11 x 21 mm L5 - S1 extrusion at 26yo

Seeking advice on my current situation. I had a 16cm sarcoma (cancer tumor) removed from my endocervix (the lower neck of the uterus) in March 2025. It had been slowly growing for over ten years before it was removed. It was large enough to compress my bladder and rectum. After I had it removed and had a total hysterectomy, about three months later, I started experiencing very bad sciatica symptoms for the first time. Pain is a 10/10. My MRI this week showed:

“Moderate disc bulge/extrusion measuring 11 × 21 mm in the AP and craniocaudal dimension producing moderate to severe left and moderate right lateral recess stenosis. Severe left neural foraminal narrowing with compression of the exiting left L.5 nerve root. Moderate right neural foraminal stenosis. Mild spinal canal narrowing”

I started PT three weeks ago and have seen some improvement. They’re retraining my muscles on how to adapt to the absence of the tumor and my uterus/cervix. I’m able to stand and walk for more than a minute at a time now since starting PT, but I am still pretty limited. I’m curious what others have done with similar MRIs. DDD runs in my family strongly so I want to make the best care decisions. I want my life back, but i also don’t want to set myself up for future problems by jumping into surgery. I’m going to work with my orthopedist on this, but I’d like to hear stories from others. Thanks!