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Original poster

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

1000 replies

canwetalkaboutcake · 03/10/2023 21:00

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.

OP posts:
Imisscoffee2021 · 03/10/2023 22:50

Labour with a back to back 10lb baby when epidural didn't work, then the recovery from the emergency c section at the end 8 hours fruitless pain!

Sandals12 · 03/10/2023 22:50

Lammveg · 03/10/2023 21:07

Childbirth. Accidentally gave birth at home with no pain relief after being sent home from the maternity unit because it was my first baby so that always means a long labour ....was holding my daughter less than 4hrs later lol

I have the exact same story even to the point of it being 4 hours later too...only mine was a boy. Born on the sofa. My second baby appeared within a minute of arriving in hospital, waters broke on assessment bed, at least they couldn't send me home this time!!

VitoCorleoneOfMNMafia · 03/10/2023 22:51

Last year, a male consultant decided to cut out polyps with no pain relief. That was bad. He finally stopped when he couldn't get the one on the cervix and the rest were done by a female consultant under GA. That was really bad, but at least it didn't last as long as the toe pain. At one point I recall asking the consult whether he'd stick a scalpel up a penis with no pain relief.

This, and the many women talking about period pains, are all the proof you'll ever need that medical misogyny is still going on.

Missedmytoe · 03/10/2023 22:51

Sinusitis and also a broken toe. Labour pains and the aftermath of an emergency c-section nowhere near as bad.

Member869894 · 03/10/2023 22:51

Kidney stones. I didn't know what to do with myself the pain was so bad

SavageTomato · 03/10/2023 22:51

Migraines. Not just a headache, this is an M&S headache. Exquisite pain that just cannot be banished except with total black out conditions, slathered with lashings of psychedelic sight interference that keeps moving around. And I was lucky, close relative used to end up bed bound for 3 days. Couldn't even keep water down.

MariaVT65 · 03/10/2023 22:52

💐to everyone on this thread! You’re all heroes!

Mine is the 2 times I had such bad UTIs/bladder infections that I was pissing pure blood. Always wee after sex ladies!

thaegumathteth · 03/10/2023 22:52

Kidney stones
Dental abscess
Back to back labour

In that order

Razzle39 · 03/10/2023 22:52

New ICD being out in (kind of like a pacemaker if don’t know what it is). You have them put in under local anaesthetic. The anaesthetic wore out whilst the surgeons hands were in my chest.

I actually left my body and was looking down on it saying to myself ‘just die, it will be easier’.

VitoCorleoneOfMNMafia · 03/10/2023 22:53

WhichEllie · 03/10/2023 22:29

I broke all my lumbar vertebrae. For two weeks it was absolutely excruciating. Moving my legs was agony. Tensing my core/abs was agony. Breathing too deeply or too fast was agony. Using my arms to drag, push, or lower myself was the only thing that seemed to be okay and even that wasn’t 100%.

I’ve had a lot of injuries and pain in my life and have a high tolerance but this was another level. That said, the doctors were utterly flabbergasted that I could still force myself to stand and shuffle a bit so I guess I was still doing better than they expected.

How the hell did you break all of them?

Fink · 03/10/2023 22:53

Labour with a baby facing the wrong way then forceps and ventouse. I literally wanted to die just for the pain to stop.

TotalOverhaul · 03/10/2023 22:53

Gallstones. Had no idea what it was and thought I was dying! Torn ligament under the foot was very painful too. Almost passed out from that pain.

Caerulea · 03/10/2023 22:53

Herniated disc - turning in my sleep & the pain that woke me was extraordinary - instant animalistic, primal fear like my spine had been sliced open.

Exposed nerve in a broken tooth that reached into my sinus. Holy fuck balls that was wild.

(for scale - 3 births, one 9lb 11 baby manually turned on exit. Full spinal tattoo & very large tattoo that took several 7hr sessions with sections on ribs, underboob & round the armpit.)

qotsa · 03/10/2023 22:54

Dislocating my shoulder. Without a doubt. C-section recovery was painful but in a more controlled, or controllable, way. The shoulder takes me by surprise and I think is the closest I've ever come to passing out each time. I've never broken a bone though.

Rosecutting · 03/10/2023 22:54

Child birth /forceps delivery after being induced and 18 hr labour

Mindovermatter247 · 03/10/2023 22:54

I put the after birth pain up there aswell tbh… I had to have stitches both times and just having a pee set me on edge.. it’s unbearable almost to the point I was holding in wee as long as possible b3cause it hurt to bad to go…

chillin12 · 03/10/2023 22:54

Soon after the midwife broke my waters, the active labour phase had me thinking I was going to die. I was begging for pain relief, and praying I could make it 😀

GuineaPigPosie · 03/10/2023 22:54

Broken coccyx/tailbone. Passed out from pain several times and woke up screaming whenever I moved in the night

bert3400 · 03/10/2023 22:55

Big toenail removed as it was ingrown. Local anaesthetic didn't work , after an hour they just held me down to remove it . I did consent as didn't want to come back for a GA.
Also childbirth when induced. Midwife didn't believe I was ready to push, gave me paracetamol and told me to have a bath. Absolute agony and he crowned in the bath - that was horrific. Went onto have 2 more DC without induction and they were fine.

catherinewales · 03/10/2023 22:55

Labour

mumda · 03/10/2023 22:55

What I assume was passing a kidney stone. A&E basically ignored the pain I was in and wanted a gynaecologist to examine me as I couldn't pee that much blood and I must have been confused as to where the blood was coming from.

If you can imagine how cross that made me. The pain was unreal. No pain treatment offered.
Worse that tearing during childbirth, in part because childbirth didn't last that long in comparison.

Ginburee · 03/10/2023 22:55

Post c section with really vile midwives.
Some wanker had written on my notes that I am a nurse so they didn't come near me.
3 sections I had in the same hospital and 9 years later I can't really think about it.
Broken humerus age 12 and in a sling and expected to stand up for adults was fun. I can still feel the way the bone grated.

MsRosley · 03/10/2023 22:56

Softsoftsleep · 03/10/2023 21:04

Labour pain. The feeling of contractions as you're approaching transition. I felt like my spine was going to snap in half. Hideously painful. For something that's so natural, it sure doesn't feel like it!

Totally agree. I was truly shocked by how painful labour was. I honestly wanted someone to kill me first time around.

ArtCatsPlants · 03/10/2023 22:56

Fibroid Degeneration during pregnancy. The worst pain I've ever experienced - worse than labour and recovery from emergency c section

Okaaaay · 03/10/2023 22:57

Dislocated coccyx (excruciating). Labour pain was bad but the coccyx made me weep

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