You note you are “experiencing a repeat of nerve pain in my glute hip and hamstring and targeted pain in the lower lumbar that feels very very similar to 2.5 years ago. Each day this week the pain is intensifying and I have stopped all activity”.
I would not wait but get a new MRI right now. If you have no weakness, you might be a candidate for an epidural steroid injection. If weakness is present, a repeat microdiscectomy would be necessary. Tell your husband that the root pain is significant and needs to be treated. Recurrent herniations are common and occur about 20% of the time.
Dr. Corenman