Pain

You've probably been asked by a doctor to describe your pain level on a scale of one to ten. Did you realize that a bee sting or toothache is only a four?? And standing on a sprained ankle is just a five???

I'm not sure why I find this so horrifying. Or that childbirth is comparable to "a real bad migraine." Or that "excruciating unbearable pain" (e.g. throat cancer) is not the very worst level. No, that'd be a good solid hand crush ("unimaginable/unspeakable pain"). Who knew?

For one thing, this all demonstrates the ridiculousness of the 1-to-10 pain system. Not being subject to migraines, throat cancer, hand crushes, or, to the best of my recollection, childbirth, I have a very different spectrum of experience from some other people. Perhaps this explains why my doctor prescribed OxyContin for my recent stubbed toe (which I think I described as an eight).

If you can't resist subjecting yourself to the horror of that link, you can salve your eyeballs with this much happier 1-to-10 system.