In 2000 I tore some of the cartilage connecting my sternum to my ribs catastrophically. It sounded like ripping a head of lettuce and wasn't fully healed for about 18 months. For a long time that was my 10 on the subjective pain scale.
Last night I waited about 6 hours in a Portland ER to get IV antibiotics for an infected abscess on my thigh. It was about the size of a buried golf ball and I couldn't walk well. Regular antibiotics during the week hadn't helped much.
They did an ultrasound and found there was a core of pus and told me they had to drain it. They gave me morphine for the pain.
It wasn't enough. They were going to inject Lidocaine directly into the abscess.
The needle going in was... unpleasant because the abscess was so swollen and tender. It was about as bad as a tattoo needle drawing a line. But when the doctor injected the actual Lidocaine into it it felt like boiling oil. Absolutely the worst pain I've ever felt. Pain that blotted out the world. She did that four times.
Yes, I passed out.
Last night I waited about 6 hours in a Portland ER to get IV antibiotics for an infected abscess on my thigh. It was about the size of a buried golf ball and I couldn't walk well. Regular antibiotics during the week hadn't helped much.
They did an ultrasound and found there was a core of pus and told me they had to drain it. They gave me morphine for the pain.
It wasn't enough. They were going to inject Lidocaine directly into the abscess.
The needle going in was... unpleasant because the abscess was so swollen and tender. It was about as bad as a tattoo needle drawing a line. But when the doctor injected the actual Lidocaine into it it felt like boiling oil. Absolutely the worst pain I've ever felt. Pain that blotted out the world. She did that four times.
Yes, I passed out.