car will not shift

i have a manual 94 altima, and ive had the worst trouble shifting into first and second gears only... i fought with it for a good long while, and eventually it shifted smooth again.. but i actually had to use both hands to force the gears to engage -- I KNOW this is horrible, but i had no choice i was in the middle of nowhere! what type of nasty trouble does this spell for me :sadwavey: