Pain ratings

Radicular sciatic nerve pain= 9

nerve pain during epidural=10

2-01-2025: A Simple Ride

Though my extensive traumatic history might suggest otherwise, I’ve never been a thrill-seeking daredevil. In mountain biking, I ride within my limits, and while I’ve had plenty of cuts and bruises, but nothing serious… until this Saturday.

While riding along on a flat, smooth and benign trail, my suspension fork blew a seal, causing a jolt that threw me off balance. The handlebars jerked at a 90-degree angle, twisting me off the bike, scraping my knee. At the time, I thought my back felt a little “funny,” but I didn’t think much of it.

2-03-2025: The First Warning Signs

That morning, after getting out of bed, I felt an aching, burning pain begin to build just below my left calf. When I stood,  it began mildly, but quickly escalated into something unbearable. The pain would subside the moment I sat down, but when I stood, it rapidly returned. I could tolerate standing for only about 60 seconds max. Alarmingly, my left calf was swollen, and I suspected a blood clot (DVT), so I went to urgent care. They ruled out a clot, so I decided to get an MRI on my lower back to check for nerve impingement.

The pain seemed to fade by 2-11, almost disappearing, and I considered canceling the MRI. But I followed through.

2-14-2025: The Diagnosis

The MRI revealed a large disc extrusion—far more severe than I had expected. A bulging disc is common, but this was different: the disc had ruptured, spilling its contents directly onto the sciatic nerve. Seeing the severity of the nerve encroachment, I was surprised by how quickly my symptoms had resolved, but sadly, the relief was short-lived.

2-19-2025: The Return of Pain

Just days later, as I took a simple step, the acid-like pain struck—starting at my left glute and shooting down the back of my leg to my foot. I thought getting off my feet would help as it did before, but nothing stopped the pain this time. It felt like being skinned alive with a blade dipped in acid- a burning, relentless pain through the entirety of the posterior left lower extremity. I even jumped in a 48-degree pool, but the cold barely registered. Interestingly, my lower back never did hurt during this entire ordeal.

Research has discovered that there are chemical substances within the inner disc nucleus that are incredibly noxious to nerves-like chili powder in your eye. If a disc ruptures (herniates), the normally contained nucleus leaks those contents onto nearby spinal nerves. This triggers an immune response which further compounds the inflammation. Over time, the immune system will dissolve and resorb the ruptured contents, but until then it’s a sufferfest.

2-20-2025: A Desperate Trip to the ER

After 17 hours of agony, I couldn’t bear it any longer. It was impossible to sleep and was a suicidal level of pain. At 1:30 a.m., I woke my wife and begged her to take me to the ER. When we arrived, I waited on my hands and knees on the waiting room floor next to a gentleman repeatedly vomiting into a bucket. After a long wait, I was given IV morphine, which brought the pain down from a 9 to an 8, and then sent home. The attending physician was quite compassionate for my situation, asking if I had any suggestions. Health care is woeful when it comes to solutions for nerve pain.

2-20-2025: The steroid

Later that afternoon, I visited a pain doctor who administered a spot corticosteroid injection in his office. Normally he only does these with guided imaging, but seeing the severity of my pain, and the delay of 4 days for such a procedure, he made an exception. Within minutes, the pain dropped to a 6, and I was able to sleep. But the real epidural was scheduled for four days later.

2-24-2025: The Epidural Nightmare

The days leading up to the procedure showed improvement, and I began thinking the steroid might not be necessary. I requested a regenerative procedure instead, but was told that would take weeks. The doctor insisted on proceeding with the epidural. I had a cup of coffee early that morning, so the clinic refused to sedate me for the procedure- no food or drink for 8 hours allowed. I suggested we abort, but was made to feel bad from heavy coercion to continue.

The injections were uncomfortable, but manageable—until the final shot. The doctor warned, “You might feel this one in your sciatic nerve a bit.” In that moment, the pain I felt surpassed anything I had experienced. The skinned-alive-with-an-acid-blade pain returned in full fury, combined with an electrocution shooting through my entire sciatic nerve. I involuntarily screamed out, then went into a paralyzed, trembling state, almost passing out. I don’t think it possible for pain to be any worse- taking one of the largest nerves in the body and dialing up to its maximum. After about 30 seconds, the doctor administered a final shot that quickly numbed the pain. I was lying in a pond of my own sweat.

The Aftermath

After the procedure, I was stunned and exhausted. When I did eventually get up, I fell straight to the floor. My left leg was completely paralyzed and numb. I was hoisted to a wheelchair and urged to move my foot to help “wake it up.” I could lift my foot, but the calf was gone. It took weeks before I could even begin to do a slight heel raise and had to rely on a cane whenever upright.

I had never struggled with severe anxiety, but that evening I felt panicky and couldn’t sleep. I was worried that the final numbing shot would wear off, and the extreme agony would return. Fortunately it did not, and in fact the pre-procedure nerve pain had improved some, but was replaced with this paralysis.

3-18-2025: The MRI Results

Three days post-procedure, the doctor was surprised my calf remained completely paralyzed. A second MRI showed no new findings. The swelling and discoloration in my calf returned and intensified. Multiple doctors felt it wasn’t related to sciatica, and had to be vascular. I concluded it to be Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a condition I had previously experienced in my left arm in 2009.

The doctor referred me for spine surgery. Of course, the spine surgeon also recommended surgery. He performed a less invasive procedure called minimally invasive micro-discectomy. but informed me insurance would not cover it, and it costs $30,000. Insurance would cover a far more invasive surgery-cutting through the low back muscle, removing a portion of spinal bone, and the extruded disc material. 

My plan to this point involved a cocktail of healing agents, spinal decompression, chiropractic, sauna, cold plunge, and physical therapy, and was yielding slow, steady progress. I told the surgeon, if my progress stops, then I might consider surgery. He seemed a bit perturbed. I also consulted with a renowned regenerative medicine doctor in Las Vegas as to the potential of stem cells. I was shocked that he too said I should have surgery.

6-29-2025: Moving Forward

By June, my left calf was still slightly weaker than my right, but I had resumed all my activities—even sprints, box jumps, deadlifts, and squats. Nerve healing is slow (about 1 mm per day), so I knew my potential was still unfolding.

Lessons and Advice

• Keep a small stash of pain relievers: After the agony of that first night, I wish I had kept a few pain pills for emergencies. A trip to the ER for a slight reduction in pain ended up costing as much as a 16-day family of 4 trip to Hawaii. 
• Be cautious with epidural steroid injections: While cortisone can relieve pain, it can interfere with the body’s natural healing process in acute cases. If you can manage the pain otherwise, let your body heal naturally. Allowing your body’s immune system to clear out the leaked disc material, and plug the breach will ensure a more robust repair. 
• Stand firm in your choices: If I had walked out of the epidural procedure, the ordeal would have lasted 3–4 weeks, not 5+ months. Trust your instincts and advocate for yourself, even when doctors pressure you to push forward.