What is the WORST pain you've ever had?

[AbsentmindedWoman]

Personally, toothache (constant background throb with searing white hot stabs that made me feel like I was being electrocuted in my skull every few seconds) gets the award for absolute worst ever. Two frozen shoulders, and adenomyosis that used to regularly have me puking and fainting and almost hallucinating on the bathroom floor are strong contenders - but miles behind. There is just something about vicious toothache that makes it the worst.

Contemplating this as just back from the dentist, where at least for now, things were ok this time

What about you?

Impacted wisdom teeth
Migraine following spinal block... Which turned out to be bacterial meningitis

@Blackhawkdown2020 what?! C section with no anaesthetic?!

@plixy

C section where they couldn't get my organs back in the right place. My husband is traumatised from watching me being pushed up and down the table while they shoved my intestines back in.

That sounds horrible. Was it an emergency C section or planned? I've always planned to have one in the future but that does sound horrifically painful.

Sciatica, gallstones, and impacted wisdom teeth. All worse than babies.

Extreme constipation + anal fissure felt like birthing a giant red hot razor sharp knife.

Gallstones. Worse than when the spinal started wearing off during my C-section, worse than ruptured ovarian cyst, worse than recovery from major surgery etc. But I suspect even that is nothing compared to what some of you have been through. I'm so sorry.

Weirdly, even thought it was the worst pain, a failed coil insertion is the pain that has impacted me the most mentally. Even thinking about it gets me all sick and panicky again.

Contractions, without a doubt.

@ItallwentwrongwhenBowieleft

A large blood clot blocked the main artery in my left arm, cutting off all blood supply to my lower arm. My arm went white from elbow down & couldn't move my hand or fingers. I was on my own & it was absolutely bloody terrifying. The pain though was out of this world, unremitting, 100x worse than anything I had ever known & I've given birth 4 times! I howled like an animal all the way to the hospital. Needed large doses of morphine, 10 days in hospital & had PTSD afterwards.

Absolutely awful for you ..hope you are ok now.💐

@Winniewonka paracetamol regularly, diazepam and dihydrocodiene
Thermacare lower hip and back wraps
Try not to sit, best to stand or lie down and keep moving
Google log roll getting out of bed
Physio
Pillow under knees if lying on back or between knees on side, and one flat pillow under head, try to keep your spine straight

@FizzyPink I've had a few root canals, one brought instant relief and none hurt at all, just boring lying there, take headphones!

My worst pain was toothache for a week while pregnant and they couldn't work out what tooth was causing it until my 5th visit. Also big fingertip surgery. Recovery was way worse than I was expecting- so many nerve endings.

Childbirth was definitely easier to cope with for me!

Endometriosis and miscarriage. Genuinely thought I was dying.

@lanbro

Gallstones, much worse than childbirth

100% this. So much worse.

I don't think I had an unmanageable pain yet (I have a child, broke bones etc it just wasn't too bad).

My first childbirth when I was 17, I was so niave . It was natural because the staff were too busy to provide pain relief because it was a Sunday "their answer" , The midwives I had did a sweep and god knows how many checks and other proceedures without my consent and had zero empathy or respect, I felt traumatised afterwards... I cannot imagine a pain worse, hoping I don't have to find out Lol

@winniewonka you have my sympathies... Some great tips from @notmycat above. When you're no longer in pain I'd recommend regular gentle stretches such as child's pose, piriformis, cat and cow, knee hugs... And a good osteopath if you can afford it.

I definitely agree sitting for long periods makes mine worse, as does having pillows too high.

Get well soon

@Winniewonka

I have currently got sciatica, it's my fourth week. Can I ask fellow sufferers which painkillers helped as up to now, nothing seems to have made any impact. I had co codamol which did zilch for the pain and am now using Pregabalin and I don't feel any different after taking it. Unfortunately I can't take any aspirin or ibuprofen types of medication. Got a sick note, I feel that I can walk but feel I could pass out from the pain when standing up for any length of time. It has different phases from electric shock which is the worst to constant dull toothache. I'm not in as much pain as the first two weeks whereby I was trying to get some sleep sitting in a chair as lying down in bed was agony.

I had co-codamol which, tbh, only took the edge off the pain and made me dizzy and sick. For a more recent herniated disc that affected my arm and upper back I was given Amitriptyline which seemed to help a fair bit.

I got most relief for the sciatica with a hot water bottle and rest (although keeping as active as possible and walking is essential too), or lying on by back with my thighs vertical and my lower legs resting on chair or something, knees bent so lower legs parallel to my back.

The supine piriformis stretch sometimes helped, I did it in a hot bath. With dh around to help me out again www.rocketcitychiropractic.com/10-piriformis-stretches-to-get-rid-of-sciatica-hip-and-lower-back-pain/

Really, I spent much of that time miserable on the settee begging for co-codamol and hot water bottles, throwing up and ... not fun.

Oh, if you stay on opiates, watch out for constipation. Pushing isn't fun with sciatica. Keep drinking prune juice, eating lots of fruit etc.

I hope your attack passes soon, @Winniewonka

@Winniewonka

I have currently got sciatica, it's my fourth week. Can I ask fellow sufferers which painkillers helped as up to now, nothing seems to have made any impact. I had co codamol which did zilch for the pain and am now using Pregabalin and I don't feel any different after taking it. Unfortunately I can't take any aspirin or ibuprofen types of medication. Got a sick note, I feel that I can walk but feel I could pass out from the pain when standing up for any length of time. It has different phases from electric shock which is the worst to constant dull toothache. I'm not in as much pain as the first two weeks whereby I was trying to get some sleep sitting in a chair as lying down in bed was agony.

So sorry to hear you’re suffering so much with this @Winniewonka. It’s hard to say what might help, as I’ve suffered from sciatica for 8 years now - pretty much every single day/night. It’s finding a bit of a suite of treatment - so pain relief, exercise, pacing, etc. I swim 4 or 5 times a week, have physio, and also do Pilates. Have your workplace so an assessment to ensure your workstation is best set up.

I’ve had some surgeries for it too, and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend those unless you have given things 3-6 months to settle, as more than half of these cases resolve themselves. I had foist drop, then causa équins, which left me no choice.

I would suggest you possibly also ask for a pain clinic referral, although you may not find this helpful - it’s very dependent on who you see. Good luck; I wouldn’t wish nerve pain on anyone. (Well, maybe a few people... 😈)

Dear lord. Autocorrect....
FOOT drop and CAUDA EQUINA.

@FizzyPink

Reading it back, I wasn't very clear. The pain I meant was that which came before the root canal filling I've never yearned to go to the dentist the way I did then.

The filling itself took a long time and was tedious but not painful at all. I would definitely have it done before you go- I didn't, and had to find an emergency dentist in the country I was visiting!

@AbsentmindedWoman

Personally, toothache (constant background throb with searing white hot stabs that made me feel like I was being electrocuted in my skull every few seconds) gets the award for absolute worst ever. Two frozen shoulders, and adenomyosis that used to regularly have me puking and fainting and almost hallucinating on the bathroom floor are strong contenders - but miles behind. There is just something about vicious toothache that makes it the worst.

Contemplating this as just back from the dentist, where at least for now, things were ok this time

What about you?

Oh god I’m so sorry to derail this but I read that as “puking and farting” and was both confused and terribly sympathetic.

My first birth! 48hr labour so I was quite tired. But I was induced and they turned the drip all the way up so I was having contractions constantly. The baby was back to back also. It was the only pain I've ever had where I was unable to talk. I was desperate for some pain relief but as I couldn't speak I couldn't ask for it. None of the staff asked me if I wanted any pain relief so I couldn't even nod or shake my head. I honestly remember thinking "this is how I will die. No one can stand this level of pain for this long". I know people may reply saying how easy they found birth but it is so different for anyone.

Having my waters broken after 24 hours with the gel, midwife handed me the gas & air, I wondered why I needed it as my mum said breaking your waters was nothing, the midwife broke my waters & did a very thorough sweep, felt like she had everything up to her elbow in me. My mum heard me screaming from the other end of the corridor, my husband nearly punched the midwife.

@BeatieBourke

All these mentions of 'natural' childbirth can get in the bin. 'Childbirth with no pain relief', fair enough. Nothing 'natural' about screaming abject agony/danger/death when the (naturally evolved) human race has found ways to potentially make it less agonising/dangerous/lethal. The 'natural' label is bollocks. What you mean is not needing any intervention (or being unlucky enough to need it but not receive it, but ultimately being ok).

If my child's birth had been natural I'd have been naturally dead.

round of applause 👏

Gallstones which turned in to pancreatitis, which turned in to pancreatic cysts & chronic pancreatitis. Pneumonia & pleurisy is also a strong contender.

Two ankle sprains that required a total of 3 surgeries.
The immediate post-op pain after a calcaneal osteotomy (they sawed my ankle in half). I was in recovery and they kept pumping drugs in because they couldn't get the pain under control.
Endometriosis a close second. Plus the pain when I ripped a tendon from its insertion point in my hip.

WinnieWonka have you tried an osteopath for sciatica? I have a good one and she helps when I have a crisis. The rest of the time I manage with meds - opiates, pregabalin, slow release ibuprofen, and paracetamol.

I always think back pain is the hardest to endure because it goes on and on and often there are no comfortable positions. Likewise the post-lumbar puncture headache. Acute pain from an accident, say, seems worse at the time but usually the worst part is over relatively quickly.