Sciatica flare up, stress and anxiety more than usual. Anyone else?

[The_One]

I’m looking for support and advice.
This past month has been a whirlwind first with my job , being very stressful and I have been having to look for another job because they redeployed us into jobs I’m pretty sure I’ll hate. I am getting so stressed with it. On top of that my friend got me into egg freezing (long story short couple years ago I lost my left tube and ovary to a cyst that was 10cm big) so I only have one tube and ovary. She was telling me how her company covers it and to ask my company if they cover it (they dont) but I still wanted to get fertility testing and see what’s going on. It’s been very stressful and honestly all of it is making me very anxious even though I’m on lexapro. I can’t even get in to see my therapist because I have stupid job training and I can’t see her during the job training.

I think my body is storing all this tension and stress. Now I’m having a sciatica flareup.
I didn’t do anything out of the norm. I’m only 29. I just went on a walk yesterday but didn’t stretch at all. I felt fine the whole day. And woke up and noticed I couldn’t even walk without my left lower back spasming up, and if I step my left foot wrong it’ll spasm up. It’s def sciatica.

Well obviously now I can’t exercise and I have to work tmrw. I’m feeling so tired of this. I have an interview on Wednesday and I hope I can do it (it’s remote) and my job is remote so I can probably work from bed but I’m still so tired. I’m thinking of canceling the fertility appointment because too much is going on with this job.

Guys idk what I was looking for, maybe advice? Have yall had back pain related to stress?? Any tips?

 

[Friday]

Yep, yep. It’s a spiral. Of badness.

- Pain causes anxiety, it’s just the normal/healthy human response to pain. So much so that anti anxiety meds are often used as part of pain management. (Although modernly, almost never mixing benzos & opiates outside of an inpatient setting).

- Being unable to exercise without a way -or many other ways- to blow off stress? Increases anxiety AND other symptoms with PTSD.

Increased stress/anxiety, causes increased pain, which causes increased stress/anxiety, which causes… rinse, lather, repeat.

***
Up until this last year, when my back went NOPE! I learned to always always always keep on hand

- every other form of exercise I can to up-up-up
- keep a metric shitton of fine motor activities (lock picking, drawing, calligraphy, languages, funny faces, typing, posture, singing, you name it)
- emergency meds

And still? I’d be dealing with SI/SH/& all the awesome until I could get back to my normal routine I “just” wouldn’t be homicidal in addition to suicidal.

 

[The_One]

Yep, yep. It’s a spiral. Of badness.

- Pain causes anxiety, it’s just the normal/healthy human response to pain. So much so that anti anxiety meds are often used as part of pain management. (Although modernly, almost never mixing benzos & opiates outside of an inpatient setting).

- Being unable to exercise without a way -or many other ways- to blow off stress? Increases anxiety AND other symptoms with PTSD.

Increased stress/anxiety, causes increased pain, which causes increased stress/anxiety, which causes… rinse, lather, repeat.

***
Up until this last year, when my back went NOPE! I learned to always always always keep on hand

- every other form of exercise I can to up-up-up
- keep a metric shitton of fine motor activities (lock picking, drawing, calligraphy, languages, funny faces, typing, posture, singing, you name it)
- emergency meds

And still? I’d be dealing with SI/SH/& all the awesome until I could get back to my normal routine I “just” wouldn’t be homicidal in addition to suicidal.

Yeah I’m not able to exercise and now my anxiety is increasing. I hope I can atleast take a 15 min walk today around the block. I’m getting anxious and that’s when i know I need to walk.

 

[CooCoo4CocoaPuffs]

I’m looking for support and advice.
This past month has been a whirlwind first with my job , being very stressful and I have been having to look for another job because they redeployed us into jobs I’m pretty sure I’ll hate. I am getting so stressed with it. On top of that my friend got me into egg freezing (long story short couple years ago I lost my left tube and ovary to a cyst that was 10cm big) so I only have one tube and ovary. She was telling me how her company covers it and to ask my company if they cover it (they dont) but I still wanted to get fertility testing and see what’s going on. It’s been very stressful and honestly all of it is making me very anxious even though I’m on lexapro. I can’t even get in to see my therapist because I have stupid job training and I can’t see her during the job training.

I think my body is storing all this tension and stress. Now I’m having a sciatica flareup.
I didn’t do anything out of the norm. I’m only 29. I just went on a walk yesterday but didn’t stretch at all. I felt fine the whole day. And woke up and noticed I couldn’t even walk without my left lower back spasming up, and if I step my left foot wrong it’ll spasm up. It’s def sciatica.

Well obviously now I can’t exercise and I have to work tmrw. I’m feeling so tired of this. I have an interview on Wednesday and I hope I can do it (it’s remote) and my job is remote so I can probably work from bed but I’m still so tired. I’m thinking of canceling the fertility appointment because too much is going on with this job.

Guys idk what I was looking for, maybe advice? Have yall had back pain related to stress?? Any tips?

I have had sciatica for a few years and PTSD for decades. Also, anxiety. A new contender has arrived: worse asthma. IMO the sciatica messes me up because it makes me feel vulnerable. Like I can’t run from or fight a threat. Also, people gawk at me and this redlines me AF. Keeping my anger in check is really difficult.

 

[Freddyt]

I think my body is storing all this tension and stress. Now I’m having a sciatica flareup.

Yup....it all fits together. Messed up my SI long ago and the last time we did imaging my spine was at about a 2 degree angle because of it. Never realizes how much PTSD tied into that all but my first true relief in years was PTSD therapy.

- Being unable to exercise without a way -or many other ways- to blow off stress? Increases anxiety AND other symptoms with PTSD.

Hit's the nail on the head..... Finding those outlets - things that take up your mental focus and involve doing things with your hands and/or feet are good.

Some of that for me is computer games - of all sorts. Lately Civilization 6, which can chew up hours easily. Action games work well too.