I’ve been fortunate in my life up to this point to have not suffered significant physical pain. For that I’m grateful. I guess what got me thinking about pain was the fact I just watched The Shallows featuring the gorgeous Blake Lively. She gets attacked by a great white shark and pretty much held captive by it for a few days, a mere 200 yards off the shore of a secluded beach. She sustains a pretty serious gash early on from the shark and has to sew her leg up herself. I’m glad I haven’t experienced that. I’ve never broken a bone, had surgery (unless you include going under to have all four wisdom teeth extracted in one go), given birth, or had stitches. But here are some of the painful things I’ve encountered (I understand they pale in comparison to what most people go through)—we are human, flesh and blood, not invincible.  

At age 16/17 I was hit in the eye by a male friend’s elbow while playing a game of pick-up basketball after school. Right after the strike (inadvertent), I couldn’t open my eye. I very clearly remember the male coach who was playing with us say, “Let’s get you to the trainer.” I just remember ice going on the eye. There was talk of how I’d just barely squeaked out of needing stitches (?I guess for my eyelid). The bruising in the days to come was quite colorful. I managed to bust some blood vessels in the eye itself, adding to the whole Halloweenish look. It was sore to move the eyeball for some time after. My best friend at the time had to reverse my car for me because it hurt to turn my eye that way. Thankfully things healed up just fine. A friend of mine’s dad lost his eye in similar fashion – playing basketball.

Again in high school, while dribbling down the court during a game, an opposing player ran full speed into me, her bony patella (kneecap) connecting at what felt like full force into my right vastus lateralis/IT band (outer quadricep/outer upper leg area). She found the trigger point! To this day, that’s the area that’s super sensitive when I get a massage (I imagine from running). At the time after that injury, I couldn’t run because the muscle was so sore. The athletic trainer said I likely had a hematoma (a collection of blood) under the skin. It took care of itself.

Maybe I should take up surfing in place of basketball?

The monthly menstrual cramps. This is mild. A dull ache, I’d say. In the pelvis and low back with a mild heaviness at times into my quadriceps (thighs). Advil does the trick. I go about my day.

I’ve had some mild shoulder impingement. Not too bad. But lifting the arm overhead or simply picking up a light dumbbell off the ground created a feeling of a tendon getting snagged in my shoulder. That took care of itself after easing off the pull-ups a little.

I really feel sorry for the women who’ve suffered through natural childbirth – I’ve heard that’s the most severe menstrual cramps. And the most painful thing a human can encounter. It’s the gold standard against what all other pain is measured. Perhaps second on the list of pain intensity is a bulging disc in the low back, if it touches a nerve root. Nerve pain. Also on the list: I’ve heard some people get acid reflux so bad that they think they’re having a heart attack. Yikes. Broken bones can be bad.

I’m grateful for those who discovered medication to help these ailments, for the wonders of ice, and to physicians, nurses, and other people who heal. Also, I’m glad Blake Lively survived all her lacerations, blood loss, fire coral dermatitis, chapped lips, gangrene, and jellyfish stings (and most likely severe sunburn, which seemed to be overlooked). ~