Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

General health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

What is the WORST pain you've ever had?

255 replies

Rnm62 · 04/12/2023 23:06

Apart from labour

I’ve had some pretty nasty migraines that were more painful than my 2 c section recoveries!

What’s the worst pain you’ve ever been in & how long did it last?

OP posts:
Pelham678 · 05/12/2023 03:05

EeesandWhizz · 04/12/2023 23:20

Pancreatitis linked to gall bladder issues.

This!

Worse than labour in a way as I didn't know what was wrong - they misdiagnosed me in the walk in centre with a UTI and then with an ulcer for quite a while in A&E. They couldn't admit me fast enough when they finally worked out what was going on!

iloveeverykindofcat · 05/12/2023 03:06

Acute pancreatitis. In second place a cyst that torsioned and cut off blood to the fallopian tube, requiring emergency surgery (after doctors dismissed me for months). I lost that tube.

EconomyClassRockstar · 05/12/2023 03:07

Tooth abscess. It was horrific because I couldn't even get away from it in my head, like you kind of can in labour. I mean, don't get me wrong, 4 labours were agony but that tooth abscess was a pain that will really stay with me to the point, I go to the dentist if I even feel a twinge nowadays.

OhHowTheDogsStackUp · 05/12/2023 03:18

PissedOffNeighbour22 · 05/12/2023 02:02

Fibroid necrobiosis whilst pregnant. I wasn't allowed pain relief as 'fibroids don't cause pain'. They bloody do when they've had their blood supply cut off by a baby taking everything available. The fibroid was larger than the baby and caused so much pain the doctors/nurses missed that I was in labour and I was accused of just wanting drugs. When I was finally allowed codeine the nurse stole it which caused an even bigger kerfuffle.

I've also had dry socket which was horrendous.

I have a slipped disc which causes sciatica. Both can cause me extreme pain on a regular basis, but nothing as horrendous as the dying fibroid.

When I had my PID, I was given some drug in resus that I don't remember the name of because I was hallucinating from fever and the pain. But the doctor came to see me when I was still in agony and asked me if I was addicted to heroin or meth!

I don't know why it's so unbelievable that some people are genuinely in that much pain. There are so many people on this thread saying they were screaming or vomiting or genuinely wishing for death (all three for me).

I'm really sorry you were treated like that. You must have been in agony.

GrannyRose15 · 05/12/2023 03:31

Shingles - two weeks. Covid - two days. Kidney stones - 5 days

Panicmode1 · 05/12/2023 03:40

Ovarian cyst that twisted. I've a high pain threshold (had 3 of my four children without pain relief), but that was off the charts of pain. The paramedic who brought me in, came back to check on me the next day because she said she hadn't had someone in that much pain in the ambulance for some time!

Second would be having my little finger trapped in a heavy fire door (I was hanging off the door frame changing a lightbulb and the door slammed) It was absolute agony, and my finger is now very wonky...still, it goes with the other side, which was a netball injury.

familiesarrggghhhhh · 05/12/2023 03:55

Herniated disc & compressed disc in the bottom of my spine, 2 weeks of absolute hell, passed out in a cold sweat the pain was so bad.

Haggisfish3 · 05/12/2023 04:03

Having loval
anaesthetic injected into my inner labia for a biopsy. Absolutely horrific. I screamed and then had to walk past all the other poor people waiting to go in.

Itwasafterallallaboutme · 05/12/2023 04:40

The first time I had absolutely unbearable pain was when I had a really severe kidney infection. The intense pain lasted for about 6 or 7 hours, and I actually begged the hospital Dr's to kill me as the extra strong painkillers took hours to start working. They wouldn't even believe me initially when I said how much pain I was in, because apparently my observations weren't showing my bodies reaction to pain that most peoples bodies would show, eg my blood pressure and temperature etc were considered normal. However, when they saw the indepth scan of my kidney and how inflammed and red it looked, they suddenly realised that I hadn't been lying, or even exaggerating, afterall.

I was then rapidly admitted as I need intravenous antibiotics - which continued for about 5 days, and it wasn't until the end of my second day in hospital that I actually felt well enough to be able to start eating very small amounts of food - up until then the pain had made me feel too sick to be able to eat anything. I did repeat to the medics on that first day in A&E that the pain I was in was far worse then that of my experiences of childbirth, and of the time my when I broke both of my bones in my lower leg!

I really hope that I never again have pain like that. I wouldnt even wish that much pain onto my worst enemy - unless they were a paedophile or child abuser in some other way.

autienotnaughty · 05/12/2023 04:52

The thing with severe pain it alway feels the worst at the time.

I have a slipped disc that spasms I'd say that's the worst. Or migraines.

QOD · 05/12/2023 04:55

Kidney stones x 3 separate incidences 2 of which were so bad I had to have surgery- pain was so so bad that I cried and whimpered my way through the bouts of renal colic and vomited
shoulder reconstruction surgery. Fuck me that was relentless agony

Timspam · 05/12/2023 05:13

Appendicitis, it was so bad I ended up crawling on the floor in the Hospital asking for help, honestly if someone had said press this button and you'll die, I'd have pressed it just to make it stop.

Zoflorabore · 05/12/2023 05:20

After Labour ( more on that later! ) THE worst pain I’ve ever had was toothache, I was pacing up and down my hall, praying, chatting utter shit and I think was hallucinating with the pain. I already take a cocktail of medications for my fibromyalgia and sciatica and literally nothing helped until the tooth was taken out.

also had a burst appendix, literally felt it pop. That was pretty bad.

lastly, when having dd in 2011 I had a clitoral tear. Yes who knew that could happen. The pain was crazy. I’ve never felt
the same since.

I’ve lived with chronic pain for the last 18 years so my pain threshold is quite high but that toothache and the accompanying pain will always be my worst.

sashh · 05/12/2023 05:30

LoudSnoringDog · 04/12/2023 23:20

Acute cholecystitis

honestly thought I was dying

Me too.

I was 17 and my mum just kept telling me to take a paracetamol and go to bed.

Derb · 05/12/2023 05:39

I had a bad kidney infection where I was hospitalised and that was horrendous

Matilda1981 · 05/12/2023 05:39

Another one for toothache - Ive had 4 kids and labour was a walk in the park compared to tooth ache!!

GuitarGeorgina · 05/12/2023 06:40

close call between broken wrist and implantation pain with one of my pregnancies (which I thought, at the time, was gallstones).

both were worse than labour (although that was painful too)

Lulu1919 · 05/12/2023 06:52

I once had flu ...nasty couldn't get out of bed kind plus ear infections in both ears
The pain was terrible
I wanted to die
Couldn't sleep couldn't sit up couldn't eat or drink

Giving birth ...was bad but was for a reason and I knew I'd be holding my baby because of it !

Ascubudr · 05/12/2023 07:00

Broken collar bone. So much worse than labour (2 babies)

1415isgreat · 05/12/2023 07:38

MissingMoominMamma · 04/12/2023 23:10

I once got a pain in my abdomen and side. It lasted about 20 minutes and was absolutely excruciating. Never had it since and I have no idea what it was.

This. I think mine was trapped gas but it was horrific. Couldn’t lie down on my back or my side

user6776 · 05/12/2023 07:40

Have had many UTI's over the years, but once ended up with a kidney infection that was absolutely awful. The pain was something else, I never realised they could be that bad

HowNice23 · 05/12/2023 07:44

Corneal abrasion. You can't easily block nerve pain whatever meds you're on. Top tip of you have one ask for a surgical contact lens. A plain lens that stops your eyelid dragging the scar off. I was only meant to have it in for a few days but was so anxious about the searing nerve pain returning I left it in for about a month. Ok that's not recommended but when you're in pain and something helps you cling on to it!!

CharlottePimpernel · 05/12/2023 07:56

Osteomyelitis in my jawbone. Pure horror.

itsnotmeagain · 05/12/2023 08:50

Nerve pain associated with my frozen shoulder- I feel like I'll pass out and vomit with the pain. And a bulging disc in my back where moving a muscle felt like I was being stabbed

susiedaisy1912 · 05/12/2023 08:55

Slipped disc
Gallstones
Migraines