u/Confident-Fan3849

Hi Guys, I have sciatica that happened 9 years ago due to L4/5 major compression and L3/4 too. I used to have multiple relapses, this time 3 months ago I had a similar pain and this time in right leg. Doctor told me to lose weight as this time it was my weight causing load on my weak spine. Im 31F and weight around 81.5kg (July 2026) Height 5’6 ( Now 77.3 kg with home diet). I have been asked to lose and reach to 60 😅
I was on bed rest for 3 months and used conservative approach as suggested by my doctor. It worked however 9 days ago out of no where I had terrible pain because I stepped out of my house in my Car for grocery shopping, didnt lift anything but this activity was new for my body since 3 months of bed rest and basic home walking of 30-45 mins. I had continuous pain and eventually doctor suggested to take epidural & I took one 5 days ago. It was scary but did give me relief, with ofcourse some discomfort (cant expect 100% no pain)

I am looking for some positive success stories of epidural injection and what steps you took further to avoid the surgery? What all dos and donts to follow?

PS - I was suggested Microdisectomy by a few doctors (spine) but my OG doctor suggested to take epidural as a next stop and see or else we go for surgery.

Hi everyone,

I’m a 31-year-old woman from Mumbai, India. I was first diagnosed with a disc bulge in 2017, when I was just 22 and had recently graduated from college. I had so many dreams and plans, but everything took a sudden turn. I was on bed rest for almost a year, and since then I’ve had to be extremely careful with physical activities.

Over the years, I’ve had multiple relapses, almost every 2–3 years. Previously, the pain was mainly on my left side, but this time it is on my right side.

I’ve been in terrible pain for the past three months and have mostly been on bed rest. My doctor advised me to lose around 10–15 kg. I was around 81.5 kg at 166 cm, and despite being on bed rest, I’ve managed to lose about 4 kg through diet.

Until two days ago, I was doing relatively better. I was able to walk for around 40 minutes, as advised by my doctor. However, the day before yesterday, I stood for a long time and went grocery shopping for the first time in a while. I travelled there but didn’t lift or carry anything.

Since then, my right leg pain has become extremely severe. I’ve been taking Mobizox three times a day for the past 3–5 days as prescribed, but I barely notice any improvement. I can now barely walk for more than 5 seconds, even just to get up and use the washroom. Lying down is also painful because of the constant leg pain, and standing is almost impossible.

This sudden worsening has really scared me because I was doing much better just two days ago.

My doctor had previously told me that if things did not improve, the next step might be a microdiscectomy. I’m extremely nervous about the possibility of surgery and would really appreciate hearing from people who have gone through it.

How was your experience with a microdiscectomy? What was the recovery like, and how successful was it in relieving your leg pain? Did anyone experience recurrent disc problems after surgery?

I also have PCOS and have been married for almost two years. I’m worried about whether having this surgery could affect my ability to conceive or have a pregnancy in the future.

I’m honestly exhausted, scared, and feeling like I’m losing hope. I would really appreciate any advice, experiences, or things I should discuss with my spine specialist.
For reference, my MRI findings are:

L3/L4: Right paracentral protrusion

L4/L5: Central protrusion, more prominent

Symptoms: acute on chronic

Thank you in advance to anyone who takes the time to share their experience. ❤️