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?

Peritonitis. Almost snuffed it. Much sympathy to those with TN, I've seen people suffer horrendously with it

Gall stones - 2 births without any pain relief didn’t come close

Have heard different patients who have experienced more than one of the following rank the following differently, depending on their experience.

Trigeminal Neuralgia.
Pancreatitis.
Gallstones.
Acute renal colic/Kidney stones.
Certain spinal injuries.
Certain MI/'heart attacks'.

Thunder clap headache, I have a condition called segmental cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome and the headaches are far worse than childbirth. I was looking for something to hang myself from during my worst one.

Kidney infection - I've had a gas and air birth with episiotomy and the kidney was worse. I was hallucinating.

Adhesive capsulitis - frozen shoulder. Hurt like hell. Also an infected tooth - because it went on and on.

Child birth

Meningitis. I thought I was going to die. And almost did. But lived to tell the tale! Have never experienced anything else like it.

Sinus barotrauma. I thought I was going to die.

Childbirth was very painful for me up until I had an epidural, sciatica I don't think was as bad but more ongoing for weeks and not really knowing when it will ever get better.

I have various contenders including faecal impaction an injecton of local anaesthetic into my palm and like you OP toothache.

However the absolute worse was caused by a small piece of grit which was whipped off the ground by a strong wind and stright into my eye. I was in absolute agony - I couldn't even walk for the first few minutes. My eye closed up and wouln'dt open and to add insult to injury my other eye did the same in some kind of sympathy bid. Finally managed to get to hospital where the triage nurse tried to force eye open - I reckon they could hear my screams in Scotland (we were in South Devon!) - liquid morphine did nothing for me. Finally doctor managed to get local anaestheic drops in and open my eye and remove the bit of grit which had lodged itself in there and scratched my cornea. As soon as drops wore off my eyes closed themselves again (never worked out why BOTH refused to open) and I was discharged to the joy of a £70 taxi journey through winding country lanes all with my eyes closed and regular stops for me to be sick - luckily a very understanding driver. Looking back, I'm not sure whehter they should have discharged me while I genuinely couldn't open my eyes and was in such a high level of pain!

1st Gallstones, leading to gallbladder ileus.
2nd Kidney stones
Both of the above much more painful for me than childbirth with no pain relief.

With gallbladder problems I literally thought I was going to die. Contractions until the epidural a close second because at least I knew what that was!

My back, I screamed and passed out while on the phone to the NHS. It felt as though someone had taken hold of my hip and was wrenching it away from my spine.

I had serious burns. It’s an interesting fact that while third degree full thickness burns present the most serious problems (and did with me) the second degree areas literally made me want to cut my limb off. This is because the nerves are still functioning whereas in full thickness they’ve gone.

Trapped nerve in my lower back.

I have ongoing pain in my shoulder from a tear. The pain is constant and there is nothing I can do about it, apart from painkillers. Exercise out of the question. Waiting for physios. I think it is the face it seems to be never ending. Not as bad as toothache, which at least can be treated by a dentist!

Tooth abscess without a shadow of a doubt. Although have had a couple of other nerve pain things that caused me to squeal out loud, when the pain hit, the worst being when it felt like someone had stabbed me in the back of the head with a knife, happened quite regularly for a few months.

My kneecap used to dislocate and that was horrendous

In more recent times I've been having suspected Gallbladder issues - my oh my they are excruciating!!

Wisdom tooth infection + child birth

Emergency c section when the spinal hadn’t worked on one side. Got through it on adrenaline and gas and air. I was very firm on not going under GA and I’m still glad I made that choice, but I can still feel the pain when I think about it.

Thrush. It was the first time I'd had it and due to other skin conditions, didn't realise what it was until it had progressed and spread. I couldn't even sleep.

@Fartymcnarty - I’ve started getting those during sex - hellish but thankfully don’t last too long.

Worst pain though was pleurisy - you can’t sleep, cough, breathe or even move without agonising take-your-breath away pain. I spent most of the time crying as I was so miserable.

Also had gallstones once which was v painful and just a horrible feeling.

Kidney stones…WOW 😮

Tonsillectomy
Just awful for at least 2 weeks after