Michelle-

I can't offer any suggestions on how they'll tackle this. Like another poster else here, I have several aunts and cousins who had rods placed into their backs for scolosis or had 7 thoracic vertebrae fused and they're doing much better than before surgery. I have problems in similar areas to yours but mine haven't advanced as far yet. I know fusion is in my future due to central canal stenosis at C5/6 and T12-L3 but I also have a problem around T6-8 which gives me the worst symptoms right now. Surgery does appear in your future in the short term which is a bummer but hopefully, better in the long run after rehab.

T-spine: they try to avoid surgery on the t-spine as long as possible. My aunt who had the three T-spine surgeries was told she was two weeks from becoming a parapelgic when she finally went for surgery.

Good luck with the NS and ER. Let us know what they say.