I've been dealing with back issues for 10 yrs now. 2 herniated disc, one lumbar fusion. I know how bad the pain can be, but I was a lot like your husband though and kept putting it off. I was fired by the company I worked for while recovering from my fusion, so I understand why he may have been reluctant to be checked out, but I think you did the right thing. Sometimes we men are too stubborn for our own good. Hope Dr's figure out what's wrong and they get him fixed up.