Ian Bronson
Everyone knows childbirth is the gold standard of pain—just ask anyone who’s screamed through it without an epidural. But believe it or not, there are a few other life experiences that come eerily close. We’re talking about the kind of agony that makes you see stars and rethink your life choice. These 10 are the worst of them.
Passing A Kidney Stone
A kidney stone isn’t just a rock—it’s a jagged, unrelenting shard tearing through delicate tissue. The body fights back with violent spasms, which only amplifies the pain. According to urologists, contractions from stone movement mimic labor’s intensity but without the rhythmic relief of childbirth waves.
Trigeminal Neuralgia
Ever felt an electric jolt from static? Now imagine that multiplied a thousandfold. This chronic nerve condition affects the nerve that controls sensation in your face. Everyday acts like eating or even a light breeze can trigger searing jolts. There’s a reason it’s called the “suicidal disease.”
Pancreatitis
When the pancreas inflames, it causes severe inflammation, leading to tissue damage and intense pain. Enzymes meant for food tear into tissues, flooding the bloodstream with agony. When contractions subside, pancreatitis pain worsens with time. Doctors can only hope to stop the destruction before organs shut down.
Cluster Headaches
Dubbed “suicide headaches” for their unbearable intensity, cluster headaches feel like a red-hot icepick stabbing into the skull. Studies show they activate the same sufferings as childbirth, but unlike labor, relief doesn’t come with new life—only the dread of another attack.
Gallbladder Attack
Why does gallstone pain make some collapse in agony? The bile ducts seize as stones attempt to pass, triggering relentless spasms. It’s much like kidney stones, and this agony mimics contractions, but the suffering only intensifies with the looming risk of emergency surgery.
Third-Degree Burns
Nerve endings scream as fire consumes flesh, triggering shock and organ failure. Burn victims endure debridement—a process likened to childbirth contractions. It has no end in sight. Survival means repeating the torture daily. And when the skin chars, misery surges beyond comprehension.
Torn Achilles Tendon
Athletes describe it as feeling like a shotgun blast to the leg. The Achilles tendon rips without mercy, leaving tendons recoiling like broken rubber bands. If pain is the body’s alarm system, why does this injury beg the question—why wasn’t anyone warned?
Dry Socket
A pulled tooth should bring relief, but when the blood clot dislodges, torture turns monstrous. Exposed bone meets open air and triggers unrelenting nerve pain. Without intervention, it worsens with every breath, just as unrelenting as labor. The last thing it could be called is a “natural miracle.”
Shingles
Shingles can cause pain so severe that some victims develop PTSD. What begins as a rash quickly transforms into nerve damage, which sends sharp, burning agony along sensory pathways. In extreme cases, the virus reaches the eyes, threatening blindness or attacking the brain (possibly leading to a stroke).
Testicular Torsion
What could compare to childbirth? A testicle twists until blood flow stops. Urologists confirm this agony rivals labor, yet unlike childbirth, there’s no preparation and no gradual escalation. There’s only that searing pain and a ticking clock before permanent damage sets in.
