How Long Y’all Been Screwed Up?

My disc herniation at the L5 S1 vertebrae has been a problem for 12 years. Pain for 10 of those years (only abated during active opioid addiction years ago.) how about yall? Interested to see how long others are in pain to consider it chronic not so much the medical definition. I don’t consider intermittent over a year chronic even if technically it is. I’d say constant for a year is the starting point in my mind so interested to hear from others.

Edit: so a lot of disc issues I see as well as osteoarthritis and the like. Back pain is so bad imo because it is unresolvable by laying, sitting, standing, etc. it always hurts no matter what. Sorry you guys live with this pain. It’s nice to know I’m not alone but I wish none of us had to go through this in the first place. My fiancé sees me and believes me and knows my pain is real, just has a hard time accepting it’s just my reality (she was with me before I relapsed again after pain worsening.) She finally gets that it’s just the reality of my life, though. Three surgeons won’t operate and from the looks of it, fusions and or fake discs only help 20% of patients, the rest either get no help or end up worse off. Stay strong, live in spite of it, and if you can’t, whatever you do, do it on your terms.