I am 33 years old and have congenital scoliosis (fun pic of my spine below), 3 herniated discs and spinal stenosis. Went to 2 surgeons and both said they believe I am too young for major surgery at this point. Even with as much as pain as I am in I can still stand, walk around and most importantly lift. I would have to have rods put in for the scoliosis and a fusion for the discs. Since they both said the risks involve death and possibly come out worse than before I decided to wait a few years until I have no other option but to do it.
I had a nerve ablation two years ago that did absolutely nothing for me but I know many others have had success with that so its something to look into.
So for the time being I am on pain management of 5mgs Lortabs in the morning and 15mgs morphine sulfate for the evenings along with Valium to help me fall asleep. Thank god I don't have any addiction issues and have not had to up my dosage over the last few years. I even take days off to make sure I don't have a physical dependency. A few times a year I get steroid injections but I don't think they really help.
At home I invested in a zero gravity chair (Positive Posture Luma) which was not cheap but absolutely amazing to relax in and watch TV as a lot of my pain comes from lying on the couch or even in bed. This relieves all that pressure. I also bought a back brace on Amazon that I wear around the house when I'm doing normal activities like cooking, the dishes, outdoor work, etc... for extra support.
Hope this helps!