Hi, Jacquie!
(Try saying THAT at JFK...)
Two weeks ago, I visited my friendly Orthopedic Surgeon for my periodic "How ya doin'?" visit. I squawked about my neck pain, and he ordered a set of cervical X-Rays; from the flex & extension Laterals, he saw lots of abnormalities: a couple of autofused vertebral pairs, some missing discs, and a couple of joints with spondylolisthesis. In short, a mess. His comment was "I can fix that for you..."
He then ordered another cervical MRI to inspect the condition of the soft tissue, and compare it to my MRI from October, 2004. I had my new cervical MRI last night, and my cervical vertebrae look like a bird's eye view of a train wreck.
My return visit to him is October 10, and I'll wager a cup of coffee and a chocolate donut that he's going to suggest performing a cervical fusion. None of my previous (lumbar) surgical endeavors have been successful tales, so I'm being plenty gun-shy about starting to operate on some untouched flesh. I'm old; just what will I gain from his proposed excursion? Would I be better off investing my resources in my grandchildrens' educational funds? Would I be happier seeing the little ones have an better opportunity to enjoy life than the limited "enjoyment" I might gain from another gash to my flesh? Is my limited return worth the investment?
I dunno...
Is my old, beat-up body worth putting money into, realizing that I'll most likely gain very little or nothing from the surgery?
Heavy thinking here...

Much love and