Last November (2022) I was bent over and felt something in my back shift. I kind of shrugged it off because the pain wasn’t noticeable right away but about a day later it was excruciating. I couldn’t move. Getting in and out of my car and standing up were the worst. I saw a doc and got an xray and some oral steroids. The pain got better but never went away. I always felt pain in my lower back but the doc said my X-rays were normal. I couldn’t find a physical therapist that could get me in with my insurance so I put it off and lived with the pain, but I didn’t do anything to change the way I lived my life with the pain. I still had sex and exercised the same way, etc. in June of 2023 j noticed the pain in my legs and hips and doctors said it was likely periformiris syndrome but I needed to go to PT. It felt pointless to spend so much money and not know what actually happened / went wrong and how to fix it so I went a couple of times but it felt like they were grasping at straws. The back pain comes and goes but the sciatic nerve pain has been the worst. I went on another round of oral steroids in October and they helped but the pain came back. It’s been a little less severe but still limits my daily function. I used to be a belly sleeper but have had to switch to my side and back, which get stiff in the middle of the night since I’m not used to it. Insurance says I need to wait for an MRI and honestly I am scared to get one because who knows what they will find and what caused all of this. I’m definitely upset with how I’ve handled all of this but I feel like my sciatica, back and hips are in constant pain and this is my new life. NSAIDs will help but wear off too quickly. I think I just need some positive encouragement at this point. Thanks for reading!