Hi ~ Surgery should be a LAST RESORT, after ALL conservative methods have been tried. You still have some things that you haven't tried yet. Do NOT rush into surgery. Surgery only corrects mechanical problems. It does NOT fix pain. In fact, many times you're left with the same pain or worse after you've had surgery. Any doctor who says he can get rid of your pain thru surgery is lying!! Run away from him if that's what he's saying. He cannot do it. If you are lucky enough to get relief thru surgery, it's just plain LUCK. If you do have surgery, the levels above and below the level that's beiing operated on will bulge or herniate and become unstable, causing you to have problems once again. It almost ALWAYS happens when you have fusion and even if you don't. So you end up needing surgery again and again and again.

You should try pain management first, unless your spinal cord is compressed, and I didn't see anything like that in your list. In pain management, they can try accupuncture, spinal cord stimulators, morphine pump implants, all kinds of things that you don't list that you've tried yet. You'd be much better off trying these things than opting for surgery because once you've had surgery, you are NEVER the same. I've had 2 open surgeries, and a spinal cord implant and removal, and I'm not disabled. I doubt you want to end up like me.

Best of luck, and God bless. hugs, Lee