There are times when I'm actually glad to live where I do in Europe.
I pay €10 every three months. This covers Doctors visits.
After that we only have to pay €5 for each prescription.
If a hospital stay is neccessary the only thing we pay for is food, and any ambulance costs. A hospital stay of longer than 21 days cancels these costs out and nothing is payable.

Thats 1 and a half jobs that the friggin unemployment people dont have.....no wonder I can't get a hold of them and snarky can't afford insurance!

Sometimes I HATE being American. Why can''t WE do that?

Oh yeah, insurance lobbysits. That's right.

Sciatic nerve is a fairly tough one, Especially without insurance!!

Sure you already know that.
Aleve/neproken (sp) works pretty good. according to Doctors..You can safely take a max of 2 at a time, twice per day only. It will only make the pain bearable,

I put up with it for 2 years before I finally got a job with great insurance.
mine was so bad that I had to hold onto the dresser to pull myself out of bed, almost in tears, and getting dressed or putting my shoes on was even worse.
extreme lower back pain, shooting into left hip and down my left leg. as soon as I sat down, both legs instantly went to sleep and so on, Just like your symptoms.

Had an MRI done and found out that 4th-5th lumbar disk is bulging really bad and pushing against the nerve. Had a steroid injection..Hurt like hell and did absolutely nothing.

They wanted to operate but I said no because I'm too young to take that kind of chance.
Now I am on neurontin, what a difference!!Warning... it is over $150 per month-so out of the question without insurance.
very little pain unless I miss a dose.
Sorry to say, but without insurance or health care you are screwed.
Sometimes it will correct itself..there are a lot of exercises you can do to help push the disk back into place, also.. A lumbar support in all chairs and car seat makes a huge difference.
You can also get a back/lumbar support/brace from any drug store over the counter.

I just read "kink" and my mind hit the gutter after that

yes, it's a pain in the a$$

I think that would be a hemorrhoid

I know, honey. I have had problems with my Sciatic for years. I was just being playful.

So was I, thats why I winked.

The problem, many people do not realize what causes sciatic nerve pain, Usually a sign of a much more serious back problem.

The post with the bulging disc is the most common cause of sciatic pain. Relax the muscles with ice then switch to heat when the muscle bulging goes down. Also try sleeping on your side with a pillow in between your knees. Eventually, those muscles will relax and you'll make a movement and the disc will pop back where it belongs and quit ramming against that nerve. As Marie said, a Chiropractor is your best bet on that happening quicker. More than likely, this will happen off and on throughout your life and oddly enough can be brought on simply by excessive stress combined with a simple movement that normally prompts no change. Sounds goofy, but some people tense their shoulders while under stress, others apparently tense their lower backs. You'll normally feel a popping sensation when the disc "kicks back in place or out of place". When it pops back into place you'll know, as the relief is aMAZing.

Ice is best. I've had two lower back surgeries for herniated disc so I know how it can be. Still have problems once in awhile but otherwise most people don't know I have back problems. I also use chiroprators - have since 1982 when miltary said my disc was bulged but I had to learn to live with it. Same nerve - if you don't unpinch it, it will die. Good luck. Knee to chest stretches help also.

Since They wanted/want to operate on mine, I have a couple of questions.
exactly what do they do to fix it and how long were you down from the operation?
are you able to work normally now?

I was told that there is a 40/60 chance of becoming paralyzed because it is so close to the nerve, is why I refused.
I'm sure each person is different, depending on just exactly what has to be done.

In my case they just removed the part of the disc that herniated. Recovery time was 6 weeks out of work & 6 week half time. I went snow sking 5 months after the first one. Ruptured the 2nd one 2 years later after a week of skiing - lol. Surgery basicially the same. My disc are still in place with good spacing so I can do most anything. I just avoid gaining too much weight, lifting heavy things or sitting wrong. I get an adjustment once a month or so. My doc said one more hernation in the same area and they would fuse. I'm not letting that happen if I can help it. Both surgery were in the early 90's so I'm doing good. I used an orthopedic surgery for my surgery. Good luck.

Don't sound too bad, seems like you were one of the lucky ones!
Glad you are doing so well with it.
I have just got back to work after a 2 year Vacation
Injury from falling off of my roof, I'm sure that also has something to do with my back being messed up, but it will be a long time before I can afford to take another 6 weeks or maybe more off of work.

Sorry to hear that. I had good insurance & disability at the time so it wasn't too bad. Don't know I could do it again as I was married & had someone to help me after surgery. I really think alot has to do with your attitude after surgery. I'm a pretty upbeat person & was determined to not let it change my life. I also think keeping belly fat down helps alot. If I gain weight my back starts acting up. As soon as I lose it I feel better. Good luck with your back and getting it fixed.

I am lpn. sounds like you have pinced the nerve between a disc and a vertabrae. use heating pad, as often as possible and ibuprofen every 4 hours. That's really about all you can do.

Snarky - a trick you might want to try to pop your back. Don't worry not hard or dangerous. Lie on the floor with both legs straight out, bring one leg over the other by bending your knee (like you are going to touch your knee to the floor outside the other knee) then continue the bring the knee up and over the front of you (not higher than your hip) letting your knee/leg drop to the floor ( the leg will be bent lying on the floor), slide the leg/foot back to meet the other foot and often you'll hear a slight pop of your back adjusting. Repeat with other leg and alternate about 3 times each leg. Best to ice right afterward. Can be done 2 - 3 times a day and especially good before bed with some knee to chest stretches. If you relax your back before sleeping it often will not be tight in the morning. Hope this helps.

advil liquigels help a lot with backpain

Lay on your back on the floor with your legs up, knees bent across the couch or recliner or whatever for at least 10 min at a time. Also sleep with a pillow between your legs.
If that doesn't work after a few days..see a doctor. Good luck

it is not the ischiatic never it is more likely a dec in the lower back that can go down to the foot the pain can be unreal to step on it in the morning when its from the back the pain will stop as soon as you lay down or in a short time the schiatic never hearts no matter how you lay sit or move