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.

Severe toothache from infection under the tooth & from my miscarriage. But the toothache was 10x worse than the miscarriage without a doubt

Back spasms I literally can't move and the pain is so bad

Anal fissures. Like passing glass then agonising burning, stabbing and muscle spasms all day long. Next day start all over again.

Followed by tooth abscess, perianal abscess/fistula and then lastly back to back childbirth - all agony but not as bad as fissures.

Mine was a double spiral fracture, I didn't make a sound when they pulled it straight & I'm a wuss with pain. When I was being induced the midwife gave me a sweep before breaking my waters & my mum said she heard me screaming at the end of the corridor. If I could have punched the midwife I would have done.

As a kid I had an accident where I was dragged over tarmac and tore the skin off my back. I was pretty klutzy so I've also badly broken an ankle, sprained my coccyx and sliced the tops off both big toes (they grew back)! The pain of trapped air after abdominal surgery was pretty rough and radial arterial puncture was horrendous.

None of that comes close to the pain of nerve conduction studies though...the electric shocks weren't too bad but the needle, my god, even now 5 years later, thinking of the pain of that needle jammed into my muscles and being moved about, causes me to break out in a cold sweat. Never ever again.

Tooth abscess, then childbirth.

Dental abscess, there was absolutely no relief from the pain for days.

Close second would be the recovery following an emergency forceps delivery in which I ended up with a third degree tear which took around 8 weeks to heal and I could barely walk or sit down.

Leaning down and twisting round at the same time while sitting, when I then stood up a major nerve got trapped in my spine. The pain was instant and horrific. I staggered to the bed and writhed around until it went numb after a couple of minutes by which time I had swear pouring down my face. The only comparable pain was a miscarriage, which at least came in shorter spasms, not continuous pain on that level like the caught nerve was.

I’m in my 40’s and I’ve never really experienced bad pain. I haven’t given birth or had a bad injury.

I did once burn myself with boiling water from a kettle but I went into shock so the pain wasn’t bad. I got good painkillers but didn’t really need them once the burn was dressed.

Like others, I’ve had some period pain so bad that painkillers couldn’t touch - but a bath always did. I do remember being surprised as a teen just how sore periods are - I didn’t expect it.

Some of the experiences of other posters sound awful. I guess I’ve never felt out of control with pain as it’s always been manageable with drugs. I would find it scary to experience pain that drugs couldn’t deal with

Humerus (upper arm) broken in 6 places, I was going in and out of consciousness waiting for the ambulance and honestly wished I would die, the pain was so bad.

3rd degree burns with skin coming off in sheets across my chest from radiation for breast cancer was also awful, but nowhere near as bad as the broken arm.

Meningitis. Thought I was going to die, worse than child labour or any other pain I've experienced, wouldn't wish it on anyone. Thank god for the amazing medical staff of the NHS and morphine 😳

Accidentally having my finger sliced off as a child( got it stuck in the door), was only a toddler then but still remember the pain. Luckily stitched back nicely.

Labour pain and c-section recovery.

Burn on my arm which got infected and needed draining of pus. Couldn’t move the entire arm, was very serious.

Shoulder subluxation. Incredibly painful.

Bad Earache due to wax build up. Needed wax removing.

Lumbar puncture under failed anesthetic (lidocaine resistant, 4 x the usual dose before telling them to just do it)
Resulting spinal fluid leaking from multiple entries, a week back in hospital with my brain - as someone else described - basically bouncing off the inside of my skull. The pain was so severe they questioned they might have given me some sort of meningitis that can be caused by spinal.

If someone had handed me a gun at that point, I'd have turned it on myself, no questions asked.

No stranger to pain, sadly. Kidney stones, bladder stones and surgery for them. Acute onset gall bladder inflammation and resulting surgery. Back to back labour, 3rd degree tear and lacerations. ERCP with failed sedation. And of course the lidocaine resistance makes all the surgery and recovery more fun 😂

My 9lb10oz baby decided to emerge into the world with his hand on his head, that smarted.

Ruptured ectopic pregnancy. It hurt so much it was beyond pain, almost like I couldn't feel it anymore, it was so bad. I remember passing out and feeling immense relief in the brief moment before everything went dark.
I live with chronic pain, but it doesn't come close to that, thankfully.

Gallstones , much worse than childbirth

Omg, yes! Sweeps are absolutely horrific. The midwife asked me to just “hop up on the bed, it’s painless and quick”

I was screaming in pain and crying from the shock of it. I’ll never accept a sweep again!

Agree with Gallstones, I'd rather give birth ten times over.

Separately, a different kind of pain, but a stomach bug for 3 days...I felt like a baboon! My bum was So painful! Do you hug it or pat it lol. That's brought tears to my eyes 😂😥😥😂

I have had four kids. Two without painkillers and the worse pain is night leg cramps. Where your calf has seized up and when you streach out you practically rip the muscle. It's so painful I can't breath. Then you hobble around all day.

I have never broken anything but I guess that hurts a lot. Also bad back. That's been so bad I have asked dh to call an ambulance. Of course he never does. Back to back labour on that note was also very painful.

Another vote for forceps delivery.

Also infected wisdom tooth, right in the facial nerve. Could barely move or speak.

I've had both endoscopies and colonoscopies. Some with gas and air, some with sedative and one with both. Quite painful but bearable.
I remember one of them being particularly painful but others not as much. I guess it differs from person to person but please try not to worry too much 💕

Pancreatitis.
Gave birth with no pain relief (accidentally, I’m not that brave) and would rather do that over and over again than have a flare up of pancreatitis.
gallstones is a close second I reckon.

Gallbladder infection

Use to think it was tooth ache.

Nope, back ache and that walk on 3rd December last year when I struggled to put my feet in the car to drive, scary, utterly professional people around saying tight muscles or a virus until the weeks leading up to finally going through an mri scanner on 21st January that lead to surgery. Totally touching wood I never experience back ache ever again, I’m so lucky to consider myself as totally recovered from that seeing the mess it has made of other lives.

I just really hope my gynae problem doesn’t get written off under it. Wish I was imaging both problems at times.

Sinus infection. Vomiting from the pain. Didn't even realise I had tonsillitis as well. They were talking about a lumbar puncture as they were thinking meningitis. Had 1 litre of fluids, painkillers and antibiotics and was a new woman. Post ga for 4 impacted wisdom teeth. I was like a chipmunk with bruised cheeks. Had to try and sleep upright. Pain which cause me to vomit after an emergency TAH. Not fun when you have stitches from just under your belly button to the top of your section scar! Turns out I also had an undiagnosed disease that causes low VitD and phosphate and causes pain in inself but also exacerbates existing pain. Tooth abscess. Sciatica which happens to be exactly where my osteoporosis (also caused by this disease) is worst.