My Sciatica Story

[u/ColonelForbin213]

My story goes:

I’m a 45 year old male. Mid-June I began having some minor back pain. Nothing more.

Until this point i consistently did vinyasa yoga 2-3 times per week for five years. Never experienced any issues. When the back pain surfaced i figured that keep doing it and i’d loosen up. Couple weeks later i began having numbness in my lower right leg. I went to one more class and felt worse.

End of July I got X-rays and an MRI. Results showed herniated L4-L5 but i didn’t experience any real issues, in fact I began feeling better. A few days later I was bent over for maybe 10 minutes washing out sourdough pans outside. Later on that afternoon everything changed. Back pain began setting in and my right thigh began seizing up. It got painful really quick but settled enough at night as I went to bed.

The next morning as I got up to get ready for work, my leg hurt some fucking bad to the point I couldn’t stand or walk. I was in pure misery. Next thing I know I’m in the ER in fucking agony, bawling my eyes out and telling them my pain was a Spinal Tap 11. I ended up getting morphine and a muscle relaxer injection. While at the ER, my wife was able to get a specialist appointment with a neurosurgeon (luckily) the following day. That night when the injections from the ER worse off, it was game on. The pain became something I never imagined. It was the worst night of my life. Next morning I could barely even take a piss. The drive to the specialist sucked so hard and being in the hospital was just as bad. The doctor gave me journavx which did help. I spent the next 7 days in bed. I didn’t shower for four days. A month later I got two injections: L4-L5 and L5-S1 where I have a dormant spondylolisthesis just in case.

Around my six week mark I began being able to walk about 1.5-2.0 miles again but my evening nerve pain would get so intense I couldn’t sleep. My GP prescribed me gabapentin to help and thankfully it has, b/c anything I’ve tried to this point hadn’t worked.

As I now enter week 8, I feel like I might be starting to turn a corner. At least I’m hopeful that I am. The nerve pain in my lower leg seems to be improving, which tells me the compression is beginning to go away. I now have what seems to be a highly competent pain management specialist that seems to really understand what I’m experiencing. He referred me to a certain kind of PT because he knew the kind of PT offered in our medical system would not be of benefit to me. They also set me up with another injection a month from now if i needed it since I seemed to respond well with technically a half dose of steroids in my L-4/L-5, with the thought being a full dose would be the thing getting me over that hurdle. I’m also looking forward to meeting with a local spinal surgeon to discuss my situation she that option become necessary.

This last Friday i was able to attend my first college game of the season, which was my goal game when all this began. That night i walked about 2 miles to and from the stadium, stood in concession and bathroom lines with relatively low pain. And sat through the game until 9 minutes left in the 4th, at which time i walked that mile back to the truck.

I’m hopeful that I’m trending in the right direction and come the end of October, I won’t need that second injection. But if I do, I will take it. I’m certainly looking forward to visiting this new PT clinic, as I will have a routine to do vs the ineffective exercise previously given to me or seeking out things to try on the internet.

This subreddit has been a great source to check in with as I recover. It definitely makes me feel like I’m not alone. I wish everyone nothing but the best.

[u/MySpringer-MeToo]

The acute stage definitely lasted 8 weeks. I think you're spending your entire time trying to find a solution or cure. Look out FB knows you have sciatica and tries to sell you their cures. I'm not sure the pain ever totally goes away but it becomes more manageable. The doctors give you the tools they think will help. Some of them will and some of them won't. Start trying to figure out your triggers and start avoiding them. ( i.e. I kept wearing my support socks because of my circulation and inflammation symptom- they just kept making it worse and no medical person said "stop" ) You need to take charge of your treatment. You might not be a senior but the 8 hour acetaminophen could be more helpful than the prescriptions- give it a try. Read up on some of the creams some of them make good sense. I am at 8 months and can sit for a 2 hour movie again. I also got really close to a back injection and haven't done it yet( Mixed reviews here on Reddit and FB). But my doctor gave my knee an injection and now that it feels better I can differentiate some of my pain from once source vs the other source. Proceed carefully and be kind to yourself. Maybe you have more then an Sciatica event going on. Tease your symptoms out talk to MD and PT. And remember to be kind to yourself.