Ask your doctor or pain clinic

As much as I would love to talk to my pain specialist like that, she doesn’t understand that. Her scale is 1-10 Pain with 10 being the worst ever felt, 0 no pain at all.
The worst pain I’ve ever felt? I would love to be able to say childbirth, after all I was in labor for 54 hours with contractions 2 minutes apart for better part of 43 hours, but no. The worst pain of my life I set the 10 mark at is the worst Migraine of my life.
It hit without warning—no aura or premonition as I usually have— and my head felt like the right side of it was instantly was being split open with an axe. The pain sliced through my right eye and back toward the back of my head hard as if someone had shoved an ice pick through my skull.
I took my meds— Demerol 50mg and Promethazine 100mg and stretched out in my bed in the dark praying for some relief only for my mouth and face and right arm to instantly begin to buzz and go numb.
I knew nothing was going to stop.
I stumbled out into the brightly lit living room (not realizing not a light was lit and it was dusk), to meet my husband and son and tell them... something.
The rest of the evening is a literal blur.
I remember only bits and pieces: the piercing glare of the ER overhead lights before they went out, the nurse asking for my pain on a scale on 1-... and stopping and answering a 10 on the chart herself and then simply turning to my husband and mumbling something and walking out of the trauma room, and wanting to scream but knowing if I did I wouldn’t be able to stop the nausea from becoming more.
After that I woke up in my own bed and my eighteen year old son was sleeping beside me, holding my hand where he had been for the last three days.
That is my ten.

So when I say an eight or a nine, maybe the doctor or you have a clue to the pain I live with each day.

As much as I would love to talk to my pain specialist like that, she doesn’t understand that. Her scale is 1-10 Pain with 10 being the worst ever felt, 0 no pain at all.
The worst pain I’ve ever felt? I would love to be able to say childbirth, after all I was in labor for 54 hours with contractions 2 minutes apart for better part of 43 hours, but no. The worst pain of my life I set the 10 mark at is the worst Migraine of my life.
It hit without warning—no aura or premonition as I usually have— and my head felt like the right side of it was instantly was being split open with an axe. The pain sliced through my right eye and back toward the back of my head hard as if someone had shoved an ice pick through my skull.
I took my meds— Demerol 50mg and Promethazine 100mg and stretched out in my bed in the dark praying for some relief only for my mouth and face and right arm to instantly begin to buzz and go numb.
I knew nothing was going to stop.
I stumbled out into the brightly lit living room (not realizing not a light was lit and it was dusk), to meet my husband and son and tell them... something.
The rest of the evening is a literal blur.
I remember only bits and pieces: the piercing glare of the ER overhead lights before they went out, the nurse asking for my pain on a scale on 1-... and stopping and answering a 10 on the chart herself and then simply turning to my husband and mumbling something and walking out of the trauma room, and wanting to scream but knowing if I did I wouldn’t be able to stop the nausea from becoming more.
After that I woke up in my own bed and my eighteen year old son was sleeping beside me, holding my hand where he had been for the last three days.
That is my ten.

So when I say an eight or a nine, maybe the doctor or you have a clue to the pain I live with each day.

Renee that story broke my heart. Did it ever happen again? Jen

I didn't leave this conversation.. just not much brain to think the past few days. My son, daughter-in-law, three grandchildren here in Georgia.. but not in same town as me and my husband.. . and my brother and his wife out in Washington state have been dealing with having covid. My brother the worse was in the hospital and he had diverticulitis at same time with an abscess. Thankfully he was able to come home Monday evening.

I had gone to my pain specialist and was diagnosed with sacroiliac joint dysfunction. I had an injection Monday. It was very hard to place a number to pain. It always is. I think because I have had extreme pain.. the worst ever after open abdominal surgery in 2015. I had 3 loops of my intestines come up into my chest.. push my lung against my ribcage.. partially collapsing my lung. Yep, that was painful, but the surgery more painful. I was sliced from sternum to my back just below my left shoulder blade.One rib was cut and one cracked and muscle cut through so the two surgeons could get to everything they needed to for repair.

My ribs are what I judge worse pain by now. They do not hurt as much as they first did after surgery, still most days I feel like I fell down a flight of stairs.. pulling rib muscles and cracking ribs. Yes, I have done that before. That is why I live in a home with no stairs.. no steps really to speak of.. two inches to step up or down anywhere. Sometimes my ribs burn a bit too and that puts them at a 10.. without the burn an 8.

I put this sacroiliac joint dysfunction pain at an 8 and after the injection a 2. Right now a 5. I will take a pain pill in a few minutes and my pain level will go down.

To some degree I probably perceive pain less than most.. at least according to my other half. Some of it is natural and much acquired. I would try to outdo my brother.. the one out in Washington state. He is just 17 months older than I am. He always cried when we got shots when we were children.. I made up my mind I wasn't going to cry over having a shot when I was about 5. He did cry.. but next time he didn't. 😁 My daddy would hurt himself.. bandage up and carry on.. so some of it learned from him. Most of it is just doing the best with whatever comes before me. Crying .. nothing wrong with it. It can release pain. I don't remember it after my 2014 surgery.. the one before the open surgery.. I had a leakage of my intestine and have not much memory of a week, but my husband says I cried with pain and they had to convince me to take some pain medication. My stubbornness abounds.

I am hoping in about 10 days I can report to my pain specialist that this sacroiliac joint dysfunction pain is gone or is at least diminished to a lower level.

Our day tomorrow will be quiet.. a small meal for us two.. and Ziggy (the dog). We will count our blessings.. they are countless.

Wishes for a delightful and happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Zee Gee