Good morning sb4ca. Love your questions so here goes...

It was a physiatrist who made what I considered to be the best and most complete diagnosis. That is a pain doctor and I had not heard of that specialty before. Mayo JAX introduced that person to the diagnosis process. I've read where some folks become concerned that a surgeon will always suggest surgery. A physiatrist has no skin in the surgery decision so their diagnosis is maybe more "pure"?

I was told that the numbness and pain in my thighs were related to nerve compression in the lower back. I used to have significantly painful hamstrings but that's 100% resolved, now. Not sure what fixed it - but I love being pain-free in that area.

I don't know if my cervical and lumbar symptoms were linked somehow. That answer is complicated by the fact I ended up deciding to only do a subset of the surgery the docs recommended. They wanted to do a full fix from T10 to S1. I just couldn't see myself recovering from that so we agreed to work on the worst areas: C4-7 ACDF and L2-5 discectomy and decompression. No rods - just fusion hardware.

These surgical decisions are a study in personal risk management - made more challenging inthat your decision is required without precise foreknowledge of what your particular outcome will be. For me, the risks of permanent nerve damage leading to very negative lifestyle consequences ... ultimately outweighed the risk of surgery (long recovery, possible need for corrective surgery, maybe the problem doesn't get fixed). I believe it's useful to consider the situation from that personal risk management point of view.

I'm now 13 months post cervical work and 10 months post lumbar. It was a lot to undergo in such a short time...My neck is 98% fine. Some restrictions due to the four-level fusion. Natural side effect. My back is 80-85% fine with some stiffness, soreness, and pain but I'm returning to "normal" activities and pushing myself to regain strength and stamina. And I remain optimistic.

What other questions can I answer or perspectives can I share? I feel your decision dilemma.