--Lord knows I have in the past --but it occurred to me that Aussie rather succinctly summed up the situation. If in the end it does not seem you can avoid the surgery (although second/third opinions on that question would not hurt), it's time to concentrate on getting it done correctly this time, with a surgical team you feel comfortable with. It does seem at least on the surface that the deleterious results of not having surgery overmatch the potential deleterioius results of the surgical process. (We all want you movin' and groovin' for the rest of your days.)

I'm glad David was there with you to act as "wingperson" during the visit--sometimes it does take an outside perspective to get handle on the pros and cons, plusses and minuses, of major medical procedures.

And, look at it this way. It's pretty much guaranteed that if you have surgery you'll be inundated with Dove bars by me. (And Melody will bury you in muffins.)