Herniated Disc + bulges - losing hope & need guidance
I am looking for hope, guidance, or information on how long it took symptoms To decrease in other people with similar Injury location or size. I just want to be able to do things again.
I have 3 buldging discs (you cant see the third in this picture) and a herniated disc that is impinging the sciatic nerve. I have no idea how big the herniated disc is. I started having symptoms 2 months ago and approximately 3 weeks ago the symptoms significantly exacerbated. I am spending 97% of my day laying down on some sort of surface because I cannot tolerate standing longer than 1-2 minutes at a time. My leg goes tingly and I have shooting/stabbing pain in my leg. So I have to take lay down breaks very frequently. I am not joking the pain is a 9-10/10 each time and I have had other significant injuries and this has been the most painful and debilitating. It is honestly impacting every part of my life except for reading. I am doing all the things - PT, chiro, acupuncture, massage, creams, painkillers, baths, frequently offloading, etc. I even walk a short distance with a 2WW to get some movement while distributing pressure. The pain and symptoms have not improved. My doctor has put a referral in for a spinal surgeon to review my scans to see if I need spinal surgery or if I can just be treated with a nerve blocker. Has anyone else had a similar herniated disc size and symptomatology as me? Did your symptoms decrease - what was the time frame? Did you require surgery? Did anything help?
TLDR: pain started 2 months ago but symptoms because severe 3 weeks ago. Can't engage in any activities because can't tolerate more than 1-2 minutes of standing. Doing all the therapies and waiting for a consult to see if I need surgery. Nothing has worked yet and I am feeling a little hopeless. How long did it take for function to improve for people with similar size and location of impairments? Suggestions and guidance are appreciated.
I am looking for hope, guidance, or information on how long it took symptoms To decrease in other people with similar Injury location or size. I just want to be able to do things again.
I have 3 buldging discs (you cant see the third in this picture) and a herniated disc that is impinging the sciatic nerve. I have no idea how big the herniated disc is. I started having symptoms 2 months ago and approximately 3 weeks ago the symptoms significantly exacerbated. I am spending 97% of my day laying down on some sort of surface because I cannot tolerate standing longer than 1-2 minutes at a time. My leg goes tingly and I have shooting/stabbing pain in my leg. So I have to take lay down breaks very frequently. I am not joking the pain is a 9-10/10 each time and I have had other significant injuries and this has been the most painful and debilitating. It is honestly impacting every part of my life except for reading. I am doing all the things - PT, chiro, acupuncture, massage, creams, painkillers, baths, frequently offloading, etc. I even walk a short distance with a 2WW to get some movement while distributing pressure. The pain and symptoms have not improved. My doctor has put a referral in for a spinal surgeon to review my scans to see if I need spinal surgery or if I can just be treated with a nerve blocker. Has anyone else had a similar herniated disc size and symptomatology as me? Did your symptoms decrease - what was the time frame? Did you require surgery? Did anything help?
TLDR: pain started 2 months ago but symptoms because severe 3 weeks ago. Can't engage in any activities because can't tolerate more than 1-2 minutes of standing. Doing all the therapies and waiting for a consult to see if I need surgery. Nothing has worked yet and I am feeling a little hopeless. How long did it take for function to improve for people with similar size and location of impairments? Suggestions and guidance are appreciated.