At some point I had the question of “What’s the worst pain ever?”. The list of possible answers includes childbirth, a kidney stone passing, third-degree burns, anything having to do with testicles, etc. But the answer seems to be that every body reacts differently to pain. Some has an extremely high threshold while many cannot stand a needle injection. So the real answer is: it depends.
I think it’s even possible to train to increase pain tolerance. Remember that famous burning monk photo? When I first saw it, I refused to believe that it is physically possible to sit still amidst an engulfing fire. Burns are some of the most horrendous pains out there after all. I was adamant that he had been drugged or sedated.
Until I did further research into the incident — and well, it does look like that he was fully conscious. He had meditated and trained his whole life for that moment. It really is possible to transcend your body’s physical limits.
As for me, my pain threshold is… well, below average. I’m just not good at tolerating pain. Last time I had a dental filling, I had to ask the doctor to apply anaesthetic gels first before giving me the needle. Apparently many people can just take an anaesthetic needle straight into their gum! Not me. I still remember the sensation of the needle penetrating my gum from the wisdom teeth removal — and it was not pleasant at all.
But that wasn’t the worst pain I’ve ever felt. In 2003 I was playing on the beach in Hạ Long, and I was stung by a jellyfish in my left forearm. It was the most agonising sensation I’ve ever experienced. I had these red scribbling lines all over my arm. For several hours, I felt like there was hot coal burning and hundreds of needle injections inside my bone. I was crying from the pain.
Another time when I was 11, I had a major surgery in which I was put under anaesthesia. During the surgery the drugs ran out, and I woke up. It was a freaking nightmare. I couldn’t move a muscle, but I could feel everything.
Luckily the surgeons noticed it and I was quickly put to sleep again. But that brief 30 seconds where I was fully awake while a part of my body was cut open… I still shudder to think about that today. I really don’t wish this on my worst enemy.
Some other notable encounters with pain I’ve had include:
- Having local anaesthetics injected into my toe during that splinter removal in 2019. I winced so hard in agony. There are many nerve endings in the toe, so it’s extra sensitive down there.
- During the Dengue fever episode in 2015, I had an intense headache. I described it in detail in a previous post, but basically it felt like two sledgehammers constantly banging inside my head. I had to squeeze a towel around my head to alleviate the pain.
- On the 3rd day of Tết in 2018, I had an extreme case of food poisoning. I think it was from an octopus? The pain was absolutely debilitating. I had to lie in the fetal position for the entire day. I distinctly remember trying to walk out the door and almost collapsing! Luckily it only lasted 2 days. I must have contracted some extra virulent bacteria.
My dad must have so many experiences with pain. He has been in and out of hospital his entire life, and he is always on so many medications. But one particular occasion he mentions that I still cringe to think about is his kidney stone removal surgery in 2015. He had a long scar along his stomach, and he said whenever he had to cough — with the fresh wound still healing — it was indescribably excruciating. I can kind of understand that feeling — I’ve had some intense abs workout where the day after, it was immensely uncomfortable to sneeze, cough, or even just sit down. But mine is simply muscle damage — I can’t imagine what an open wound like my dad’s feels like.
I have also heard many women describe the intense cramps they feel during menstruation. Can’t really emphathise with that, but if I’m bleeding for a couple of days, it probably can’t be a good feeling.
Anyway, other than those occasions I just listed above, I have not had much experience with physical pain. I’ve had bleeding, bruises, scratches, nausea, headache, stomachache and so on, but it’s all ordinary stuff that everybody has been through. I really wish everybody a pain-free life, but I guess pain is a part of life that we all must learn to live with.