@karen1103 I'm sorry you live with the uncertainty of a cancer re-occurrence. That must be worrisome. My husband had an in situ melanoma on his hand that had not spread, and he goes through annual scans and frequent dermatology checkups. Having bone loss is also a big game changer if you need spine surgery because when they build a spinal construct with rods and screws, your bone quality has to be able to support that without the screws pulling out. If bones are weak, there is possibility of compression fractures. That happened to my mom who has severe osteoporosis. She is not a spine surgery patient, and this was spontaneous. It didn't happen because of a fall.

I hope that whatever the doctors talk about is not an extensive reconstruction. Surely you do need to talk to spine specialists who also understand osteoporosis and spine surgery. Sometimes, at the top or bottom end of a construct, screws can loosen. I have been communicating with a member here who has a similar situation and will be having a revision surgery.

Take your time with your decision and I suggest get several opinions. You'll need to define which area is the most urgent for possible surgery, and how to minimize the risks that come with the procedure given all your health conditions . It may be the cervical, but your doctors need to figure that out. Bone quality has to be taken seriously, so you need some surgeons with post surgery statistics that relate to that problem. Because of more weight wearing at the lower end of the spine, bone quality may be more important there, but that is for the doctors to decide. Are you on any bone building medications that can help increase bone density? Are you able to do a pool therapy for walking where the water can help support your weight?

Jennifer