I know the feeling. I have DDD on top of several bulging, herniated discs, pinched sciatic nerve with exiting nerve root, all that jazz.
If it weren't for cannabis and buprenorphine I would not be able to get out of bed in the morning.
You should ask your doctor about buprenorphine (commonly called Suboxone, Subutex, etc) my doctor said they even have a version they are giving specifically for analgesic use, but it's extremely low dosage like 2mg per day tops (although you can and probably should go as high as 16+mg per day). It's commonly rX'd for opiate dependence.
I got on it after a few years at a pain management clinic where all they were doing was jacking me up on stronger and stronger opiates until I was feeling like a damn junkie again. They were making me high AF with very little pain relief.
Suboxone or more accurately buprenorphine, actually works very well as an analgesic. They have found that traditional opiate painkillers only bind to 1 receptor in the brain. Buprenorphine actually binds to that same receptor in the brain, AND 2 more receptors in the spine!
Not only does it help with my back pain tremendously, it also does NOT make you "high" or inebriated in any way. Which to me, is the best part. I hate being so fucked up that I can't drive or think straight, which is about all the traditional opiates were doing for me.
The biggest problem with buprenorphine as an analgesic right now, is the insurance companies. Most will only pay for buprenorphine as a recovery prescription, not for analgesic use. However, the research results coming out are starting to convince some insurers to cover it as an analgesic, so ask your Dr! And if you already go to pain management or are rX'd opiate painkillers, you could just as easily walk in to a recovery clinic and switch to Suboxone and insurance (even Medicaid) will pay for it. That's what I did. My Doctor at my recovery clinic knows I am there for pain management and not necessarily recovery. He's also a huge advocate for buprenorphine as an analgesic, though.
Good luck though, man. I truly feel your pain!