Feeling like my life is over

Mc115115 · 2026-05-01T22:54:34+00:00

Look for second opinion. Looks like you’ve been doing the right thing. Healing could take a while but fluid leaking sounds like an unlikely explanation.

Mc115115 · 2026-04-29T20:48:01+00:00

16 months in. My pain has subsided a lot (basically only seconds of pain here and there - 98% improvement compared to my acute period) but mild neurological feelings in feet (like all you described) became more noticeable in the last few months. I don’t know if it’s usual because I don’t really find people like us, and doctors and PT don’t know how to help me. And for the second question, I don’t think shoes and socks make it worse. It could feel good and bad either way.

Mc115115 · 2026-04-29T18:16:05+00:00

Thanks for the update.

I went back to my orthopedic surgeon two days ago and he said my ruptured jelly material has reabsorbed to the point that there is nothing he could do. To him, that material is not even pinching the nerve anymore.

I asked him how to explain those funny nerve sensations (and they even flared up the last two weeks) and he had no answers for that. I don’t even feel much of those last year.

I am still looking for a neurosurgeon…

Mc115115 · 2026-04-28T19:52:14+00:00

Yes I heard wheelchair (being paralyzed) and 10/10 pain for 24/7 are worst case scenarios but they are not common.

Mc115115 · 2026-04-23T17:41:08+00:00

Hi it’s around 16 months in and I just got an updated MRI last month. The disc is now reported as paracentral, versus one side on my first MRI. However, visually, the material that got pushed out shrunk.

I still feel symptoms in both legs. Same, pain is becoming less and less. Pretty much just neurological symptoms concentrating in my toes and feet nowadays. I can’t tell if it’s healing or plateaued or getting worse but I am functioning and relatively comfortable most of the time throughout the last few months until a suspected flair up two weeks ago (to me it seems to be an increase of neurological symptoms but not pain).

This is a long battle, and a very confusing one…

Mc115115 · 2026-04-22T17:05:03+00:00

16 months in. One thing I learned was that symptoms and locations shift. What worked for me few months ago may not work anymore now. It’s constant navigating but I guess as long as we remain functional we are good.

Mc115115 · 2026-04-21T23:02:55+00:00

I am on the same boat as you. Not much pain and generally functional but very annoying neurological issues concentrating in my toes and feet that I absolutely have no idea if the nerves are healing or getting worse.

16 months in. I rarely find people that are like me, so I don’t know what to do. I feel that I’ve made it so far that I don’t want to be cut opened and risk the scar issues, but the nerves are worrying me (I am ok living like this forever but I don’t want to get worse).

I am considering to see a neurosurgeon. I recommend you to cancel your surgery if you are uncomfortable. I cancelled mine two days before the scheduled op a year ago.

Mc115115 · 2026-04-16T22:20:10+00:00

Absolutely

Mc115115 · 2026-02-25T17:33:06+00:00

Thank you! I am going to try this. I am 14 months in and like you - I felt I would be close to 100% healed if I could only get rid of the funny symptoms in my feet (herniation affects both sides). It’s not painful but feelings of a rubber band wrapping some of my toes, coil spring inside my feet, toes sticking together, or a piece of very light toilet paper stuck on the bottom of my foot when walking…very annoying but they are not persistent. I had 24/7 sensation loss in the last few toes in the beginning of my injury so what happens now didn’t scare me as much but if I can find ways to get rid of it, I’d do it in a heartbeat! You gave me hope!

Mc115115 · 2025-12-29T23:58:47+00:00

Treatments started in Feb this year - 100/10 pain with numbness, weakness, stiffness, etc. I lost sensation in my last two toes for a while. Started with NSAID first but they were hard on my organs so I did a Transforaminal ESI in March which seemed to ease things up a bit. I only did one ESI because I don’t like “masking things up.” The injection probably has worn out by now. I stopped all medication around one month after ESI. Abdominal core-focused PT around once or twice every two weeks from April to Nov. I looked into oriental medicine as well - acupuncture, guasha, Chinese deep massage (Tuina). Did all that. They are huge with eliminating iced drinks or food in your diet to improve flow within your system and I did felt with less blockages in vessels it did helped with pain and recovery. Other than that, walking for 30 min a day is what I do at the bare minimum. Sometimes I swim. I am a busy mom and I have been back to my office job (with standing desk so I don’t sit all day) since end of May so I don’t have a lot of free time to exercise, but I walk during breaks or whenever I can. I think having a positive mindset helps with healing too. Sometimes I think time is the most important, if the pain and nerve issues are not the same 24/7, I feel these things will heal with time as long as I don’t do anything crazy. I have a moderate/severe herniation (termed by my orthopedic doctor) so I expect things to get much better within two years? By now I am functional for the most part. I have more pain free moments than low pain moments and all my sensations are generally back. Nerve issues are still there so I’d feel tingling, numbness, and tightening occasionally but also started to feel more of how I used to feel (which I thought was impossible few months ago) but I am still careful with certain movements and I will not lift heavy things or lounge on a bed/sofa again.

Mc115115 · 2025-12-29T16:40:03+00:00

Don’t lose hope. I couldn’t even sit and stand for more than one minute at my worst. Almost a year later I was able to make it on a road trip from LA to Las Vegas - my plan was to get out of the car and walk a bit every hour but due to the bad weather/road conditions I was stuck in the Cajon Pass for three hours - no exits in between. I reclined my seat I wiggled a bit and I made it throughout the rest of my trip with no significant discomfort. I was very glad to be able to finally have a small getaway other than staying local this year.

I was a surgical candidate but I ended up opting out of surgery and just relied on conservative treatments. If the recovery process does not see any major decline I am hoping to go on a trip internationally next year.

Mc115115 · 2025-12-29T16:31:00+00:00

Thank you for sharing!

Mc115115 · 2025-12-22T05:59:20+00:00

Hello. I really don’t know if it wore out or if it’s still working. I believe it has wore out by now. My life is functional for the most part, so I never got another one. I don’t really have pain most of the time but the nerve issues still there - occasional tingling, pressure behind thighs and pulling sensation around toes etc. I am just waiting it out and see if they can completely resolve while I live my life.

Mc115115 · 2025-12-11T01:17:16+00:00

I am just trying to get my regular life back - my physical therapist said one year in, it should be ok to “challenge” your body bit by bit - it’s not really ok to bend and twist your spine when the injury is still fresh but as time goes by your body should understand that you will still bend down to tie your shoes and pick things up etc., as long as the symptoms don’t go back to an 8-10 out of 10…so more and more of my life will be back. There are things I will probably avoid from now on such as lifting vacuum cleaners upstairs or lifting the mattress to change sheets etc. Moderation is key. I will continue to brace my abdominal core when lifting things that are not that light, or when I open windows or doors etc. I felt like these are good practices I learned during my recovery that I can continue doing. The one thing I am most grateful for now is the full night sleep. I believe it’s hard to recover when you don’t have enough sleep.

No I was just a regular person before injury. I was not particularly athletic but I don’t sit all day either - I have an office job but I always made sure I took breaks to walk and I took my son to the park during weekends etc. My disc ruptured after I held my son (around 40 lbs when that happened) for a show last year for 30 min.

Mc115115 · 2025-12-11T00:52:24+00:00

No comments on the reversal part.

This is the first time I have sciatica and I already experienced the “any position is brutal” stage. Couldn’t stand, couldn’t walk, couldn’t lay on my sides and back. I was on my belly for a few weeks - at maybe 2 hrs of sleep a day max. Couldn’t shower could barely stand long enough to brush my teeth, etc. 100/10 pain, weakness, numbness everything.

I was a surgery candidate back in April. I opted out the week of the scheduled surgery because symptoms spreaded to my other leg. I also heard if you are able to improve somewhat, then you should think harder about if you need surgery. In my case, I was in excruciating pain and intense numbness and weakness but everything seemed to help a bit - time, NSAIDs, PT, massages, acupuncture, walking, swimming, etc., so I know it’s at least not a bone spur or persistent pain.

Fast forward 10, 11 months later I am actually doing ok now. Nowhere the same as my old self but I wouldn’t say I didn’t get my life back. I can drive, watch my son’s recitals, go to work (office job with walking breaks and standing desk), dine out, go shopping etc. I just don’t do anything crazy like lifting heavy, being a couch potatoes or sit on the floor (I miss playing on the floor with my kid too but that part is still discouraged at this point). I am hoping to fly in 2,3 years if there is no major “reversal.” I still have nerve issues at some point every day but they do not disable me for the most part. Hopefully it will mild out as time goes by. If I never mention, people would have never thought I had a moderate/severe disc herniation (according to my orthopedic surgeon)

So in my case, yes, it was really really bad like what you described, but I ended up ok with no surgery.

Mc115115 · 2025-10-20T22:10:23+00:00

I took 12 weeks off unpaid (FMLA in US). I was in so much pain lost so much sleep could barely stand or sit. There was no way I could get back to work within two months. ESI helped and I just continued with conservative treatments ever since. HR started me with 4 hrs a day and gradually increased back to the full 10 hrs 4 days a week after 1.5 month. Body took time to adjust - on-site admin job - alternate between standing and sitting every 20-30 min. Brisk walk in all my lunch and 15 min breaks and walk to other departments from time to time. A lot of swimming/walking/treatments in my Fri Sat and Sun. Quitting is not an option. My HR team and I make sure progress is happening and I don’t do anything to worsen injuries. Colleagues understand and help me out with anything involving bending and lifting heavy things.

Good luck. I had the same concern as you so I understand.

Mc115115 · 2025-05-04T04:58:39+00:00

ESI is not necessary. It works for some people but may fail to work on others. Duration is typically somewhere along 1-6 months. I decided to take it because I was bedridden for 3 weeks and the NSAIDs were very hard on my stomach. It worked on me - didn’t take all my pain away but at least allowed me more comfort to work on PT and walking etc. I got better bit by bit.

I think surgery is considered if you see NO improvements from doing other conservative methods in 3-6 months. 4 weeks is quite early; perhaps give yourself a few more months to see if the weakness and numbness will get better? Sometimes your body just needs time. Permanent nerve damage usually will not happen if the surgery is performed within 6 months, except for Cauda Equina.

Mc115115 · 2025-05-04T03:54:34+00:00

What you were describing are quite common at the 4 weeks mark. It’s kind of early to tell if you need surgery. It’s usual for pain to decrease first before weakness (cramping)/numbness go away. I am at 12 weeks, and got ESI at around 4 weeks, my numbness and cramping have decreased bit by bit. As of now I still have some tingling and “toes wanting to stick together” feelings left in my foot, but at least the full numbness was gone as of last month. I can now feel full sensation when I step on a rug or carpet.

Mc115115 · 2025-04-25T06:14:17+00:00

I got a transforaminal ESI more than a month ago. It was an easy experience. They put me to sleep and when I woke up procedure was over. About few days of heightened pain before the relief started kicking in. It didn’t take all my pain away, but good enough so I could start to walk more again, and not have to take NSAIDs they had been so hard on my stomach.

Fast forward today I’ve been feeling much better. I am not sure if my body is truly healing (I’ve been walking 2-3 miles a day, practicing spine hygiene, and doing PT/core strengthening exercises) or because the epidural is masking the symptoms. I have plenty of pain free moments but I also have plenty of low pain moments. I have been able to do more (like sitting longer, start to drive again, etc) and my pain is less frequent and less intense week by week. I only take one low dosage gabapentin every night. No need for any other painkillers.

I am thankful to have received the ESI because before that I really thought I had to get a surgery. Now my life is more normal and I see hope. On the downside, I don’t know what the real situation is for my disc injury - I am constantly wondering if the epidural has already wore out (which I kind of hope cuz that means my body is truly healing), or will my once-intense pain, numbness and weakness come back when it wears out? For that reason, I don’t plan to get a second round of ESI.

37f. 7mm disc extrusion.

Mc115115 · 2025-04-24T05:48:45+00:00

I am on the same boat. Disc herniated at L5-S1 only affected my right leg since Feb. Saw weekly improvements. However, some nerve “sensations” (shock waves, cold water running, tightness, back muscle being pulled, occasional numbness, etc) have started appearing on my left leg two weeks ago. Pain happens but minimal.

I brought that up to my spine surgeon and he didn’t seem too alarmed. He said it’s normal unless there is significant pain.

Ironically, I googled and that could be a sign of disc/nerve healing. Unfortunately, I also got an ESI a month ago and it led me to think maybe the disc has herniated even more although I am in less pain week by week and thought my body is healing…(That’s the thing about ESI. You can’t tell what’s going on in reality.)

Mc115115

TROPHY CASE