L4/L5 hernia and sciatica pain

Hello! I wanted to share my story and ask for recommendations. About 1 month ago, I started developing gradually increasing lower back sciatica pain while walking over an hour, or sitting more than 30 minutes. I did not have any accident/incident to cause that. And for 3 weeks it became worse and worse, paracetamols and heat patches did not do any good for me. One day after my travel, I became really sick with fever (did not drop with paracetamol or ibuprofen for 1 week), I vomited, and coughed alot. I think during this week it became the worse, my walking ability slowly started to decrease. My family doctor said it can not be a hernia and sent me to physiotherapy. I went there only once for Krankengymnastik ( therapeutic exercise ) and the next day I could not leave the bed from the pain. I could not even make a step more than 5-10 degrees to my vertical axis. I could not sit. Even while laying on the bed I had pain. I went to an orthopedist, he gave me some steroids and stronger painkillers, nothing changed. I had X-ray, which showed I had a very lightly bended spine (I am not sure if it's scoliosis- I am 25F for reference, I also had a start of L4/L5 degeneration as I found from my previous reports in 2018). Later I found an appointment for MRI last week and finally received some results. It shows that I have one hernia (L4/L5) and it is pressing on the nerve. Written report will be out this week. I am waiting my appointment with my orthopedist next week , but I am really getting tired of not being able to leave my house since almost 1 month. I talked to a neurosurgeon and he advised me a steroid epidural injection. I searched about some core exercises to do while waiting the doctor appointment, but I am scared that it might also go wrong and injure me even more. Is someone else having similar level of hernia here, and what was the solution for them? What did solve the problem permanently? I am just 25 years old and I love travelling, hiking, kayaking and moving alot. I just want to go back to my normal life and I do not know if it will really become better without a surgery.