As some of you know me, I'm not a fan of surgery. I live with a lot of complications from hip replacement in 2010. My brother was close to doing surgery for fusion/lam and I was able to talk him out of doing this. He's 72 and doing pretty good, still golfs and works at a golf course. He's doing exercises and PT and all he can instead of back surgery.

I have a cousin and we just chatted, she's back East. She has a sil who is a surgeon and will be having two grandchildren who will be surgeons. She's had 2 hip replacements and we talk a couple times a year and compare notes and talk about the misery of arthritis. She feels she has much more and talking to her doctor, he tells her "no more arthritis due to surgery"...I've heard the total opposite from an MD here. Once we go thru surgery, arthritis can set in and usually does.

Now her 60+ adult daughter just went thru back surgery and I'm guessing fusion or lam or both and my cousin tells me she is having a terrible time since surgery. I'm guessing she had surgery maybe 6 months ago or so as the last time we talked she didn't mention this.

OK, why am I saying all this. I read and hear from so many who end up worse off after going thru back surgery. My back is pretty messed up but I won't do a surgery...no way. Live with what is and keep it going. I know what I have now, the outcome from surgery....we never know, we could be worse than before.

I'm going to start with a D.O. next week and see if she can help fix the mess I live with, by working on alignment and cranial work and what she does.

I'm sure there are good outcomes, but I read and hear so many not good outcomes.