Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
62 Patients Share The Medical Procedures That Hurt Far More Than Doctors Had Led Them To Expect
Having a medical intervention is always a somewhat traumatic experience. From simple issues to the most complicated and dangerous procedures, just staying at a hospital can be too much for some people. Personally, I will never forget when I fractured my right arm as a kid. Nobody told me it’d be that painful to rearrange a set of broken bones; I should’ve known, but I was a child!
I am not alone in this boat. When netizens were asked which medical procedures or tests turned out far worse than expected, thousands shared their experiences. From routine examinations to more delicate procedures, these testimonies reveal just how different expectations can be from reality.
This online conversation seems to be quite a popular topic, since way more than one person has had a painful encounter with doctors. When asked which medical procedure was indeed too much, thousands of people rushed to talk about their pain. The conversation gathered 4.3K upvotes and more than 6.7K comments, showing how many patients had similar stories.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I second (more like 7th? 8th?) the iud insertion! i’ve given birth and felt every part of the rip-the-rails-off-the-bed contractions. this was worse!
almost passed out. i did throw up. i’ve had novocaine injected directly into my live molar nerve… iud was worse
notice how many women’s procedures are listed here? we’re strong, and i have a high threshold for pain, but sheesh! do better for the gender that gave you life, people!
eta: my first awards!? 🤩 tysm!☺️ and the most likes i’ve gotten too!
it’s also pretty telling that painful iud rings true! and to think, some states want to put even more restrictions on women’s healthcare! DO👏🏼 BETTER👏🏼.
Frank Sherbet 1 hour ago
Clapping while making a point is so annoying. First time I saw it with emojiis and it's worse.
RELATED:
#2
Had a dentist decide to test my teeth for ‘micro cavities’ (I have never had a cavity in my life, not when I was a kid nor an adult. I was still on my dads insurance at the time, it was really good, and she wanted to charge them the most she could I guess)
She tells me I have 5 ‘micro cavities’ that need to be filled. She says it won’t hurt much, so she won’t freeze me, she would just use a powder that was supposed to numb the area.
So she’s shooting powder down my throat and starts to drill my tooth. I start choking and say I can’t breathe so she rolls her eyes, stops and puts a plastic cover over my teeth to stop it from shooting down my throat. She then starts really going at my tooth, drilling into it.
At this point it was hurting like a m**o so I tell her to stop. She insists it’s fine and keeps going.
Well, wasn’t she surprised when I yanked her hands out of my mouth, tore off the bib and threw all the tubes and instruments that were in my mouth on the floor, grabbed my purse and stormed out of there.
I lodged a complaint with the owner and she was fired not too long after, she had many people complain.
Always advocate for yourself, never let a medical professionals ego get in the way.
According to health experts, gallbladder removal and bone marrow donation can involve significant discomfort. While laparoscopic gallbladder removal generally has a quicker recovery, open surgery can remain uncomfortable for four to six weeks. Bone marrow donation also causes back or hip discomfort for many donors, with a recovery time of around 20 days.
#3
Getting my cervix biopsied. It was not just "a little pressure" like the doctor insisted.
Edit: I did not expect this comment to blow up. Thank you for the awards! I'll try to respond to everyone.
Bored Jellyfish 58 minutes ago
I had a cervix biopsy some years back, and when I was complaining about the pain, the doctor kept telling me, “There’s no way you feel pain there. There’s no nerves in the cervix”. I KNEW what I was feeling! Grrr!
#4
Bone marrow biopsy. They take a tiny piece from the pelvic bone through the back of your body. The only anesthesia is a numbing shot that doesn’t touch the pain.
Speaking of hip discomfort, total hip replacement and open abdominal hysterectomy are listed among procedures that come with a huge amount of pain. Hip replacement recovery can involve a lot of discomfort and several weeks of rehabilitation, while abdominal hysterectomy can remain sore for weeks since everyday movements engage the abdominal muscles.
Other procedures can feel particularly uncomfortable even when they are relatively brief. Medical professionals highlighted arterial blood gas testing as quite painful, which uses the radial artery and can feel more intense than a standard blood draw, along with transoesophageal echocardiography, where a probe passes through the throat to examine the heart.
#5
I woke up in the middle of a spinal nerve ablation and wondered who was screaming. It was me, I was screaming.
Edit to add: a nerve ablation, or radio frequency ablation, is when they use electricity to burn out the nerve and k**l the nerve root. The nerve will grow back in about a year. The powers that be decided that it can be done under twilight anesthesia, but I have a condition that causes me to go through that type of anesthesia very quickly. I always tell my surgeon and my anesthesiologist about this. They always think I'm stupid. I've woken up during multiple procedures and I've been awake enough to hear them freak out about it. In this particular case, they were unable to give me additional sedation due to bad IV placement and I was told to hold onto the table and try to be very still while the nurse did a countdown for me.
#6
Thyroid ultrasound guided biopsy. They have an ultrasound wand in one hand and the needle (one of five or six) in the other hand. Already not normal to lift head to expose your neck for it, but then they WIGGLE each needle to get cells for testing. Needle - wiggle - next needle - wiggle - etc. with only local numbing used.
First needle we both froze, we felt calcification, but it wasnt on the screen with the wand he was holding to look at where the needle needed to be.
And I had to get the biopsy done TWICE two weeks apart to be sure cells extracted went to both a cellular testing place and a molecular testing place.
Yep, cancer. But because thyroid cancer is fought differently, biopsy was by far the most uncomfortable part of my entire cancer journey, including the surgery to take the whole thyroid out.
#7
Wisdom teeth removal
Because I got a dry socket. I called the office Friday night I was going to run out of pain meds. The secretary disregarded me. I obviously didn’t realize I dislodged the clot, I had started to bend down but corrected myself. Tasted a bit of blood. Once I ran out of meds (Friday), the weekend was HORRIBLE. And when I finally made it to the office Tuesday (I called Monday and they saw me a Tuesday), the dr packed it, that was even worse. Like I had not felt such bad pain, my Apple Watch gave me a notification of my HR shooting up.
To add more to the blend, this article also identified open surgery on the heel bone and myomectomy among procedures that bring significant discomfort, to say the least. Heel surgery can affect nearby nerves and involve plates or screws, while open myomectomy requires an abdominal incision to remove fibroids and brings with it a very long recovery, depending on the patient.
Speaking of myomectomy and issues involving the uterus, a procedure that was frequently mentioned by netizens was IUD insertion, a pain we men can’t even begin to fathom. The experience varies considerably, but insertion can involve discomfort from the speculum, the instrument placed on the cervix, and the device reaching the uterine cavity, where it can trigger contractions.
#8
The three worst experiences of pain in my life:
#3 Active nerve d***h of a tooth when I was a teen and did not have the ability to get it removed until I could figure out insurance (we were poor).
#2 IUD insertion. Female doctor said several times "just three quick pinches." I screamed "F**K" at the top of my lungs involuntarily and was sick for days. For the love of all thay ia good in thia world, CERVIXES HAVE NERVE ENDINGS. Didn't feel right for the next two months and made them take it out.
#1 A blood clot in my leg. Every breath or movement was agony. I wished I was d**d. I cried and panted and wished for mercy from the cosmos. And it only beats out the IUD because it lasted in intensity for much longer.
#9
Getting a chemo port installed in my chest. Almost everyone gets it done with twilight sedation but for unknown reasons my surgical team said, nah, she's good. Quite unpleasant.
#10
Cervical check during labor. They did it when my husband left the room and went down the hall for something. He heard my screams of agony from down the hall and around the corner and came running. .
Experts also emphasized that IUD insertion should not automatically be dismissed as something everyone will tolerate easily. Pain can range from mild discomfort to severe cramping. There are also factors that can influence the experience, such as previous childbirth, painful periods, or pelvic conditions.
In general, recovery from a procedure can sometimes be just as challenging as the procedure itself. Medical professionals noted that certain surgeries may involve weeks or months of discomfort. Doctors can recommend medication, activity changes, physical therapy, or other approaches depending on the procedure and patient.
#11
I wish gynecologists would read this thread and care. unfortunately many of them seem bizarrely dismissive of women's pain.
#12
A gum tissue graft in my mouth. The actual place they grafted the tissue to s****d but what’s way worse is they take the tissue from the roof of your mouth. So there are stitches in one place and a gigantic gaping open wound in another and you have no choice but to touch them with your tongue all day until they heal. Which takes at least a month.
#13
EMG was quite painful (needles go into muscles followed by a brief electrical charge)-plus you feel like you got hit by a truck for a couple days. I wasn’t expecting that.
#14
I had HoLEP prostate surgery for BPH.
In the recovery room I woke up early from anesthesia in agony. Urine retention.
I’m pretty stoic guy but I was moaning and begging for help while about 10 people tried to get the urinary catheter to work again. After about 15 minutes of begging them to k**l me, or knock me out with anything they had, they pulled the doctor out of surgery and he started trying. After about another 10 minutes of working it like a jackhammer he got the cath to work. He told me “it’s working now, you will feel better soon”.
After about another 10 minutes I fell back to anesthesia sleep.
Later reading the op report, I had 3.25 liters of fluid in my bladder. Miracle it held.
Not recommended.
Ultimately, these experiences show why knowing what to expect matters. Pain varies from person to person, and even a simple diagnosis can turn into an uncomfortable procedure. Still, as this note explains, being clear about recovery and available pain management can help patients prepare rather than discover afterward that “a little discomfort” meant something else entirely.
What do you think? Which medical procedure or test surprised you with how painful or uncomfortable it was? Share your experience in the comments!
#15
Laser surgery for holes in my retinas. I was told a level two pain by the doctor. I ended up throwing up from pain. I’ve had to get it done three times so far.
#16
I suffer from pretty bad migraines, and a friend of mine who works at a private clinic mentioned that some doctors there were looking for people to practise SphenoCath procedures on.
A SphenoCath is an intranasal procedure where they deliver a local anesthetic to a bundle of nerves called the sphenopalatine ganglion, essentially acting as a nerve block. Some people find them really helpful for migraines; others don’t. I figured I had nothing to lose by trying it.
So I get to the clinic, fill out some forms and eventually get brought into a room where there are easily seven or eight doctors milling around. I lie down and prepare myself while they walk me through what they’re going to do and what I should expect.
They start the procedure and immediately it feels like I’m drowning while someone is simultaneously breaking my nose. I’m panicking, there are all these men peering down at me, and one very kind nurse is holding my hand and reassuring me that I’m okay.
They did manage to get it done, but it was *deeply* unpleasant. Needless to say, I never volunteered as a practice patient again.
#17
2 spinal taps within 48 hrs & my brain decompression surgery. God help you when they cut open your dura.
#18
My neurosurgeon told me a spine fusion was one of the most painful surgeries, for at least the first few days after. This is especially true when you’ve had a failed disc replacement requiring the need for it.
Though the night nurse refusing me the pain meds the doctor prescribed certainly didn’t help. “She likes her pain medicine” indeed. T**t.
#19
I had impacted canines as a kid, and they basically filleted my gums to attach those little anchors to them to pull them into position and sutured my gums back together.
They told me it wouldn’t be that bad.
I woke up during anesthesia screaming bloody agony. Didn’t stop for hours, I’m told.
I’ve broken bones that hurt less.
#20
Breast biopsies- dr said I wasnt feeling it, just reacting to noise. No, a*****e, I am in pain. My sister has same issue- hard to locally numb us.
#22
Prostate biopsy. Each “click” felt like an electric shock. Friend just had one and he was sedated. I was not. Choose sedation!!
#23
I’m pretty sure this was more of a medical malpractice situation but once I went to an urgent care because one of my ears felt clogged and/or possibly somewhat infected. The doctor there irrigated it and oh my f*****g god. I’ve never had my ears irrigated before so I’m not sure what’s normal but he BLASTED water in my ear like he was trying to put out a forest fire with a hose. I have a decent pain tolerance and I was CRYING and begging him to hold up or be gentler. When he was done, I could barely hear out of my ear and it felt like someone had shoved a metal rod through my head.
He told me to go get some OTC meds and quickly ushered me out the door.
My hearing in that ear took months to fully recover and I had to see 2 more doctors including an ear specialist to fix it. I was already nervous about people getting near my ears/eyes/face in a clinical setting and now I’m so much worse.
ALSO, CATHETERS.
Bored Jellyfish 47 minutes ago
I had the opposite experience, thank goodness. Really bad ear infection when I was a kid and both my ears were clogged (Swimmer’s ear). They shot water into my ear and it felt SO good… like finally scratching a deep itch you couldn’t get to.
#24
My vasectomy. Went through two doctors who said that my testicles were "oddly reactive" - I.e when examined they were retracting more aggressively than anticipated I guess? I was referred to a urologist who said he would be more comfortable doing the procedure surgically because of this, so I ended up getting full general anaesthesia surgery for my vasectomy, in which apparently they still had some issues as the incision ended up being like 2 inches. Took like 3 months to fully heal, and I had active nerve pain in my s*****m for the first year or so and I was concerned it would be permanent. It has faded now, but I've lost a lot of sensitivity down there and still experience some nerve pain from time to time. Overall for something that usually takes 15 minutes in a clinic and a day or two of icing it ended up being a rather hellish ordeal.
Still one of the best decisions I've made and I'd do it again even knowing it was going to be that experience. We really need real, effective male birth control.
#25
Had to get an injection at the base of my left middle finger because of trigger finger. The most awful pain I've EVER had! Was swearing like a drunken sailor while it was being done. Afterwards I apologized for the curse words and the Dr said he and his nurse were just talking about patients screaming and cursing. He laughed when he said it. F-k you Doc!
#26
**Atrial fibrillation (AFib) ablation procedure. I have an irregular heartbeat caused by additional electrical pathways in the heart. They go in through the groin like they would when placing a stent, then cauterize the extra pathways. It sounded innocent enough. I was not prepared for just how painful the procedure would be. They cannot sedate you, and can only give minimal relaxation medication. It felt like someone was s******g me in the heart with a hot soldering iron and twisting it. Each burn would take about 30 seconds, but it was repeated over and over for 30+ minutes. Thankfully the pain would immediately subside once they were finished, but it was excruciating to go through. I don’t regret it though, and would do it again if necessary. I feel so much better after having it done!**.
#27
I have a generic variant that causes me to metabolize certain d***s very fast. This includes anesthetics. I spent the first two decades of my life thinking that it was normal to be in white-knuckling hot searing pain at the dentist 😃 Every time 😃.
#28
A couple years ago, i had rTMS treatment for depression.
I was a bit surprised..One: it is loud ! Two: the first5-6 treatments were very painful, until i got a different technician, who was able to adjust something and the pain was minimal for the rest of the treatments. this is five days a week for several weeks.
Did anyone have rTMS ? how was it ?
Bored Jellyfish 39 minutes ago
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. Used to treat depression, OCD, migraines, and smoking cessation. Interesting.
#29
Having a radioactive marker inserted into my armpit via a giant needle prior to my partial mastectomy. No one told me to expect this. Some kind of nuclear specialist showed up to do this about an hour before my sedation and surgery.
#30
The arterial blood draw was nasty - they are pulling against the flow of blood and it stings like hell. Heparin injections are also nasty but thankfully only last about 10 seconds.
#31
I'm resistant to local anesthetic, so a lot of things I've been told aren't too bad ended up being painful. I expect it, that's just the way it is. But some were worse than others.
I've had a lot of tests and procedures over the years, and most docs (and dentists, ugh) don't believe people like me exist so it's just life. If I had to choose, I'd say a spinal tap was the worst. Root canal is up there too.
#32
Had a dog bite that went septic so they were going to have to cut out the necrotic tissue before it spread. I was told they didn't want to use a local because they were concerned that it could spread the bacteria. so they would put me on morphine instead. sounds good to me.
they start the drip and I go into anaphylactic shock and discover that I have a severe allergy to opiates.
well they clear out the m******e from my system but they still need to cut away the skin from the dog bite.
my husband had to hold my leg while the doctor used a scalpel to carve out the flesh from my calf without any pain relief.
that was pretty painful. Since then I have very little options with pain medication when undergoing medical procedures and my pain tolerance is sky high.
#33
Endometrial biopsy. Absolutely the worst pain ever. I couldn't even stand immediately afterward. I was allowed to rest until I could leave but it was unbearable staying in that room. Because my hack for relentless pain is oppositional movement, I went to a local mall (mostly empty) and just trudged for two hours.
I have had three of these but that one? Worst pain ever, but none of them were remotely tolerable.
#34
The amount of gynecological procedures here is baffling. In 100 years we’ll look back at these like we look back at lobotomies now.
#36
Laser removal of plantar warts. Took 11 lido shots to the toes before they started burning them off and I felt all of it. The shots were worse than the laser.
#37
Other than IUD insertion…
I had a sleep apnea study with PES. They put a tube through your nose and down your throat to measure esophageal pressure. I wasn’t expecting a fun time but it was approaching IUD insertion for take your breath away level discomfort. Worse than that were the nightmares. I had extremely vivid dreams that I was being suffocated whenever I managed to fall asleep.
#39
Subgingival curettage. I did not know it was a thing. I did not know it existed.
I had one last week, and I do not recommend it as a pastime.
And it was bloody expencive too!
#40
Manometry! (rigid, pressure sensitive scope through the nose and down into the stomach). I knew it was going to be bad going in because even webmd admitted it's uncomfortable, but I was unprepared for how many different kinds of unpleasant it was. I was uncontrollably shaking the whole test, gagging, and was in very severe pain in the 'adams apple' region of the throat.
#42
Mammogram - if men had to get this done they would’ve figured out a much less painful way of doing this.
#43
Nasal cautery for me. The doctor didn’t tell me how painful it would be, and I don’t believe I was numbed either because the pain came on super intensely and only increased as the seconds ticked on. By the time I got out to the car, I was experiencing such excruciating facial pain that I felt like I was extremely aware of every bone/muscle/sinus cavity in my face. I was literally afraid to move and talk because the pain was so severe. I don’t remember exactly how long the pain lasted for, but I’m pretty sure it lasted for a few days. The aftercare wasn’t pleasant either, as I had to put bacitracin up my nose multiple times a day and was not allowed to blow my nose for about 2 weeks. I would never, ever willingly go through something like that again.
#44
Getting my tubes tied. Everyone told me it was no big but it's right up there with natural childbirth for the most painful thing I've endured. (I mean the evening of the procedure - for the event itself I was out.).
#45
A tilt table test. I knew it was going to be uncomfortable, but man, it f*****g s****d. Felt like s**t for days afterwards.
#46
All of these stories are such a sad commentary on the barbarity of our medical system. Sometimes pain be avoided. But the indifference and lack of realistic explanations from physicians is deplorable.
#48
I'd heard horror stories about fillings at the dentist. Nobody bothered to warn you that the anaesthetic needle is a hundred times worse. I swear to god that's an apple corer they stick in your mouth.
#51
Being catheterized for 3 months and a nurse came to my house to change it. I was unconscious when it was first put in but wide awake for the new one. It hurt so badly as he tried poking that d**n thing into my urethra I had to kick him out.
#52
Getting my teeth pulled. I didn't know it was happening till the dentist had the anesthesia needle in my gum. I felt every pull and tug. I screamed the whole time. I was heard from outside the building. I was told to get up so they could use the room for the next patient, and when I said I felt dizzy, they told me to lie on the waiting room floor.
Getting an internal ultrasound. Again, they didn't tell me beforehand. They just asked if I was s******y active, when I said yes, they prepped the wand and said "I'm going to insert this now". When I sobbed at the technician that she needed to ask about penetrative s*x, she shrugged and seemed confused as to why I was upset. I informed her that penetrative s*x is not the same as s******y active. I had only been with one woman at that point and neither of us used a s***p. I'm also a CSA survivor. The technician didn't care.
I refuse to go to medical appointments alone anymore.
#53
Endoscopy, didn't react well to sedation and regurgitated the camera about 3 times scratching up my throat and making me heave before they got enough sleepy stuff into my system. Worst part is I remember all of it even though I was assured I wouldn't.
#55
I had a lip biopsy to diagnose Sjogren’s Syndrome. I intentionally didn’t do any research because I knew it would freak me out but Christ was it rougher than I could’ve imagined. The actual procedure (slicing the inner lip and removing several salivary glands) wasn’t too bad since they numbed me but the healing process was miserable.
Who would’ve known that a test to look for inflammation is painful af when you in fact do have inflammation. 😅.
#56
Thyroid biopsy. It's completely barbaric that they keep you awake for any biopsy. It took 45 minutes of digging around to get a good sample and I felt all of it.
#58
Having my water broken. I knew I was in for a painful time overall but that’s the only time I told a doctor “stop”. Later he’d call putting an IUD in a “challenge” because my cervix apparently is very high up. He delivered me, my son, and all my sisters so as soon as he said that I said no thanks.
#59
The first time I ever had an ultrasound was the day I discovered that internal ultrasounds exist. I knew about external ones, where they rub the wand thing on your belly, but I was being checked for endometriosis/ovarian cysts so they had to go all up in there too. 0/10 - didn't hurt but was WILDLY uncomfortable.
#60
Endoscopy without general anesthesia. The doctor said it was painless. There where right but it feels like you are chocking and d****g for like 10 minutes.
#61
Misoprostol following a missed miscarriage early in my first pregnancy. The OB told my spouse and I it would be like period cramps. It was NOT. It was full on contractions that came every few minutes for 12 hours while I rocked and sobbed in pain. She ended up being the attending physician at the birth of my rainbow baby. The monitors attached to me absolutely jumped when she came into the room.
Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
Bored Jellyfish 23 minutes ago
The finger prıck for testing hemoglobin levels before donating blood is surprisingly more painful than having that huge scary needle inserted into your vein for the donation. People forget just how many nerves are in your fingertips.
Bored Jellyfish 23 minutes ago
The finger prıck for testing hemoglobin levels before donating blood is surprisingly more painful than having that huge scary needle inserted into your vein for the donation. People forget just how many nerves are in your fingertips.
Related on Bored Panda
