I am so sorry about your back but happy to hear about the job situation. I have a hard problem with references too. I only have 1 person from grad school on my Facebook acct. I can consult, and God knows where my advising professor went. I think he went back to Greece after teaching awhile in Californa.

I hope the injections help your back pain. My husband had a similar problem nearly 10 years ago that also stemmed into horrid sciatic pain except it was just one herniated disc in his lower back. It was right after my daughter had turned 1 year old, so it was really tough (she cruised holding on to stuff since 8 months old but only started walking on her own near 14 months old.) He got the injections, but they offered relief that didn't last long and ended up having to get back surgery. My husband can take a lot of pain, and he was crying & sometimes going outside and screaming with the pain, saying he wished he were dead (and he does not have mental health issues otherwise). He ultimately had to get back surgery, and I hope that doesn't happen to you. Luckily, the surgery only required a brief hospital stay (maybe 1 night?), and he was able to recover well at home (though he could not pick up our daughter for 6 weeks afterwards). He has not had problems since the surgery, thank God, only minor stuff that lasted a day or 2 and went away using Motrin. His problems stem from an old ice hockey injury he got in high school. He got a surgery on it while in high school, but then his surgeon went on an extended skiing vacation, and no one told him afterward that he needed to go to physical therapy afterwards until his surgeon returned for the followup in January. (I am pretty sure he got the surgery over Christmas break). He said the painkillers made him throw up, so he was in a great deal of pain. (He is very sensitive to medication for a person of 6'4".) The delay in physical therapy really gave him lifelong problems. But he was young and naive, and his parents were of the Silent Generation (Depression/WWII generation); they trusted the doctor was exactly right and questioned nothing the doctor said to them.