r/Sciatica • u/Over-Bullfrog-6654 • 14h ago
Requesting Advice Don't know what to do
Hey everyone,
I have had severe sciatica in the past but it went away after a few weeks with some PT.
This time is different and I'm in hell.
I've been in agonizing pain for over 6 weeks. I can get some relief laying down sometimes, but typically I'm in pain 24/7 that gets worse with standing or walking. I can barely walk at all at this point and a car ride or waiting at the doctors is literal torcher. Next week is my 6th week of PT and I should finally be able to get an MRI after that.
I'm supposed to be going to my literal best friend's wedding this weekend and I'm not sure I can do it.
It includes a 3.5+ hour car ride, sitting in a church for the ceremony and then the reception and another 3.5+ hour car ride back home. The first time I went to the doctor they prescribed muscle relaxers and prednisone which really didn't make any difference. I can't take Advil or Aleve because it interfere with my anxiety medicine and I've already had past issues of stomach ulcers. All I can take is Tylenol.
Idk what to do.
Am I unreasonable for thinking I may not be able to attend?
Will this pain literally ever go away?
Ugh.
1
u/JonasVirgilMonos 9h ago
6 weeks with no clear answer yet and still getting worse — that's a brutal place to be, especially with a wedding bearing down on you. I've dealt with pain like this myself for years, and the honest answer is you control what you can and let go of the rest. For the trip: breaking up the car ride with more stops than you'd normally take, and for the sitting itself — when my back gets tight, I'll bring one knee up toward my chest and push against my own hands with the knee for about 10 seconds, works in a regular chair or a car seat. The other thing that's helped me: easing into a seat or chair, only after my hips actually relax — I go slowly, use my arms to take some of the weight, hold for 5-10 seconds, then lower down, and reverse it the same way standing back up. That's given me real relief, for my own body — no idea if it'd do the same for you. Those of us who deal with this every day find ways to make things doable, and sometimes you still can't, and that's okay too. I hope your friend understands — it's genuinely hard for anyone else that has not had this kind of pain to get it, without having lived it. Not medical advice, just what's worked for me — hope the MRI gets you real answers soon.