Woman’s Years-Long Back Pain Culminates in herniated Disc Diagnosis After ’Horrifying pop’
A woman named shelby is facing a potential surgery after years of debilitating back pain finally diagnosed as a herniated disc, following a sudden and alarming “pop” in her back. Shelby, who shares her story under the Reddit username u/Shelbutter, initially believed her pain stemmed from sciatica, a diagnosis she received repeatedly over five years.
The correct diagnosis came in June, revealing a slipped disc as the root cause of her ongoing discomfort. Shelby detailed her experience in a September Reddit post too the r/Wellthatsucks forum, sharing medical imaging of the herniated disc.
“Been having severe back pain off and on for 5 years… kept getting told it was sciatica… guess what? Better! Herniated disk,” she wrote.
Shelby is currently pursuing treatment options including injections and physical therapy, with surgery considered a “last ditch effort.” She expressed being “terrified” of the potential complications associated with surgery. The pain is also impacting her ability to continue her new retail job, which she anticipates having to leave.
“All in all this whole thing has really sucked,” Shelby stated, but emphasized the strong support system she has from friends. She noted that pain and the struggle to cope have limited her activities as june.
Despite the challenges,shelby reports positive experiences with her doctors,who she describes as “great and surprisingly very attentive.” She is now focused on daily stretching and working towards regaining a “semi-ok” level of function.
Shelby has also experienced significant weight loss, dropping from 325 to 240 pounds, a feat celebrated by commenters on her Reddit post.
Redditors responding to her initial post offered sympathy and shared similar experiences, with one user stating they “wouldn’t wish this pain on [their] worst enemy.” Others pointed out the relationship between a herniated disc and sciatica, clarifying that the disc issue causes the sciatica.
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