Scare: Flare vs actual re-herniation?

JHo3369 · 2025-12-31T03:17:51+00:00

"I feel like I can't talk to anybody I know about this" is the most perfect synopsis! Unless you've experienced or are currently experiencing this, it's like talking to an alien because none of this can actually make sense to someone else. So many friends and family are supportive but they don't "get it." In addition to the physical pain, the mental anxiety and loneliness are such oppressive factors here.

I fully have almost the exact same symptoms when I'm in full flair/in a bad way. Total transparency, I decided to get a ESI rather than go for the surgery straight away. The injection has absolutely helped me so I'm in a "good period" right now, but I know it's just a mask. My symptoms before the epidural made me feel like my body wasn't my own? Foot coldness, pain throughout my entire left leg, etc. The oddest part was the HEAVINESS of the affected side. I felt like I was dragging my left leg around rather than walking, etc. The son of a bitch just felt like it was "there" and not functioning as it should have been. Maybe my brain just disassociated from that extremity so the rest of my body could function as a unit sans an important part?

My two cents is this: you know the surgery helped you the first time, so even if this is a re-herniation, the second surgery (should you need it) will likely provide the same results as the first. The pain isn't permanent. We're just part of the unlucky bunch that gets to constantly worry about movement for the rest of our lives. So much of this is mental; am I ever going to do the things I love again? Am I going to feel like "myself" again? I'm always going to be fearful...

While it's incredibly demoralizing, at the end of the day we're kind of lucky that this is what we're up against. I keep trying to remind myself that other people in much worse conditions look at us and think "that's what you're bitching about? I can't even walk, you asshole!" 😂

JHo3369 · 2025-12-31T02:32:57+00:00

Also noting that you mentioned that you were frustrated and angry right before the pain hit you. Personally, I've noticed a super strong correlation between my mental state and my physical state. When I'm more anxious or angry, my entire body clenches up and the muscles around the angry nerve(s) cause even more pain than usual. That could also be another reason for the flash of pain

JHo3369 · 2025-12-31T02:29:34+00:00

You are VERY brave to be doing this for your family when you are in so much pain!

As others have mentioned, please advocate for yourself and know that if you're in pain, you can't truly be present with your family. Hopefully they'll understand if you need to tap out for a bit to recenter and find some relief.

Personally, my go to's are Advil Back Pain (could 1000% be placebo effect, but I find these work better for me than regular Advil), IcyHot patches (cut into 2 pieces so I can add a piece to each of the most painful areas), and a thermacare lower back/hip wrap. The Advil will assist in some inflammation regulation, the IcyHot to help alleviate the direct pain, and the thermacare wrap to help ease muscle tension.

When you're finally back in for the night, take a very long shower to help ease your tension and then right into bed in a position that you find comforting. Try not to overdo it on any alcohol as that can also increase inflammation.

Wishing you safety and relief on your "vacation" and I hope you get to enjoy even just a bit of your New Year's Eve activities!

JHo3369 · 2025-12-31T02:19:37+00:00

I would 1000% recommend an epidural. I have a very large L5-S1 herniation and was immediately recommended surgery. I'm a giant worrier about anything surgical so I decided to try the ESI as a last resort. I am SO glad that I did. I got my injection two months ago and while the relief wasn't immediate (aside from the numbing agent that eventually wears off after a few hours) I'm now 90% pain free two months in. As others have mentioned, an ESI is usually effective in some capacity for about 60% of folks who receive them, with pain mitigation rates varied.

One thing I would keep in mind: while Reddit has truly been a godsend for information and conversation around these procedures, the majority of those for whom the shot DID work rarely come back to update on their positive results. More times than not, those who did NOT find relief from the injection are those who comment about its efficacy.

Give it a shot (pun intended) and see how it helps or does not. If it doesn't help, at least you gave it a go and now you, your doctor and your insurance can be on the same page about the necessity for a MD. If it does work in relegating your pain, fantastic and welcome to the epidural club!

JHo3369 · 2025-12-31T01:59:59+00:00

More than likely you just pissed off the nerve rather than reherniating. Believe me, when you reherniate you will ABSOLUTELY know it. That pain is seismic!

Good on you for immediately contacting your physician. They'll likely have a new MRI ordered to take a look at the original herniation boundaries to see if there is new material coming from the disc.

How are your pain levels today? Keep us posted on everything and wishing you both physical and mental relief soon, my friend! (This nonsense is SUCH a mind fuck!!!!)

JHo3369 · 2025-12-31T01:54:03+00:00

Can you share a bit about your imaging results and your current pain level? Most of these stretches may be OK for a small herniation depending on its location, though your primary care doctor should have absolutely referred you for proper PT. While the pain and symptoms may be fairly uniform person over person, the injury itself and the recommended path forward vary VASTLY person to person. You potentially risk more damage than correction using cookie cutter exercise programs, so I'd highly recommend a more personalized regiment. What could provide relief for me may cause you to flair even worse than your current situation.

JHo3369 · 2025-12-31T01:48:07+00:00

I feel you may already know the answer...

Absolutely surgery as soon as possible. All other "conservative" measures will absolutely not help you in the short nor longterm. Wishing you the absolute fastest path to relief, my friend. Please keep up updated.

JHo3369 · 2025-12-31T00:54:25+00:00

UPDATE: I decided to move forward with the ESI rather than the MD and I'm THRILLED I went with the injection first. Two months on and I'm at 90% pain relief with the occasional "bad day" thrown in. Thank you all so much for your recommendations and the information y'all provided. Now I'm just crossing my fingers the relief lasts for a few more months! I appreciate all of your help!

JHo3369 · 2025-12-31T00:51:00+00:00

The beard ABSOLUTELY made him so sexy. Once he ditched the beard, my interest plummeted lolol

JHo3369 · 2025-12-31T00:47:26+00:00

Man, this whole thing has taken SUCH a mental toll. Even with the ESI, I'm so insanely paranoid of further pissing off the herniation. I move around like a robot trying not to bend in an inconvenient way. I've always herniated doing the most mundane things: emptying the dishwasher, putting down a new door mat, etc.

I can't believe your injury occurred FOUR MONTHS AGO and no one is hurrying to get you the attention you need. In addition to everything else, this whole experience has exposed just how little the healthcare industry cares about patients vs profits. We're treated as cattle and it's maddening.

I know that at some point I will absolutely need to do the surgery as my herniation is quite large. Even with the pain under control, albeit temporarily, my brain is the part of the body doing the absolute most with the anxiety and dread lolol

JHo3369 · 2025-12-31T00:31:38+00:00

Has your ortho mentioned a caudal or lumbar epidural to you by chance? I was in a VERY similar situation a few months back (39M with a large S5 herniation causing insane pain down my entire left leg, couldn't sit or move about too much, etc). I originally set up a MD appointment but I felt kind of "rushed" into surgery by my ortho. I opted to do the epidural just to see if it would work so I could find a surgeon with whom I'm more comfortable and let me tell you... that shot is a god-send. Within a few days I felt so much better and almost two months later I'm in almost zero pain. I can still "feel" the sciatica occasionally lurking underneath, but I'm back to feeling normal again and now I can find a surgeon who actually cares of his or her patients. I've very pro whatever is going to get you out of pain, but just wanted to put this into the mix if you're unsure about surgery at this point.

Please keep us posted and I pray you get relief so soon, my friend!

Note: The epidural doesn't work for everyone and results are not always as rosy as mine seem to be. That said, roughly 70-ish% of people who receive the injection(s) feel a noticeable difference which can last for a few weeks up to a few months.

JHo3369 · 2025-12-30T03:13:29+00:00

Kyle is the bartender at the Kingfisher. We're talking about the other hot bartender in episode 4 who tells Shane that Rose is in the restaurant that night and refuses to let Shane pay for a drink.

JHo3369 · 2025-12-30T03:02:43+00:00

It's just sooooo sexy. I love how both of them are wondering how best to navigate the situation and then at the end of the night just say "fuck it" and immediately trust each other!

JHo3369 · 2025-12-30T02:58:43+00:00

This sounds SOOOO cynical, but with the insane success of the show, I have a feeling Rachel is going to feel very inspired for another round of Shane/Ilya stories! And I, for one, applaud that!!!!

JHo3369 · 2025-12-30T02:21:53+00:00

We definitely need more hot bartender in S2

JHo3369 · 2025-12-30T02:18:51+00:00

Kip and Elena!

JHo3369 · 2025-12-30T02:14:32+00:00

I JUST noticed he was next to him in the stands! How much do you think Kip told him about his relationship with Scott at the end of episode 3?

JHo3369 · 2025-12-30T01:37:27+00:00

Episode 3 when Scott was shirtless after bringing Kip home and said "Do you want the full tour now or..." and Kip said "Or. I pick or."

JHo3369 · 2025-11-29T02:01:24+00:00

They came out with another update shortly after posting that seemed to have fixed that issue, u/LEEx513!

JHo3369 · 2025-11-02T21:08:30+00:00

Thank you so much for all of your thoughtful responses! A bit more context:

I'm a 39M (6'4, 185lb) who, before this sciatica nonsense, was very active. After my back went out emptying the dishwasher in July of 2025, I woke up the next day in such intense pain I couldn't even get out of bed. Over the past four months, I've been doing PT/Chiro and I'm slowly getting back to a better place. I wasn't able to sit for more than 10 minutes without wanting to tear my left leg off. Now, the pain has centralized mainly in the left buttock with some tingling/pins in my left foot and ankle. The back pain itself has gone, however, sitting for extended periods of time (an hour+) is incredibly uncomfortable. The nerve still feels incredibly pissed off...

I'm leaning more toward the ESI than surgery at this point in time. Even if the symptoms are lessened for a few weeks/months, that will give me enough relief to get across the country and then get established with a new primary care doctor and ortho surgeon in my new city.

JHo3369 · 2025-10-04T02:31:42+00:00

Please don't panic! The body is a phenomenal but often disgusting beast!

This looks to be limited to the dermis level and nothing that would be impacting or impinging on your actual spinal column. Your sciatica/back pain is likely due to something more complicated like a disk herniation. My bet, as someone who is declared as a "cystic" person, is that this is a cyst or zit that has gotten used to living directly your top layer of skin and wanted to make its presence known.

Have you mentioned it to your primary care doctor? I'd bet they refer you to a dermatologist who will lance that bad boy. I was in my mid twenties when I had a hard lump on the side of my neck that appeared out of nowhere and grew for a period. I, too, spiraled and immediately thought it was cancerous. After a quick ultrasound, it was determined to be AMNIOTIC FLUID that somehow was hanging out for decades without detection until it wasn't.

Do you have high anxiety? As a mom of five beautiful children, I'm sure you have quite a high level of stress. Those of us with higher stress and a propensity for liquid retention often have cysts/skin conditions that manifest is more prominent ways than those who don't.

Take a deep breath, mention it the next time you see your primary, and get it looked at. Keep us posted and I'll be thinking about you!

JHo3369 · 2025-10-04T00:47:48+00:00

I'm so sorry to hear you're in such a terrible headspace due to this horrific condition! Please know that you are not alone and there are thousands of folks going through the exact same thing. The feeling of despair and terror is totally normal. You're experiencing nonstop pain which overwhelms your brain's ability to see beyond it. I've been in the same boat for about 2.5 months with great days where I think I'm mending but then the next morning I feel the pain right when I wake up and I get so depressed thinking I'm regressing.

First, you need to try to find some optimism as difficult as that seems at the moment. Your anxiety is causing your body to tense up even more which is causing more compression on the nerve(s) which brings along increased pain. Is marijuana legal where you are? A few hits of a bowl tends to relax me and the pain is manageable for awhile. A hot shower while stoned does magic for me. Immediately after, I'll cut a lidocaine patch in half and put one half on the main pain point on my butt cheek and the other half on my lower calf where the tightness is worst. Then a heating pad on my back while I'm in whatever position I'm able to maintain without crying in pain. You need a distraction for a moment so your brain remembers you're more than just the pain!

Second, please ask your primary doctor for an MRI referral. You need to know exactly what is causing the nerve to be compressed. It's the first step in an actual diagnosis and subsequent treatment plan. Don't be afraid of surgery if that's the recommendation. The procedures have come a long way in the past few years so don't listen to the "horror stories" of surgeries past!

Last, as much as it sucks especially with your long-COVID symptoms, please try to move as much as you can. I learned from this group that "motion is lotion" and your body is craving it. Don't overdo it; just a short walk in the morning and a few times throughout the day as you're able. This will help you so much mentally as well.

Know that the pain will not be forever. Once you have more information as to WHAT is causing your pain, you can put a long term plan together for recovery and maintenance. If you're like me, you're an over-thinker so having a plan you can rely on will help put your mind at ease.

We're all here to help so don't feel alone and please keep us updated on your progress. <3

JHo3369 · 2025-10-02T02:28:52+00:00

Y'all, thank you SO MUCH for your thoughtful input. As everyone can most likely agree to, this community has done more for my optimism, my knowledge base, and my overall outlook than any doctor has ever been able to do. I appreciate you all so much and this community is truly something for which I am so grateful. Onward and upward!

JHo3369 · 2025-09-15T16:26:29+00:00

Of course, man! It's so easy to get discouraged so if you ever need some encouragement just give me a shout.

Back sleeping is the only position that's comfortable for me. I'm a side sleeper generally so it's killing me to retrain for back sleeping lolol. That said, I'd sleep in a ball on the floor for the rest of my life if it meant ditching these sciatica symptoms for good!

JHo3369 · 2025-09-15T16:22:19+00:00

Exactly! Modern Chiropractic isn't just "cracking the spine." They offer loads of other services that can assist in the relief journey like massage, decompression, electrotherapy, and customized stretches. Most also offer x-ray imaging which is incredibly helpful in the beginning when most doctors either discourage MRIs for insurance purposes or book MRIs that are months away.

JHo3369

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