To ask what's the worst (physical) pain you've ever experienced?

[canwetalkaboutcake]

I've never broken a bone or given birth, but I have had some very painful periods that have made me feel like I'm going to pass out. Also terrible travel sickness / vomiting on a 20 hour trip that left me wishing for death due to how crap I felt.

Aseptic meningitis, I couldn’t even move my eyes without excruciating pain

A perianal abscess. It was 6 weeks after giving birth so I am confident in saying it was worse than childbirth for me. But also they couldn’t give me decent painkillers as I was breastfeeding so that didn’t help.

Childbirth. Specifically the forceps delivery but some of the contractions were hideous too. It was so bad I had PTSD from it. 2nd labour was no where near as painful, no idea why, the pain was just entirely different (and ended in a wonderful c section).

I've also had really bad bouts of IBS, one very very similar to my first labour which set off my PTSD and made it so much worse.

Gastritis… absolutely horrendous…
I’ve given birth twice and it was no where near the pain I felt with gastritis. Not only that I had back troubles for about 3 months after so not a pleasant year.

Labour gallstones after c section

I regularly dislocate but I’d say there are only 3 times I’ve ever thought it was truly near the top end of the scale… once when I dislocated my shoulder and elbow at once and it tore my bicep muscle. Another when half my wisdom tooth suddenly broke and fell out (it wasn’t too bad at first but due to lockdown, it couldn’t get treated for 10 days and I was at risk of sepsis from the infection in the end). Last one was also in covid, a lightbulb broke in my hand. Again, not initially the worst but it was a Sunday so a&e couldn’t get anyone to remove the fairly small piece of glass between my thumb and finger. I had to come back the next day for it’s removal… sleeping on it was really rough.

Adenomyosis

Every fucking months for years and years as GPs wouldn't take it seriously
Looking back I'm so angry with how much of my life was wasted being in pain

No man would be expected to put up with that

I’ve struggled with a chronic illness my entire life, since a young child, so I’d like to say I have a pretty high pain tolerance. I recently had an ankle fusion and when I woke up from surgery, I really thought I was dying. I was screaming in pain almost passing back out and they gave me morphine, that didn’t work so they gave me fentanyl on top. Before that kicked in, they very nearly gave me ketamine AS WELL as they could see I was in unbearable pain. I’ve had multiple surgeries my entire life including a C-section and then open head surgery as a literal child and nothing caused me as much pain as my ankle fusion surgery.

Stung by a stingray. The most painful thing ever! All my muscles went into cramp and I was in agony for hours!

I always say this one so I’ll have to name change after this!

This is weirdly fascinating, glad people are with me on dry socket.

Colonoscopy didn't hurt me at all if that reassures anyone. I just remember afterwards lying in recovery farting from my very core like nothing I knew was possible.

Induction of labour, especially my first induction. Hideous.

Giving birth I'd have thought, although I can't remember much of it now.

Other than that, breaking my ankle when I fell down some stairs.

Quinsy

Pilonidal Sinus, had it 3 times. Horrendous. Like someone had a spiky ball shoved into the base of my spine, couldn't walk/ sit/ lie down without constant shooting pains. I was turned away by A&E to have a hot bath 🤨

Labour was fine in comparison.

Just realised I forgot immune related colitis
inflamed intestines to the point I nearly had a perforated bowel
Unbelievably horrible
Had it twice as a side effect of immunotherapy

Being stitched up after childbirth. Absolute agony and I begged them to let me live the rest of my life half-stitched rather than carry on.

I’ve had a c section, broken bones, had a breast reduction.

For me the worst pain is the tendinitis I had in my shoulder followed by toothache.

A ruptured ovarian cyst. Like the very bad period pain that you describe along with an off-the-charts temperature and unable to stand up/turn over in bed. Like someone is doing surgery down there while you are wide awake.

Costochondritis. I have fibromyalgia and IBS, I've had C-sections, broken dislocated bones which had to be pinned, coils inserted, ingrowing toenails, sciatica and peri migraines (I know how to have fun 😂) but the worst by far is that crushing feeling in your chest when you can't breathe and can't do anything about it, but know it's not a heart attack because it's "just" inflammation around the ribs and sternum flaring up.

A migraine when I was 14 - I couldn’t think I was in so much pain.

Also food poisoning stomach ache.

Labour is up there (9cm on gas and air), felt like I was dying. and then the 2 C section recoveries weren’t actually that bad.

I also had some stitches in my eye due to eye surgery, they were adjustable sutures so I had to be woken up for them to tweak the stitches. That was pretty horrible

Meningitis, I had it in my mid 20s, which is supposedly extremely rare, but the pain in my head and all over my body was an 11/10. I've had 7 MCs, delivered 3 DC and multiple huge surgeries, but meningitis had me begging for DH to kill me to end the pain

Pain is Different and hard to compare
Childbirth was painful but more exhausting, but bearable because it was waves and had an end in site.
I sprained (or perhaps broke?) my ankle a couple of times. Pain so bad I couldn't move or speak, felt sick and about to pass out. After 5-10 minutes I was able to speak and move but couldn't walk.
I have had tonsillitis so bad, and toothache actually, that I imagined chopping my own head off to stop it.

I've given birth twice, had a ruptured ectopic, and broken my wrist, but my heart attack was worse than all of them. Apparently it was fairly minor!

Labour

Kidney stones
Periods with endometriosis
Recovery after emergency ectopic pregnancy (stomach cut open)