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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think there are worse pains than labour?

345 replies

coraltoes · 07/02/2013 15:37

Having recently badly broken a bone WIBU to say actually, it hurt a fuckload more than giving birth? I honestly thought nothing could hurt more than labour, but lo and behold something did! (for less hours admittedly but nothing amazing to cuddle at the end). The bone had to be pulled back into place with gas and air and a local block, which made me nearly vomit.

Come and share with me your injury horrors and tell me whether they trumped your labour pains. please do not thik i am trying to undermine ladies with horrendous labours, i am sure some of you would put me to great shame :D

OP posts:
Jinsei · 08/02/2013 07:48

I broke two bones at once and concierge myself. The pain was horrendous but nothing like my induced labour with dd.

I think it must be different for everyone. My overriding memory of being in labour is of just wanting to die because I didn't feel I could cope with any more.

MerryCouthyMows · 08/02/2013 07:53

Loofet - having quinsy drained is fucking nasty. My first one was when I was 15. The Doctor didn't explain to me what he was going to do either, he just told me to 'open wide'. I thought he was just having a look at it until I saw the needle!

WafflesandWhippedCream · 08/02/2013 07:54

Pericarditis - inflammation of the membrane round the heart. I reckon that was worse than labour - but maybe that's because you are expecting to go into labour, and you know that although painful, it is supposed to be happening.
Rather than thinking you are having a heart attack and about to die. I'm sure feeling scared makes pain feel much worse.

MuchBrighterNow · 08/02/2013 07:57

I've given birth 3 times with no pain relief , not even gas and air ..... I've had migraine headaches that hurt much, much more (kill me right now kinda hurt) than any of the births.!!

Pigsmummy · 08/02/2013 10:33

Labour was worst pain ever, feeling the tear and seeing the blood spurt. Ouch ouch ouch ouch

DumSpiroSpero · 08/02/2013 11:49

Blathers gallbladder op is fine. I honestly can't remember being in any pain at all after mine. A bit of discomfort & I slept about 16-18 hours a day for a week or so, but otherwise was no problem.

AmberLeaf · 08/02/2013 11:58

Im on tip-toes reading some of these!

I found I coped better with labours because it was a working pain IYKWIM?

Ovarian cyst bursting was awful though, I was half expecting a baby to come out it was that painful, but sort of worse!

Infection after a wisdom tooth extraction was pretty intense.

Chicken pox as an adult was possibly the worst thing Ive ever endure though.

LynetteScavo · 08/02/2013 17:06

This thread just shows that some labours feel like absolute hell and you'd rather die (remember thinking this is what it must have felt like for soldiers who've had their limbs blown off Hmm) and some are a breeze (I didn't even need gas and air with DC3).

teacherandguideleader · 08/02/2013 17:26

threebeeonegee - it certainly was incapacitating. I was early twenties at the time - I remember my mum having to bath me as I couldn't do it myself, and I cried in pain the whole time I was in the bath. I couldn't get to the toilet, I couldn't sit up to drink. I remember laying on my bedroom floor for 4 hours trying to get dressed. I could put a sock on, then had to wait 20 minutes before I had the energy to do anything else. My mum doesn't do sympathy but she couldn't bare watching me lay in bed crying in pain all day and all night. It was 7 days before I received treatment for it.

I still feel traumatised by the whole event. I will never forget the pain. One thing I do know is that I will never have an epidural as it carries a small risk of this happening - I don't care how painful labour is, I couldn't go through that again.

JamieandtheMagicTorch · 08/02/2013 17:49

Lynette

I remember thinking very distinctly "This must be what it's like to be disembowelled"

I

MerlotAndMe · 08/02/2013 17:51

Sorry yabu. two births no pain relief. i have broken bones. childbith way worse

ithaka · 08/02/2013 17:55

I fell off my horse and broke my leg. As I was out of mobile phone reception, I had to get back o my horse to ride home. That was pretty ouchy - but labour hurt more.

KristinaM · 08/02/2013 18:04

I've had

Burst ovarian cyst
Peritonitis
Tooth extraction
Dental abcess
Sinusitis

Labour for me was much worse

DeSelby · 08/02/2013 18:10

For me it is gallstone pain. Without a doubt.

I had an induced labour with 10lb DS1, it was very painful (I also had G&A and an epidural). Gallstone pain far exceeds my memory of it. I also broke 4 metatarsals (all at once on a different occasion ) and it was sore but not agony.Having gallbladder out next week, I cannot wait! Although I do agree with everyone who says its such a subjective experience, your labour may have been more painful than mine, and your gallstone pain less so.

icklebitchywitchy · 08/02/2013 18:11

Gallstones. Worst pain in my life including giving birth to 9lb 1oz DS with no pain relief.

ZZZenAgain · 08/02/2013 18:11

maybe but I haven't yet encountered them

dondon33 · 08/02/2013 18:13

Another who thinks YANBU -
I've had VB's 3 times (all 3 were huge babies too) but the pain from them was NOTHING compared to Gallstones - then what beat that was the pain from a blocked bile duct after they removed bastard gall bladder.... OMFG! if I could have chosen - I would have quite happily given birth 3 times one after the other with no pain relief- rather than endure that. The absolute worst day that I had that pain, baby Ds learned to crawl..... to get away sharpish from my screams, bless him! :)

Oh god yeah, bad toothache is another that's worse.

Another was after I had my appendix removed - I was so pumped full of gas from the surgery, the pain was unreal and took ages to ease despite litres of peppermint tea.

I always try to remember (says she who's TTC at the mo) birth, the pain part, will be all over and done with in a few hours, it's not forever, it HAS to end.

The likes of toothache etc.. are a different kettle of fish... they can go on for bloody days at a time and you just don't know when it will stop.

AnnieLobeseder · 08/02/2013 18:20

Having a tattoo lasered off. Sort of like labour, it's self-inflicted so you don't get much sympathy. But bugger me, it HURTS! Luckily it's very quick but fuck me, unbelievable pain. Labour is way less painful, but then it goes on a lot longer. Hard to work out which one wins as worst overall.....

DeSelby · 08/02/2013 18:30

dondon33 I've just googled blocked bile duct, sounds awful. I'm looking forward to my gallbladder removal slightly less! Hope you're ok now.

LifeIsBetterInFlipFlops · 08/02/2013 19:40

I don't know...all I can say is that my 11lb baby made me feel like I was being hit by a bus time and time again during labour.

I'm horrified by the poor poster who pased a kidney stone duri g labour...

TeaandBiccies · 08/02/2013 20:48

I didn't find contractions painful but after an emergency c section I was in sooo much pain Sad. Definitely worse and lasted much longer

VenusRising · 08/02/2013 20:56

I've had a baby
I've had kidney stones
I've had gall stones
I've had two operations

And mastitis beats them all, as you can't take anything for it.

shouldkeepquiet · 08/02/2013 20:59

There is a medical study i've seen on this subject. Somehow they have rated pain level of common experiences.(Can't find link now).
I seem to remember gall stone were right at the top. Mother in law had them and passed out several times in mid scream and just hit the floor. I do remember the top one was the pain caused by cancer towards the end - not a nice thought!
Person worst - having toe nails removed in hospital - effectively no anasthetic - and wisdom tooth abscess in days leading upto it bursting.

Bunnyjo · 08/02/2013 21:05

I got gallstones when pg with DS, which were awful. My worst experience was when DS was 2.5mth old and I got an acute gallstone attack, which led to a blocked bile duct and peritonitis. I spent 4 days on nil-by-mouth, IV fluids, IV antibiotics and morphine whilst I had various tests, a ultrasound, a MRCP and they stabilised me for surgery.

Honestly, I thought the pain was going to kill me and I am not being dramatic - it really was that bad. I have had 2 childbirths - one with only G&A, and a tonsillectomy. But nothing comes close to the pain I felt with the peritonitis and blocked bile duct. Even the surgery, a week later, and the recovery seemed like a walk in the park compared to that pain!

TooManyDicksOnTheDancefloor · 08/02/2013 21:32

I've had a tooth abcess and I've had two compacted wisdom teeth pulled with local anaesthetic. I've also broken my wrist, fingers and nose. All very painful but not a patch on my very recent labour. I was lowing (as in the cattle are), fully dilated for five hours at home, then transferred to hospital in an ambulance for a c section. You definately forget how painful labour is, I did, hence the homebirth decision.