u/Otherwise_Party1998

not really sure what i want from this post other than somewhere to write it down with people who fully understand what we are all going through.

to start i am 29m. my pain initially started as sciatic nerve pain which forced me to stop working. i worked as a landscaper and have since had to leave my role & have been looking for a new job for 2 months now. i started going to a physio and was told it would be fine and it was piriformus syndrome. i ended up going to another physio after 2 months and developed back pain.

so i went and go and mri which concluded that i had grade 1 lytic spondylolistheses L5 S1 with bilateral neural foraminal narrowing more pronounced on the left with impingement of the exiting left L5 nerve root.

it has been so debilitating for myself. as i said earlier i previously worked as a landscaper, ran 2/3 times a week and played football and cricket. i have gone from being strong and fit (probably in my physical peak) employed and about 6 months away from a promotion. now its been 6+ months since the initial sciatica symptoms and im unemployed, gained 10kg - my life has changed drastically and i dont see a way out at the moment.

i can walk around fairly well due to a steroid injection, but that’s about it. i’m very limited in any movements, bending, twisting etc. i can’t remember the last time i slept comfortably.

it so annoying when i talk to other people and they ask how my back is. because i know they’re being nice but that have no idea about how this condition drains you physically and mentally.

sorry, i just needed to vent this evening as im feeling very down about the whole thing. i saw someone else write in a post that it was sad that they never realised that they had a last good day and it really hit home. for me that would be sometime in november .