When I got my tattoo, my mental mantra was "I've had 2 kids, I can do this". Well, and looking at the tattoo artist's tat over his adam's apple. That kept me thinking "no matter what pain I have, that had to be worse".

Yeah, but -- there are different kinds of pain. When my lumbar discs were herniated, the pain was about a 9 (perhaps not a 9 by ita/connie's DH/Trudy's mom standards, but a 9 nonetheless), but it was a constant, burn-y, pulling type of pain. It wasn't "dull" pain, but it wasn't sharp, either.

But getting my tattoo -- parts of it were such a *sharp* pain that I thought I might pass out. (I didn't, but it was close. I was so damned stubborn that I refused to tell the tattoo artist to stop.)

but kidney stones was given as a 14

Wrod, those are supposed to be the worst. Hubby's only had one procedure worse, a bilateral retrograde, and my top pain gague is when I had my sinuses packed when an artery burst inside my skull. Fortunately I don't remember much about that.

was a constant, burn-y, pulling type of pain

Constant lower-grade pain is worse than a sharp, finite pain to my mind.

But getting my tattoo -- parts of it were such a *sharp* pain that I thought I might pass out.

Kinda like getting a red-hot toothpick dragged through your skin's top layers? That's what my last one felt like, esp. in the outlining stages.

Constant lower-grade pain is worse than a sharp, finite pain to my mind.

I'd agree, though really I haven't had much of the latter to contrast with. Knock wood.

My worst pain ever was a burn from having a potholder slip when taking a big tray of tuna melts out of a 500-degree oven. It was only a second-degree burn, but it had the feeling of a sharp, finite pain with the endurance of an ache.

connie! owowowowowowowow.

I think constant, low-grade pain wears you out mentally as well as actually hurting. My brother has ankle pain that's probably at least medium grade, but it is all. the. time. and he can never get away from it.

I found labor pain to be scary because it sort of takes over your whole body, but like Trudy's mom, I knew it was a) for a purpose and b) would have a definite end.

Yeah, burns scare the fuck out of me.

I don't get to rate the migraines either, but I've never had one that put me in the hospital. {ita} they just make me blind and pukey.

yesterday was fetishes, today is pain - what does that make tomorrow?

it was a) for a purpose and b) would have a definite end.

this. though that didn't stop me from telling the OB 'we don't have to do this right now...' t /chicken