As a chronic migraine sufferer who has never given birth, I’m incapable of comparing pain. On a scale of 1-10 (as doctors insist on using), my excruciating pain sometimes exceeds 10+, but, I can envision childbirth close or equal. Let’s face it, any horrible pain is a horrible pain.
7 Horrible Types of Pain (not in particular order)
1. Toothache
2. Migraines
3. Trigeminal Neuralgia
4. Gout
5. Serious Burns
6. Pudendal Neuralgia
7. Cluster Headaches
I’m only including this image of the ‘pain scale’ similar to what docs have used to measure my chronic migraine pain. It irritates the crap out of me because, how can you assess your pain accurately on a scale? When my neuro asks me, he peeks at my chart from the last visit and says “oh, we’re worse than last time“. Me: “So doc, any suggestions?“, Doc: Stunned look, clears throat.
1. TOOTHACHE
This one cropped up a number of times, with a Mumsnet member saying: ‘I cope well with most things (even though I consider myself a wimp) but I would choose childbirth over a toothache ANY DAY. I didn’t have the easiest of births, either.’
The dullness and the fact that the pain is constant is said to be the main factor in why a toothache is considered one of the worst pains a human has to endure.
2. MIGRAINES
Michelle W said of migraines: ‘I get migranes and most I can handle but on a few occasions it has been worse than labor for me and when my back goes into spasm.’
Like childbirth, migraines can have a range of severity, with some being so agonizing that patients have fainted or been admitted to hospital. *I agree with this woman wholeheartedly!
3. Trigeminal Neuralgia
Known more commonly as Fothergill’s Disease, this is the inflammation of a nerve stretching from the head to the jaw.
Dr. Darnell explained: ‘This is a very exquisite type of pain‘. That kind of pain where you feel like a knife is stabbing in. Treatment options are limited. There is no epidural coming. There are people who have suicidal ideation or who do commit suicide because of it.’
4. GOUT
According to a US survey, over two-thirds of gout sufferers deemed the pain as the worst imaginable. And gout sufferer Martin Kettle wrote in The Guardian that his female GP, a mother of four, confirmed that ‘gout was indeed a worse pain than childbirth.’
An intense gout attack can leave sufferers writhing in agony and unable to even let a bedsheet touch the affected area (most commonly the big toe). Walking or wearing a sock or shoe is most definitely out of the question. The article states, having personally suffered this one, I can add my personal account that, while I’ve never had a baby, gout is by far the worst pain I have endured.
5. SERIOUS BURNS
Burns specialist Dr. Christo explained to Men’s Health: ‘It’s comparable to labor pain. The post-burn care process is grueling because it requires wound debridements, dressing changes, skin grafting, and skin stretching.’
He added that due to the ongoing and excruciating nature of a burn, that this is not just limited to the most serious cases of third-degree burns but burns in general.
6. PUDENDAL NEURALGIA
Originating in the anus, this pain can be excruciating and the cause can be as simple as sitting down at a bad angle or falling to the ground. It can affect men more due to the fact that the pain often passes into the penis causing constant discomfort.
It has been described medically as an ‘insidious constant penis pain.’ Which just makes you squirm, doesn’t it?
7. CLUSTER HEADACHES
Often described as the ‘worst possible pain’, these intense and focused waves of agony tend to affect one side of the head, usually behind the eyes.
Dr. Christo said: ‘It’s probably the worse pain imaginable. I’ve had patients say it’s worse than labor pain or burns.’
The article source and information was only a small portion of what I used for writing this article, please read more: http://metro.co.uk/2016/04/27/13-pains-that-are-worse-than-childbirth-5844873/#ixzz4HKMnTDEW
Other image sources: google.ca
Lady with the Migraines 
I used to get horrible period pain. And now that I’ve experienced childbirth twice, I have to say the period pain was worse than childbirth. Once a month from age 12 to 14. I then went on the contraceptive pill, and now the Mirena coil. No more periods = no more period pain!
I also suffer from Proctalgia Fugis – another form of anal pain. Excruciating but usually only lasts ten minutes, a few times a month.
Also peripheral neuropathy. Which makes me want to chop my feet off. That ones 24/7.
Plus the migraines.
I think a how factor in how bearable something is for me is how often it occurs and how long it lasts e.g. once a month vs once a week, ten minutes vs ten hours.
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Child birth is bad..but the pain goes away after the baby comes. Kidney stones and gallbladder stones are pretty bad too..comparable to birth..my child birth experience was horrific..26 hours of non stop pain. Wow..I can still feel it. But all pain is different.
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Interesting thought, thanks for commenting. 🙂
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I don’t think someones pain should be compared to another’s. Each of us have our pain threshold and each of us have our own scale of pain. Some of us had little pain at childbirth and have nothing to compare it to, while others were in pain off the scales. Same goes for migraines and other illnesses, it depends on the individual as to how they can handle the pain. I have a high tolerance for pain, so my doctor has told me, but I would never compare my pain to yours as it is yours and yours alone.
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Nicely stated, it’s so true how can you compare and how can you accurately grade it on a scale?
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There is just no possible way to grade pain, in my opinion. The scale the doctors use is just to give them a clue as to how severe the pain is, however, it is still a guessing game.
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I know, but it still irks me! 😦
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Interesting and horrible. I am so sorry for people who are in constant pain. The best thing about childbirth is you know it will be over.
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Good way to look at it, thanks for commenting. 🙂
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