For most people, the early adult years (from about 18-30) are a time of exploration and development. As young people venture out into the world, they leave the haven of their family, school, and community, and forge a new identity that is all their own. They may explore new interests and new occupations, make a geographic move, or find partners and start their own families.
While Amelia U.’s young adulthood included all the adventures and growth opportunities you’d expect, she also dragged an unwanted companion named “sciatica” around with her.
Amelia grew up in Chicago and worked in a pizza restaurant in high school. It wasn’t a dangerous job, but at times she’d feel a stab, like an elf’s arrow, in the back of the leg. Since she was constantly busy rushing from place to place, it was easy to brush off the intermittent attacks. Or it was, until one night she was hit with a pain so excruciating she couldn’t bend down. She remembers crying at the impossibility of folding herself into her car.
Since the pain was in her legs, her first stop was a podiatrist, who was also a family friend. During the examination, the podiatrist discovered that one leg was a half inch longer than the other, and figured that was the cause of Amelia’s attacks. She gave Amelia shoe inserts and sent her on her way.
The inserts did nothing to help, but since the crippling attacks had subsided, Amelia didn’t seek additional medical care.
In college, life got busier and Amelia’s pain got worse. In addition to her psychology studies, she continued to work at the pizza restaurant, alongside the man she would later marry. She worked her way up through the hierarchy, doing everything from manning the phones, to food prep, to delivering pizzas. By the time she left, she was assistant manager.
As if full-time school and restaurant work didn’t keep her busy enough, Amelia also held other part-time positions. She worked as a nanny, and as a sales rep for Mattel. She barely had time to stop and think, let alone deal with her worsening sciatica.
Her flares became more common and more intense. Physical activity, even sitting down the wrong way, would incite a ferocious Charley horse in the back of her right thigh and butt. The pain was so severe she wanted to throw up, and often left her sore the next day.
When she was about twenty, Amelia consulted with her family doctor. The doctor prescribed a six-week course of physical therapy for the pelvic floor. Amelia dutifully followed the doctor’s orders, but the therapy failed to make a difference.
Things didn’t exactly calm down after college, either. Amelia got married soon after graduation, and moved with her husband to Orlando, Florida. She got a job as a nanny for a pair of four-month-old twins. While the twins were a joy, the job required frequent lifting and bending, which didn’t exactly help Amelia’s back. The episodes of pain intensified.
She visited another family doctor, who blamed Amelia’s condition on her tight back muscles and recommended regular physical exercise. When Amelia protested, and said her symptoms didn’t feel like muscle pain, the doctor dismissed her concerns.
Amelia tried her luck again with a sports medicine doctor, who ordered an MRI. The scans came back showing a bulging disc at the L5-S1 level in her lower back.
At long last, Amelia was zeroing in on the cause of her pain. But treating it was another matter. Her next stop was a pain management specialist, who prescribed anti-inflammatory medications and narcotics. Neither was particularly effective for controlling her pain.
Next, Amelia went in for a course of epidural steroid injections. The first injection, at least, did something – it triggered a massive migraine, and proved an effective emetic.
The next injection caused the same side effects, but once they had subsided the sciatica was also gone. For nine months, Amelia was blessedly symptom-free.
While dealing with her sciatica, Amelia was also advancing her career. She became a registered behavior therapist, and started working with children on the autism spectrum.
Her pain had subsided, but had not disappeared. After packing some boxes in preparation for a move, she was standing in the kitchen and felt the familiar wave of pain. While the physical pain was brutal, it was also psychologically devastating to realize her sciatica had not been cured after all.
Amelia visited another doctor to discuss her options. She had already tried medications, physical therapy, and steroid injections. The doctor recommended against surgery, which left her without any additional, practical alternatives. She still suffers from occasional flares, which may be brought on by exercise, cleaning, prolonged sitting or standing, or anything else that stresses the body.
Amelia’s pain has affected her job and her life. She has trouble sitting on the floor or low chairs – a significant impediment, since her job involves working with young children. She also has to be judicious in her choice of exercise. Recently, a short run with her husband brought on a crippling bout of pain. As Amelia said, “All you can really do in those moments is go into the fetal position and cry.”
Amelia has learned to recognize oncoming flares, and usually takes pain meds or uses ice packs to prevent a full-blown attack. A lumbar support pillow in her car helps her survive the regular drives from client to client. She is still exploring alternative therapies and tailored exercise programs. She may seek out additional medical care in the future if the pain continues to be an issue. But in the meantime, she values the support she gets from her family and online communities. She is focusing on her personal and career goals, and is in the process of becoming a board-certified behavior analyst.
