@sassytwo Tam, I am touched by your kind words. Thank you so much. Decision making about spine problems is hard. I think we all learn so much from each other even if we are not facing exactly the same issues. Sometimes it comes down to learning everything you can and trusting your gut with the educated decision. I remember that feeling too because no surgeon was able to promise me that my ACDF would take away my pain. I knew that it would, and that came true for me.

I first became aware of Dr. David Handscom because he was presenting a talk at a spine conference and I found the videos online. I looked him up, and went to the bookstore to see his book. At the time, I was struggling, not about the decision to have surgery, but because my case was confusing to so many surgeons that they wouldn't help me and I was tracking the increased changes in my symptoms. I had been paying attention for years and trying to figure it out, and then I became aware of central canal spinal stenosis and had to face my fear of surgery at the same time I was advocating for it.

Jennifer