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Greatest physical pain you have ever felt...?

easy by a mile with this one - I had sprained my ankle badly (3rd degree - almost surgery required). After a few weeks of physio, the therapist had to break down the scar tissue.

no big deal i thought.

except the easiest way for her to break it down was to grind the scar tissue against my ankle bone by taking her thumb and grinding to break it down!

i think i'm tough enough, but i started to sweat, clench my teeth...it hurt so bad I couldn't even cry.

I will never, ever forget that intensity level of pain. ever.

i'm shuddering just thinking about it.
 
Mine was a testicular torsion - you may not want to know what that is but for those who are interested, it is where a testicle spontaneously (or for any other reason i guess) twists and, partially or completely, cuts off the blood to it.

This could happen to any man at any time, though you don't hear about it much - for obvious reasons.

sorry if your balls ache:eek:
 
I've been fairly lucky, been kicked in the nuts a few times, which was painful. But the worst was that I used to get stomach cramps when I was younger.

Once when I was in university, I had gone with a bunch of friends to Shimla, India on vacation. The day after getting there, in the morning we all showered, left the hotel and were going to the golf course. Something that I ate the previous day was probably dodgy. About half a kilometer from the hotel, I had to tell my friends, "guys, I'm not feeling too good, I have to bail out", and I left them and turned around to go back. That walk back was the worst ever in my life. Every minute or so, I had to clench my sphincter muscle, grit my teeth and stand while my stomach felt like it would burst open if I didn't go right now. After thirty seconds or so, the pain would fade and I would be able to continue walking back, until the next attack hit. Finally, I made it back to the hotel, ran to the nearest toilet, sat, and ... That was shear hell. I had to keep going in and out of the toilet for the whole day, and it was night before I felt some semblance of normality again.

That was the worst in physical pain, but having my heart broken was worse. That hurt, day in and day out, for months.
 
sushi said:
The first pain was the bear trap clamping on his family jewels.

The second pain was when they were ripped off. After the first pain he started running. When he hit the end of the chain that connected the bear trap to the stake or tree off came the family jewels.
Click to expand...

Thanks, sushi. I didn't want to just go there, it's fairly graphic, after all... prolly would sting considerable, too...
 
gilkisson said:
prolly would sting considerable, too...
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I bet it would. Just thinking about pain 1 or 2 is, well, painful. :)

Since everyone is sharing specifics, I'll give you this one. When I was in grade school I fell and chipped my front tooth. So our family friend and dentist decided that I would get a cap. Over several visits he had worked on my tooth. One time when I went in for a visit, he wanted to check how his cap was working. He applied the drill, without giving me any pain killers. Normally, this was not an issue because it was the outside of the tooth and was for a short duration of time.

Well this one time, something happened and the drill bit sunk right into my tooth into the main nerve/pulp. I don't really remember the pain, but I do remember levitating out of the chair. :)

To this day, I have not let another dentist touch that tooth.

Needless to say, the movie "Marathon Man" with Dustin Hoffman reminds me of this wonderful experience.

"Is it safe?" :p
 
BENI said:
Mine was a testicular torsion

sorry if your balls ache:eek:
Click to expand...

I got that once, it started the morning of my final surgery exam and i ended up having to sit the exam through the pain, taking repeated time-outs and lying on the examination bed they had in the room. I remember reading in one book that it was one of the worst pains a "man" can experience but personally i found the mental torture of you knowing you're slowly turning infertile the worst part.
 
Few for me

1. When i was 14, i had migraine, one of them came on when i was at school doing wood work. My friend was using one of the drills to cut some wood and the smell of the wood burning oh i felt so sick. I don't even remember getting to the nurses office or getting home.

2. I have accute wry neck, muscle spasms. I couldn't move my neck unless heat was applied. This lasted 2 days before i could see a doctor.

3. Those old school fridges that had the black spokes that would stick up at the back ( i don't no what their called) i fell on some when i was climbing around in dads shed, i had it cut my shoulder open and they pierced my wrists, still have the scars

4. I get cramps in my feet, and calf muscles when i stretch at night or early morning most the of the time resulting in me on the floor in pain.
 
I broke my heel. I have a metal plate and five screws in my foot from surgery a year ago. It still hurts now and probably always will. :(
 
Leareth said:
Thank you. Someone else who realizes how much a REAL migraine hurts.
its like your own body giving you a beating to the bass thump of your heartbeat.

*pet peeve : people at work complaining they have 'migraine' when have headache.if they had migraine, they would not be in any shape to complain and walk around.
Click to expand...

I'm lucky that most of my migraines don't incapacitate me completely, so I have, in fact, walked around at work with a migraine when it was impossible for me to go home (plus, I don't like to drive when I get one until the meds kick in a bit.). I usually have enough warning that one is coming, and can stay on top of the pain with just ibuprofen.

Anyway, my worst pain was when I had a TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack)

Absolutely blinding headache, and I couldn't talk correctly. As in, I could still think correctly, but I would try to say a word, and an unrelated word would come out, no matter how hard I was concentrating. It felt like an ice pick in the left side of my head, and then my right hand went numb, traveling from the thumb through each finger before disappearing. Completely different from anything I had experienced before.

Adding insult to injury, we sat in the ER for 90 minutes, across the way from a sign that read, "In a stroke, every minute counts!"

The worst of the pain was over in about 4 hours, but the weakness and fatigue lingered for over a month. Luckily, no lasting damage was done, and I have pretty pictures of my brain on file, along with my heart, and neck!!!
 
Brian Hickman said:
Easy. My ex-gf ripped my tongue ring out with her teeth when she thought that I cheated on her. It ended up nearly forking my tongue and there was lots of blood to go along with that pain. But, on the brighter side, it is surprising how fast your tongue will heal.

Needless to say, I didn't bother getting another one.

Hickman
Click to expand...

Didn't bother getting another girlfriend or didn't bother getting another tongue ring? I think I'd be skiddish about both after that.


Genghis Khan said:
Dislocated Kneecap.
Click to expand...

Been there, done that, got the scars from surgery to prove it.

Overall, I'd say I've been pretty blessed. I've been hurt countless times and in injury causing situations on all too many occasions, but no real major injuries. I would have to say it's a tie between the first time my knee ever dislocated and when I was young getting my finger caught in a heavy metal door when it slammed shut. The door slamming was not the problem, my 4 year old reaction of screaming and ripping my finger out was the kicker. It ripped the end right off and at the emergency room they had to burn a hole through my fingernail in order to sew everything up. For being so young I have quite vivid memories of the experience. It happened on a family vacation to Myrtle Beach. Thinking back now, we didn't take many vacations after that.
 
The Winner!

I have gone off my Yamaha at around 90+ mph - broken shoulder, leg and knee. I have hit submerged rocks diving into a river - 23 sutures in my head, sprained neck, lucky kid. However, at 54 the big elephant came and sat on my chest - heart attack. What is almost worse than the pain, which is considerable, is knowing that this could be it; you can die from this! The pain is so unbearable you can hardly talk. I remember telling someone I thought I was having a heart attack and they could barely hear me. Imagine someone squeezing the breath out of you while someone else rotates a knife blade around in your chest. Then there is the gook stabing your arms with an ice pick and setting your feet on fire. Even your eyes hurt. All at once, for what seems an eternity.However, I promise you this: the staff jumps up and takes immediate care of you when you present at the desk of the ER with sweat pouring off your body like rain water with your face the color of Casper the Friendly Ghost and you say " I am having a heart attack!" The floors open up and you are surrounded by doctors and nurses who stick needles in your arm, pills in your mouth all while wheeling you into a trauma room at break neck speed. The ONLY upside? Great drugs! Lots of 'em too!
Now for the Public Service announcement:
Watch your weight, exercise and don't smoke. Take it from me, heart attacks suck.
 
tobefirst said:
Tearing the ACL in each of my knees. Experienced that pain twice. Some say that it didn't hurt when they tore theirs, but both of mine were killers. Rehab was quite painful, too, actually. Perhaps that was worse. Not sure.
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Yep. I tore my ACL about a year and a half ago. I never understood the phrase "white hot pain" until that moment.

And while not quite on the same level, when the PT bends your knee waaaaay back to your butt? I let out a string of curses the whole staff said they'd never heard before!
 
A soccer ball to the goolies. Nature sure protects its jewels. Sure, mental pain has an effect, but it wouldn't make you pass out.
 
gilkisson said:
Yeah, we get that a lot around here. One way or the other, someone is bringing home the memories... sucks that yours involved blood and pain..
Click to expand...

Ruptured my right eardrum while under about 15 feet of water. It felt like my head exploded. Total equilibrium shut-down.

I saw a girl blow out her ACL right in front of me at a ski race, and I thanked God I never had that happen. I've never seen someone in such pain in my life.
 
BENI said:
Mine was a testicular torsion - you may not want to know what that is but for those who are interested, it is where a testicle spontaneously (or for any other reason i guess) twists and, partially or completely, cuts off the blood to it.

This could happen to any man at any time, though you don't hear about it much - for obvious reasons.

sorry if your balls ache:eek:
Click to expand...

My balls hurt just reading about it :eek:
 
BENI said:
Mine was a testicular torsion - you may not want to know what that is but for those who are interested, it is where a testicle spontaneously (or for any other reason i guess) twists and, partially or completely, cuts off the blood to it.

This could happen to any man at any time, though you don't hear about it much - for obvious reasons.

sorry if your balls ache:eek:
Click to expand...
My right one hurts now.... thanks for that.
 
ATV into a tree at about 50mph (I was a passenger on the back, not the driver). Came out of it with cracked ribs and elbow, and some nasty cuts and bruises. Luckily, I was wearing a helmet to prevent concussions, etc., and a not-so-highly protective T-shirt to prevent other damage.
 
cantthinkofone said:
The chlorine didn't kill the bacteria?
Click to expand...

Obviously not. The pool was famous for people getting sick from it. But of course I was 20 years old and immortal. Getting sick was something other people did.

In the tropics (Panama is about 8 degrees north of the equator) it is very hot and humid. You measure the seasons as dry and rainy. Because of the heat you don't get viruses. I never had a cold when I was there. What you do get is bacteria infections and parasites. I worked outside (truckdriver) and by noon I was soaked through with sweat. We had to wear combat boots, long pants, shirt with long sleeves (which we could roll up). There was of course no air conditioning except in the base movie theatre and the PX (store). I would get a bacteria infection about once a month. The skin on the inside of my legs near the crotch would start to melt away (flesh eating bacteria). I would race back to my room and rub this liquid tetracycline (spelling) on my skin and that would clear things up quick. Also had to get a yellow fever shot before I went down. They had these horses tethered up in the jungle to test for yellow fever.
A very interesting place in 1972-1973, it's official name was the US Canal Zone but those days are gone as Jimmy Carter went and gave it back.
 
Leareth said:
Thank you. Someone else who realizes how much a REAL migraine hurts.
its like your own body giving you a beating to the bass thump of your heartbeat.

*pet peeve : people at work complaining they have 'migraine' when have headache.if they had migraine, they would not be in any shape to complain and walk around.
Click to expand...

Us migraine sufferers need to stick together!
 
I just remembered a good one. When I was a tad younger, one of my fractured teeth got..uh..whatever it is called when you need a root canal. It was severely infected (?) and absessed. Since I was young I was afraid I had cancer or something so I hid it from my parents for ~5 days. Eventually my face puffed up unbelievably. Had to get an emergency root canal done. :( Before the root canal, that was some horrid pain. I laid on my bed an screamed in pain but while at school I sucked it up.
 
When I was bodyboarding one time at the beach the wave crashed... the bodyboard was attached to my wrist and I was tumbling all the way to the shore. Gah... I felt horrible. In 5 minutes I was back in the surf though. :D
 
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