Hey Mary-
Sorry to hear that you are still feeling so poorly, but at least you know what is causing the pain now. I know exactly what you are experiencing. 6 years ago i fell and herniated the disc between L4 and L5, I was a senior in college trying to finish and apply to graduate school, so I put up with extreme leg pain for ~ 6 months before seeing the neurosurgeon and having a micro-discectomy. I would not recommend waiting. See the surgeon, and if he thinks that surgery is your best option I would recommend getting it done sooner rather than later. The longer you wait the more possibility there will be permanent damage to the nerves, no fun.

The surgery it self was really not that bad... over night in the hospital, but the first time I got out of bed following surgery the leg pain was gone! Granted, now I had pain in my back from them cutting and digging around... but I was glad not to have the pain in my back!

As for the pain meds... I don't deal well with them either, and find that they make me quite depressed as well. For the 6 months I was in pain I was on therapeutic doses of Naproxen (Aleve), it is stronger than ibuprofen, but isn't a narcotic. I think that I was taking 2 Aleve (440 MG) 3-4 times a day under Dr supervision. This is what a prescription dose would be, but we were using the over the counter meds.

Good luck getting in to see the neurosurgeon soon, and keep your chin up. If surgery is your best option it isn't that bad, and you will be out riding again in no time (maybe on the trainer at first to protect the back from falls). I am back to an even more active lifestyle than I was pre-surgery.

PABadger