Neck problems....   See another Doc for second (and third) opinions.  AVOID THAT SURGERY!!

I have two herniated discs, and spurs per MRI.  I suffered increasingly bad neck pain since my 20's, until it finally got to the point where I couldn't turn my head without major pain. Saw specialists, etc.  Even they suggested holding off on the surgery until I seriously couldn't stand it any more.  Took handsfull of Ibuproven until I started forgetting stuff at work, then dropped it.

Then the miracle happened. Got a call from my boss late on a Friday afternoon advising that I had to ID three of my people for layoff by the following Wed.  I agonized.... I KNEW one would volunteer, but knew all my people, personal situations, enough to know that any others would be screwed if laid off.  Then I thought, geez, we (Hughes defense) just got bought out by Raytheon, I'm in upper/middle management, they're going to bring their guys in, I'm pretty sick of this job - extremely stressful - same crap over and over, poltics out of control, etc., etc.  So I went in Monday, check the package with HR, and volunteered myself.  No go, I was on the "critical personnel" list (i.e., absolutely safe from layoff), knew where the skeletons were. Boss over-rode, as he was preparing to exit via retirement (so WTF). So I got out with a good package and my head held high, as the one person I thought would volunteer did, and my volunteering saved the other two I would have had to let go (my pay was enough to offset).  Now for the miracle part...

About a month later, I was sitting at home and looked around the room. HEY!, that doesn't hurt at all! Sudden recognition that the pain was gone. Another month later, out getting a sandwich, and see one of my former employees and her family outside eating their's. She says "I thought that was you standing in line, but thought no, that guy looks way too relaxed to be Rick". This was someone I'd worked with for 12 years!

Moral to the story:  re-evaluate your life, eliminate stress, and most of that neck problem will go away. And to a really shocking degree. I still have flair-ups in high stress situations, or if I sit at the puter for too long (like more than 4 hours).  But taking that layoff was the best thing I ever did from a health perspective (though perhaps not from a FINANCIAL health perspective! LOL).

And that surgery - high risk. Fusion - really bad. At minimum, see more docs, and put it off as long as possible.  Best thing - reduce stress (and get cooperation towards this end from those around you).

Hope this helps you and anyone else with this malady.  Oh, and avoid doing off-road jumps on dirt bikes and pick-ups in High School years!

SGE