Well, I went for my 2nd opinion yesterday. He point blank told me I needed surgery to get c5-6 off the spinal cord. That is the main issue. He will remove & fuse c4-5 and c6-7 as well because he said if he doesn't, it will only be a matter of time before I'm in to see him again. He did advise against running in the future. He told me the spine takes too much of a pounding. He didn't say I couldn't do it, but doesn't think it would be wise. This makes me incredibly sad but, in the big scheme of things,I'll deal. I need to put it in to perspective and find something that is lower impact. I love to exercise but I do it for the health benefits. I don't want to make anything worse. They are so backed up with surgeries, I'm looking to have surgery in about 8 weeks. This seems excessively far away. I will be put on the list to be moved up if there are cancellations - so let's hope it happens before then. I'm beyond scared, but I'm trying to stay positive. This is a common surgery done everyday, so I can only pray mine will be done without complications. Thanks everyone and I will keep you updated as things continue.