Hello @xandermac, I see this is your first post on Connect so I would like to welcome you and thank you for sharing your experience. You mentioned your doctors are suggesting spinal fusion to help with the stenosis compromising the sciatic nerve but you are afraid to have the surgery for fear of needing further surgeries. I thought you might find the following discussions helpful:

-- Will lumbar spinal fusion solve my leg pain or just add new pain?
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/will-lumbar-spinal-fusion-solve-my-leg-pain-or-just-add-new-pain/
-- Lumbar Spinal Stenosis---surgery questions: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/lumbar-spinal-stenosis-surgery-questions/

How long have you been dealing with the pain?

@xandermac This is just me, one person, but you sound exactly like I was before spinal fusion surgery in 2018. I had a 20 minute window to be on my feet, before excruciating pain. I’d go early to the grocery store on a week day, pull into the handicapped spot with my plan in mind, walk as quickly as I could to a few needed items, head to the self check-out, and be back at my car at the 20 minute mark and feel the excruciating pain start as I’d lower myself to the car seat.
I decided I couldn’t live like this. My mother, a smart BSN, RN, always said to have surgery at a major medical school teaching hospital- top surgeons, excellent infection control, lots of attention from residents and interns. I researched the spinal surgeons in the closest one to me, made an appointment with the head of the department (took 6 months to get in), went for the evaluation, testing, confirmed diagnosis of spinal stenosis, plan explained, went for the surgery. Full recovery from surgery took 3-4 weeks.
The surgery was totally successful- I have no back pain, no thigh pain, no leg pain. I do the PT home exercise program still, walk a mile and a half daily, do the exercise bike when there’s bad weather. I’m 73 years old.
People will want to tell you terrible stories of their husband’s sister-in-law’s cousin’s awful experience with surgery, but it gave me my life back.

@xandermac this is quiet river Do you happen to have aurtheritis also. bunions and neurophaty? I have a friend that has those problems and sciatic nerve has the same provlems as you . I suggested she use Blue emp and Vicks vapor rub and start walking it helped her. as I was starting to have that same problem. I use both pain removers, but today I figure out that walking properly like on each step landing on your heals and rolling across the foot and using my toes as push off. My balance was great and my neuoroply feels alot better. I don't knw how tonight will be but tomorrow I will do the same thing. I also do infra red light and a vibrator on my feet All thise things make me feel better. Today I have already walked over one mile and just getting started. They say Neurophy startes from the lack of oxygen to the nerves of the feet or interpted as a Blood flow problem not letting your feet get the oxygen they need. If you are diabetic, over weight and have heart and blood pressure problems the medication you take also has side effect that cause a lot of these problems. I have found that walking and swinging your arms the best over all cure you can get. there is a lot of pain when you first start but seems to start to go away and our blood flow is returning to normal. I found in. my own life that a large lump over my heart was putting pressure on it and my lungs. I don't go to doctors as the first thing say it looks like cancer and want to cut you open and remove it. In the old days we treated ourselves and only went to a doctor when it was needed. So I used white bread and milk as a pollutes on it a few days then I got my finger under the lump and squeezed the lump getting a lot of pain and puss out of it. I used peroxied to check for infection and found none. As the puss came out the pain over several weeks slipped away. Now one monthe later the lump is gone and the large hole is reduced to nothing and healing very well. I found globs of stuff and old vains I believe is the remains from open heart surgery in 2007 that I believed may have been at least part of the cause. Now I have reduced heart problems and no more blood pressure problems. I don''t recomand this for anyone but for me it worked. I'm only telling this to get you to do some thinking about possible causes like lack of eating proper food, and excersizing that is the best healing power I have found. I wish you luck in what ever you try.