Anyone suffer from chronic back pain or sciatica?

Good luck!

I have severe sciatica, caused by mild scoliosis and disc degeneration plus a herniated L4 and L5. I take Aleve twice a day against doctors orders and I have a prescription for Percocet. Strangely enough, the two flare ups I have had were 5 years apart, and were when I had lost a significant amount of weight. I go next Monday for back surgery to hopefully correct this, as I cannot walk, sit, drive, etc at the present time.

I wish you luck!!didn't mean to be a "downer"!

I am post op and also have severe sciatica I too was hoping wls would relieve some of the pain I tried the injections they'd work for a week or two then the pain was back I have been going to a chiropractor about every 3 weeks it helps some also take pain pills and muscle relaxers when absolutely needed but sometimes i think ibuprofen works better but wont be able to take them

My husband has suffered with sciatic nerve pain for years.  He also has degenerative disc disease.  He has tried chiropractic, physical therapy, and a multitude of drugs to no avail.  He was told about this book by a friend who had sciatica and was now pain-free.  It's a short book with a lot of info and exercises.  The exercises were painful for my husband to do at first, but he kept with it and his sciatica pain is now GONE.  He never misses a day doing the exercises now.  It worked for him.

Thank you! I'll look in to it!

Thank you for all your replies. I guess I should get this sciatica fixed before I schedule my VSG :(

I have neuropathy and osteoarthritis in my spine and hips. Recent x-rays show bone spurs developing. I was using lyrica, but I stopped taking it because it didn't help. My doctor has recommended physical therapy.

Oh yes, I've had three disc surgeries. One in my early 20's and two in my 30's. I am now pain free as there is no disc at L5 S1. I will eventually need a disc prosthetic.

I really feel for you and everyone posting about sciatic pain issues. I remember being absolutely reliant on my dose of 1000-1200 mg 2-3 times daily of Ibuprofen just so I could work. 

I now see an excellent chiropractor who has really turned my life around. After my last surgery was complete, although the pain was gone, so was the feeling in my right leg, foot, ankle, and toes. Its permanent. I would never see a chiropractor before my surgeries because of all the horror stories I heard. If I could go back, I would have atleast tried.  

Epidural Steroid Injections worked wonderfully prior to my first surgery. It worked for about a month.  When my sciatic issues started again in my 30's, neither steroid injections, prednisone, or epidural injections worked. It was at that point I new surgery was my only option.

I only hope now that weightloss will just help keep my spine healthy and happy.

If you are someone that relies heavily on an anti-inflammatory to get through the day, then you may want to talk to a neurosurgeon first.