u/Fantastic_Computer21

For context, I’m 32M.

2012–2015: Completed a Bachelor of Accounting degree. I didn’t work during university as I had an academic scholarship with an allowance.

2016–2018: Took a gap period in Australia. Worked temporary construction jobs and bar shifts to fund my travels.

2018–2022: Completed my CIMA qualification while working full-time.

Career reflections:

-Moving to London was one of the best decisions I made, especially early in my career.

-Taking a risk to join company 3 on a temporary contract paid off. I worked extremely hard, secured a permanent role, and progressed quickly.

-Leaving company 3 was probably a mistake. My manager rated me highly and I likely would have progressed into a director-level role if I had stayed. Eventually the whole team was made redundant when operations moved offshore to India. I was offered a £35k redundancy package and several opportunities to stay within the business, but chose to leave for a fully remote role so I could focus on building my own business.

-Company 4 was ultimately a setback and didn’t add much value to my career. In hindsight, staying at company 3 would probably have accelerated my progression, although I would have missed out on the redundancy package.

-Moving away from the traditional Financial Controller route was the right decision for me. I’ve built strong expertise in project accounting, which is a niche area, and it has opened opportunities in transformation and programme management.

-Company 5 is a very exciting opportunity, particularly working in data centre construction with major tech companies as clients.

My goal is to stay in this role for 12–18 months, gain deeper infrastructure and construction finance experience, and then move into leading large-scale portfolios from a finance perspective

Hi all, I’m looking for recommendations for the best spinal surgeons/specialists in the UK. I’ve now seen 4 specialists and still don’t have a diagnosis for my nerve pain. I’m also sharing my situation in case it helps someone else.

Context:

32M. Sciatic symptoms started March 2025 after increasing training for an endurance event.
MRI (June 2025): L5/S1 annular disc bulge, but no significant stenosis or nerve root impingement.
Seen 4 specialists: spinal surgeon, pain specialist, musculoskeletal specialist, and neurologist.
3 failed injections: caudal epidural, medial branch injections, piriformis injection.
14 months later, still no diagnosis.

Rehab has been the biggest help by far. I’ve worked consistently with a very good physio and can now exercise more than before without worsening symptoms. Finding the right physio made a huge difference after trying several others.

Medication:

1200mg Gabapentin daily
10mg Amitriptyline daily

Current triggers:

Running, jumping, stomping feet
Sitting on hard chairs or long drives
Extension movements are the main issue (cobra position is the worst)
Flexion is mostly fine — I can touch my toes without problems

If I stay in extension for 5–10 minutes, my legs go numb. Running causes loss of sensation in my right leg and burning pain down both legs. Standing returns symptoms to mild levels. Lying on my side gives almost complete relief.

Current situation:
My neurologist has referred me for EMG/NCS testing with a neurophysiologist. He said my case is difficult given the failed injections but confirmed I do have sciatica. He questioned why surgery hasn’t been considered yet, but previous surgeons felt there wasn’t enough evidence. He also suggested a full spine MRI after the electrical tests in case the issue is higher up the spine.

I’m now researching the best spinal surgeons in the UK because I still don’t have answers. This has affected my life significantly, and after paying privately for all of this, I’m losing faith in the medical system.

If anyone can recommend excellent spinal specialists for complex cases, please comment. Thank you.

[Finance Reporting Manager] [London] - £95,000 + 30% Bonus

Update: 14 months of sciatica, no diagnosis, 3 failed injections, 4 specialists. I am much better but still have nerve pain.