Deja Vu All Over Again

I can't really believe I have to even write this again.  Yet somehow, I'm not all that surprised either.  Long story short, I need lots and lots of prayers because all signs indicate that I have herniated a disc (likely the same one) for a THIRD time. 

I've been having nerve pain in my left foot, but not the kind that was debilitating like before...this was, I assume, pain from the nerves regenerating and healing.  I've been taking another steroid pack and just upped my nerve pain meds since the pain in my foot is causing me to be unable to sleep.  So, last night like many other recent ones, I slept (sort of, but not really) on the couch in the recliner portion. 

I woke up this morning pretty stiff and my low back hurt quite a bit, but as back pain really was never my problem, I didn't worry about it.  I took Emily to school, came back home and took a nice hot shower and got ready for the day and then Ethan and I went out running some errands for a while.  Around 1:00, I noticed that my leg was hurting suddenly and that it was making it bad enough that I didn't want to stand for more than a couple minutes.  I think I knew right then that it was all over. 

I drove to Em's school, picked her up and came home.  I could barely make it in the door from the car.  I can't really put any weight on my left leg because it shoots horrible pain up into my tailbone/low back.  The nerve pain isn't fun, but it's the pain going up this time that is unbearable.  

I have talked with the neurosurgeon's office and I will be doing a third MRI on Friday, unless (and I hope and pray it does) someone cancels before that.  I don't really expect anything other than another large herniation and that will almost certainly result in a more complex surgery....likely a fusion of the L5/S1 vertebrae.  This is a much bigger surgery with a rather long-term recovery period.  From what I understand, it can easily take 3-6 months or longer for the bones to fuse together.  Sometimes it takes much longer.  I should be able to resume life long before then, but I will have to be extraordinarily careful.  I may also acquire some medical-grade hardware in the process.   (I'll never fly again without a full-body frisking probably.)

So I'd greatly appreciate prayers from anyone who reads this.  I'm in a lot of pain and I'm exhausted and I've been in pain for most of this year.  I'm ready to be completely done.