Sorry to hear about your condition. I'm in the same situation, however x-rays show another prolapse in the same area as well. I have tried alot of different ways to fix this and the pain was at times so severe that I saw no hope.
I tried physotherapy, chiropracty, accupuncture, Feldenkreis,massage,health club,painkillers and I almost paid off one of the best surgeons around to have him operate on me. Fortunately he was a man of integrety and because of my symptoms - or lack thereof - when not in accute pain he would not do surgery. Then I discovered the thing that worked magic for me, the McKenzie method. It's so easy you wouldn't believe it's true but fact is that I now am able to manage my back, stay painfree and slowly picking up all the sportsactivities I have been forced to give up for the past 15years.
Look it up on the net, buy a book, but try this ! It will cost you nothing and the potential benefits are huge. From sometimes having to crawl out the cockpit door I now do long-haul ops without any difficulty at all.
Best of luck to you.
TTail