Ever notice how you can have so many different types of experiences of pain, and that the most recent one that you have experienced seems to be the most painful one you've had to date? I wonder if we were to experience those events one after another in a sequence of misery, so to speak, which one would win out? This is of course assuming that you were able to remove the inhibitor known as shock on your system which essentially will dull out the sensations of pain. This is merely a receptor in the brain processing information and translating it into a feeling or emotion.
What is the most painful experience you have had thus far in your life? Let's stick with physical pain for this little exercise as well. We do not want to confuse emotional pain this time, and will strictly deal with the physical side.
Two specific instances come to mind for me. The first experience was having a 60 gallon vertical air compressor dropped onto my left hand. While lifting this air compressor off of the bolt that was keeping it's feet secure to 2 stacked pallets, the air compressor slipped and landed directly on the palm of my hand, thus sending one of the 3 feet nearly all the way through the palm of my hand. Literally. We're talking about a blunt object crushing and then impaling your hand, and nearly coming out the opposite side. It put a nice big hole nearly all the way through my hand. What I learned that day is that your hand is full of a LOT of little nerve endings, and that you can't really numb that pain out. That pain brought me to my knees. I couldn't do anything except sit there and bleed and take it.
The next experience would be a toss up between my first kidney stone, and the one I had this last year which required a surgical procedure to remove it. The first one was probably worse, because that also included me not being able to pee a single drop for nearly 5 days. My bladder was literally tearing at the seams because it was so full and backed up. That was a pretty terrible feeling. The day that I went to the hospital, I was throwing up blood, and could barely move without having this excrutiating pain tearing my insides apart. I remember wanting to die. Sure, that sounds dramatic, but at the time, I wanted it. If I had had a gun, I would have done it. Hands down. No contest.
I've experienced a lot of different pains in my life at this point, and find that with each new pain, I am comparing the experience to a previous marker of pain. I have found that each time we are in pain, and feel like we can't possibly take any more, that somehow we still make it through. Somehow we are just setting the bar a little higher for what we can tolerate for the next experience that will inevitably set new limits.
What is the single most painful experience you have endured thus far?
Monday, February 27, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Apparently sometimes I need to be reminded...
So this last Wednesday, I was having a conversation with a couple of friends on Facebook about this Vitamin-B supplement that I had bought. I bought a B-Complex Supplement thinking that it would help with having more energy throughout the day. Apparently, it is more for regulating stress. When I took this, I was extremely tired and almost couldn't stay awake at my desk at work. No bueno. When a friend pointed out that it helps to reduce stress and how your body reacts to stress, I laughed and said, "Well I don't really have any stress in my life currently, so maybe that's why I'm falling asleep..." I had been feeling fantastic lately. I went to the gym on Monday and Tuesday, and had a couple of my best workouts yet. I felt great! I decided that maybe I should just switch to a B12 supplement instead and call it good.
By the time I got home.....(less than an hour later)..I was starting to have some pretty uncomfortable, but familiar pains in my lower gut. Without too many more details, I passed another kidney stone.
It's about the most uncomfortable pain that you can imagine. I've heard it compared to childbirth, but seeing as how I've never shot a child out of my junk, this is as good as it gets.
Thursday came around, and I was still urinating an awful lot of blood. (Again, I won't go any further into the disgusting details...). I still felt terrible, and that something just wasn't right. So, I eventually caved and went to the ER, since my normal Dr. was out of town. I told the ER peeps that I was having a "Man Period" and had a lot of pain, and was feeling unusually exhausted. They decided that I needed an IV, and apparently decided that a Student Nurse from BYU should give it to me.
Now let me just clarify, needles and shots and all that stuff doesn't bother me. At least when I know the person giving it to me is a professional. I still was calm, but just chose not to look in the general direction while she did it. Next is a play by play of what happened next:
1. "1..2..3..POKE.." followed by a sharp poke on inside of my right arm.
2. "Ooh.....it's a good one..." from student nurse.
3. Warm sensation on my arm and side....
4. "He's a bleeder..."from student nurse.
5. I make mistake of looking to see what warm sensation is...to notice my arm and side covered in blood.
6. Student nurse attempts to grab my bicep to cut off blood supply and stop bleeding, but uses same hand that is holding the IV, which then pops out along with a nice squirt of blood that belongs to me.
7. Other nurse helps her bandage up my arm, and then does the IV in my other arm herself. No issue.
8. I feel even MORE queasy than when I first went in, and then am given a nice big dose of Morphine to shut me up I am sure.
Good times.
Ultimately, the Dr. at the ER concluded that I have a pretty severe Bladder and Kidney Infection. Never had those before. I just think that it's crazy that you apparently can have any kind of infection that bad and not have any prior clue or symptoms that are noticeable. Now I can't work out for a good week or so, until I'm all better and done with the anti-biotics they gave me.
I also have not had ANY soda since Wednesday of last week. This is terrible. I hear that I should only be drinking water and juice, but mostly water. Lots of water. I would love to wash it down with a nice JD, but imagine that would be even worse than the Dr. Pepper I'm craving as well. Blast.
And so, apparently sometimes I need to be reminded......
Reminded that it is totally awesome when I am not pissing blood, or passing kidney stones, or delirious from an infection I was completely unaware of having. It's nice to be healthy. It's also nice to be able to pee when you want to, and without writhing in pain and moaning like a wildebeest from inside the bathroom stall at work. That's just awkward. Especially if you have to make eye-contact with a coworker when you leave the stall when you're done.
I almost found myself arguing out loud with my own plumbing. "Seriously!?" "You can do better than that..." "See if I ever do anything nice for you again..." Again, even more awkward when a coworker overhears this conversation while in the next stall.
By the time I got home.....(less than an hour later)..I was starting to have some pretty uncomfortable, but familiar pains in my lower gut. Without too many more details, I passed another kidney stone.
Thursday came around, and I was still urinating an awful lot of blood. (Again, I won't go any further into the disgusting details...). I still felt terrible, and that something just wasn't right. So, I eventually caved and went to the ER, since my normal Dr. was out of town. I told the ER peeps that I was having a "Man Period" and had a lot of pain, and was feeling unusually exhausted. They decided that I needed an IV, and apparently decided that a Student Nurse from BYU should give it to me.
Now let me just clarify, needles and shots and all that stuff doesn't bother me. At least when I know the person giving it to me is a professional. I still was calm, but just chose not to look in the general direction while she did it. Next is a play by play of what happened next:
1. "1..2..3..POKE.." followed by a sharp poke on inside of my right arm.
2. "Ooh.....it's a good one..." from student nurse.
3. Warm sensation on my arm and side....
4. "He's a bleeder..."from student nurse.
5. I make mistake of looking to see what warm sensation is...to notice my arm and side covered in blood.
6. Student nurse attempts to grab my bicep to cut off blood supply and stop bleeding, but uses same hand that is holding the IV, which then pops out along with a nice squirt of blood that belongs to me.
7. Other nurse helps her bandage up my arm, and then does the IV in my other arm herself. No issue.
8. I feel even MORE queasy than when I first went in, and then am given a nice big dose of Morphine to shut me up I am sure.
Good times.
Ultimately, the Dr. at the ER concluded that I have a pretty severe Bladder and Kidney Infection. Never had those before. I just think that it's crazy that you apparently can have any kind of infection that bad and not have any prior clue or symptoms that are noticeable. Now I can't work out for a good week or so, until I'm all better and done with the anti-biotics they gave me.
I also have not had ANY soda since Wednesday of last week. This is terrible. I hear that I should only be drinking water and juice, but mostly water. Lots of water. I would love to wash it down with a nice JD, but imagine that would be even worse than the Dr. Pepper I'm craving as well. Blast.
And so, apparently sometimes I need to be reminded......
Reminded that it is totally awesome when I am not pissing blood, or passing kidney stones, or delirious from an infection I was completely unaware of having. It's nice to be healthy. It's also nice to be able to pee when you want to, and without writhing in pain and moaning like a wildebeest from inside the bathroom stall at work. That's just awkward. Especially if you have to make eye-contact with a coworker when you leave the stall when you're done.
I almost found myself arguing out loud with my own plumbing. "Seriously!?" "You can do better than that..." "See if I ever do anything nice for you again..." Again, even more awkward when a coworker overhears this conversation while in the next stall.
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