldyoubaby · 02/12/2021 11:40

My top 3 are:

Adult tonsillectomy which went wrong and I ended up back in hospital with antibiotics and morphine.

Eye ulcers

Episiotomy and forceps birth wirh no pain relief as no time and had only just got to hospital.

Fuuuuuckit · 02/12/2021 12:32

@ChocolateDeficitDisorder

and if knocked, breathtakingly, on your knees agony. *@Fuuuuuckit* Known in the FS support circles as 'Zingers'.

I had both frozen at the same time. Multiple daily Zingers. Ouchy.

Unfortunately I'm all too familiar with zingers. The most acute pain I've ever experienced.
pinklillie · 02/12/2021 12:43

Low pressure headache after a lumbar puncture to take fluid off my brain. They took too much and it feels like your brain is bouncing off your skull. I actually felt like I was going to die. Couldn't sit up for two weeks and had a newborn baby too!

Hope you are feeling better soon!

TallulahsCurse · 02/12/2021 12:52

@pinklillie

Low pressure headache after a lumbar puncture to take fluid off my brain. They took too much and it feels like your brain is bouncing off your skull. I actually felt like I was going to die. Couldn't sit up for two weeks and had a newborn baby too!

Hope you are feeling better soon!

I have had this! And it is horrendous! Like you I could not move at all!
amusedbush · 02/12/2021 13:14

The worst self-inflicted pain I've felt is having my chest tattooed. The pain of having him tattoo the muscle on the top of my shoulders was indescribable - I thought I was going to be sick.

Worst general pain was earlier this year and after much research, I'm convinced it was a cyst rupturing on my ovary. I felt something pop in that area and then later that evening, when I stretched out in bed, I suddenly went rigid with sheer agony and absolutely nothing could shift it. Again, I thought I was going to vomit so I managed to get to the bathroom but no position was comfortable; it was never-ending and I only managed to get some sleep after digging out the naproxen I'd been given for a previous injury.

VitalsStable · 02/12/2021 14:53

Burst ovarian cyst. Passed out with the pain.

EnidFrighten · 02/12/2021 15:02

I think I've been lucky so far, in terms of pain! Childbirth with just gas and air was not very fun. Then anal fissures after was immensely painful and I had to poo with newborn and toddler around, I had to grip something to stop myself screaming in front of them.

Other than that, shingles in the head/eye, felt like being whipped every couple of seconds for over a week.

ParkheadParadise · 02/12/2021 15:10

I've had toothache, childbirth and I thought that was bad but nothing prepared me for heartbreak.

When my dd died I physically ached. I can't really describe it my body ached.
For weeks I felt like that I had a pain in my chest and arms.
I don't ever want to feel that pain again.

Whenigrowupiwanttobea · 02/12/2021 15:12

Having a traumatic cyst/ganglion on my wrist aspirated! After being told by the Doc that it would be very painful because of it's position on my wrist adjacent to the radial artery etc. etc he then proceeded to insert a very big needle into my wrist with NO LOCAL Anaesthetic! After screaming at him because it was sooooo painful he remarked, "I suppose I'd better use some Lidocaine then!"

TheRigatonini · 02/12/2021 15:19

@ParkheadParadise

I've had toothache, childbirth and I thought that was bad but nothing prepared me for heartbreak.

When my dd died I physically ached. I can't really describe it my body ached.
For weeks I felt like that I had a pain in my chest and arms.
I don't ever want to feel that pain again.

So sorry @ParkheadParadise Flowers
TallulahsCurse · 02/12/2021 19:46

@ParkheadParadise

I've had toothache, childbirth and I thought that was bad but nothing prepared me for heartbreak.

When my dd died I physically ached. I can't really describe it my body ached.
For weeks I felt like that I had a pain in my chest and arms.
I don't ever want to feel that pain again.

Its a horrific pain and I think the worst that a human could ever feel.
superplumb · 02/12/2021 19:47

Being induced , having waters broken with a long needle thing, then the hormone drip. Also had a womb biopsy. It was so bad the dr had to stop half way through.

november90 · 02/12/2021 21:15

I think toothache is the top of my list....

And my two boys weighed 9lbs4oz and 9lbs13oz at birth 🙈😂