I’ve never been asked my pain scale, but I think about it when I’m having a particularly bad bout with IBS. I was at a 7 the other day. I was hoping I could just pass out so I wouldn’t feel it anymore. I can’t imagine 10.
What is it about intestinal pain that is so intense?
Confident that I knew how to work these high heels, I strutted to the top of the stairs and swung my foot out to the take the first step, and ended up–after 17 steps of head over arse over heels–lying crumpled at the bottom of the stairs.
If I had that smiley face chart in front of me, I would have pointed to a nine and the sad face. As it happened, I burst into tears instead. 
I had a root canal without anaesthetic when I was young and more frightened of needles than of pain. I’d give that a 9. However, I learned a great deal about Buddhism that afternoon.
I had a kidney stone or three. It was a solid 7. I could definitely imagine it getting worse. I got pain medication in an IV, and it helped a lot. I consider that useful communication.
One time, back in '89, I hit this truck broadside with my motorcycle after she ran a stop sign, breaking both hands and shattering the right fore arm and left upper arm. I hit the street, rolled came to rest on my back and had a GMC dually, hauling a horse trailer, with a horse in it, run over both of my legs crushing the right and breaking the left.
Now THAT hurt.
When the nurse asks me that stupid pain question I typically just laugh. BTW, I never lost consciousness even through the helicopter ride to the Trama Ward. I was awake also for the weeks of debriding that was to follow.
Two 11s in my lifetime: kidney stone and gallstones.
[Tangental] What was the setting on the torture machine that they used on Wesley to kill him? (The Princess Bride) [/T]
Haven’t had a kid to compare it to yet, but mine was a gallstone. And it was an 11, without a doubt. I was sweating, pale, barely able to breathe, tears streaming down my face, and gripping the sides of hospital bed - just barely on the brink of consciousness, it was so bad. I wanted to pass out.
After the surgery, upon waking up, I was in pain; however it ranked only a 7. Felt like really, really bad menstrual cramps.
The only times I’ve had pain that IMO rated over a 6, no one bothered to ask me.
Once was when I had an intestinal ileus, which, had it lasted five minutes or so, wouldn’t have rated more than a 2, but after having that pain for nine hours, was almost unbearable. Doc took one look at me and just said, “Wow. You look terrible. Let’s get you admitted.”
The other time, I had a panic attack that sent me to the ER, positive that I was having a heart attack. Because I was hyperventilating, they wanted to do an arterial blood gas scan. I assumed this would be much like a regular blood test, then saw that they’d sent in a gigantic Samoan-looking male nurse and had him literally lie on top of me. When they inserted the needle into an artery, I seriously thought I was going to die. I yelled, tears came to my eyes, and my 100-ish pound body bucked so hard the gigantic nurse almost COULDN’T hold me down. I now rate all pain in comparison to that.
The worst pain I’ve ever experienced I have no memory of. I had an inguinal hernia as a young infant. My mother says my intestines were bulging out of my groin so far that it looked like I had a penis (in fact, the elderly babysitter kept calling me a “he”).
I’ve have some horrible intestinel cramps. I can’t imagine what a hernia would feel like.
Gall stones and giving birth were both about an eight for me. A ten was shattering my tib/fib, but the actual shattering was only a nine. My bad reaction to the morphine drove it up to a screaming, writhing ten, which only abated with an epidural.
I would give birth, unmedicated, to ten more babies before I will ever let anyone come near me with morphine again.
Apricot gave kidney stone attacks a very lenient pain rating of 7.
I’ve had many kidney stone attacks. I’d have to say a better rating would be a 9. Yes, I’m admitting there must be some things even more painful (torture related I guess), hence my not giving it a 10.
So far my vote is for Nic2004’s tale of woe.
9 and a half.
Box jellyfish sting (I “caught” the jellyfish between my right forearm and right abdomen). We were forty miles from medical facilities, and it was touch and go as far as whether or not I’d make it to the hospital (although I was conscious for almost the entire journey).
Maybe it’s a psych-out game - I can handle a 7…a 10? Maybe not, I better call it “7”. I could still talk sometimes, although I couldn’t hold still or open my eyes. I suspect that other people’s attacks are more painful than mine b/c I hear you saying it was unbearable, and mine was not.
I also had a uterine infection. That was not quite as painful as a kidney stone, so it got a 6, but that sucked.
Gallstones. A solid 8. I would have kicked the doctor in the nuts when he touched my side if I’d had the strength.
OMG, Jesus, ow ow ow…and you lived? I’ve only read about that and the thought of it, ow ow ow…
Cheers,
G
Every once in a while, for no apparent reason, my kidney and liver get inflamed (no, I don’t drink). It shows up unexpectedly and leaves just as unexpectedly. Nobody knows why, i’ve had a battery of tests and I have no answer. The pain lasts between three and ten hours and is just excruciating. It is a burning ache that is right in the middle of my chest and goes right through the back. The worst part about it is that it has no apparent ending and no position or drink or medicine will clear it up so I just have to deal with it (Demerol helps but I didn’t want the doctor to prescribe it for me as it makes me uncomfortable to have something that powerful around the house). Last time I went to the hospital I gave it a 10. For a point of reference, I gave a badly broken wrist a 5.5.
I realize I don’t have childbirth to compare it to but if childbirth is more painful than this I don’t recommend it to anyone.
When I was 13 I had a doctor insist on setting my broken wrist with no anaesthetic. His nurse and my mother held me down. I got one of my feet loose and nearly broke the nurse’s nose while he was setting.
Purely based on intensity, childbirth was the worst. However, it doesn’t last for long, and it’s possible to be well prepared for it.
Gallstones - I had attacks for a year before the darn things showed up on u/s and they would finally do surgery. That was almost as painful as childbirth, but again, only lasted for hours at a time.
I think overall my personal worst would have to be ruptured ovarian cysts. It’s the kind of pain that takes every fiber of my being to get through, on top of the good drugs, and can last that way for a solid 2 weeks.