Hello cherrykix: Well... I'm an older person. I have a herniated disc in my lumbosacral spine which impinges on the sciatic nerve. So I have sciatica down my left leg. I've had problems with my low back since I was a young adult. It's too far back now to even remember exactly when it started. I also worked as a vocational counselor with people who had sustained work-related injuries... many of which were low back injuries. So I've had occasion to see this from both sides.

I have not had any specific treatments for my ruptured disc. Quite frankly I've known too many people who had the various procedures done that are available & who either got no better or even ended up worse off than they were to begin with. I did, at one point, get some physical therapy. And I did yoga for a while. But the best thing for me has simply been walking, learning to use correct posture when lifting, & keeping my weight in check.

The fact is that everyone experiences degeneration of the discs in the spine to one degree or another. It's almost like cavities in the teeth. So being told you have degenerative disc disease isn't really like you have something scary going on that most people don't have. It's possible that, considering your age, the amount you have is more than would typically be expected. It does vary to some extent depending on such factors as a person's age, physical fitness, work & level of physical activity... things like that. I'm going to avoid getting into the connection, or lack thereof, between degenerative disc disease & mental health issues such as depression & anxiety. That's a whole 'nother can of worms, so to speak.

So having written all of that, from my perspective, what this comes down to is: can you live with the level of discomfort you are experiencing? My recommendation, based on my own experiences, is do everything you can to address your disc problems non-medically. Pay attention to your weight, walk, perhaps get some physical therapy instruction regarding appropriate exercises to do & ways to lift, bend, stoop & squat, etc. You might consider trying yoga if you've not done it. I didn't find it that beneficial. But many people do. (One of the most important aspects of this type of condition is to develop the muscles around the spine to provide support.) And then if you're still unable to cope, consider the various medical options that are available such as injections & surgical procedures. But I have to tell you my personal opinion is, being in your mid-twenties, you're too young to get into those medical treatments now unless you have something more than simple degenerative disc disease going on.

By the way, during my years working with injured workers, I had occasion to interact with a lot of orthopedic & neurosurgeons. A few were kind. But, as often as not, they were... shall we say... abrupt. What you experienced was not necessarily unusual in my experience... sad to say...