@bassetmom: I have empathy and sympathy for your situation. I, too, live alone. While I have one son in the area, he didn’t have time to provide the 24/7 care I needed post-surgery. You’ll need help with meals, medications, OT and PT, etc. The decision to have surgery all depends on the quality of life you now, or will, have vs. the quality of life you’d have with the surgery. That’s not for the doctor to decide, that’s for you to decide. Yes, there have been times when I regretted spinal fusion surgery and the resulting mobility limitations, but the alternative wasn’t to my liking either. As I continue this post-surgery journey during the last part of my life, I have confidence that I’ll learn how to overcome mobility challenges. I know it won’t be easy, but where there’s a will, there’s a way. If it’s something that turns out to be too difficult, then I’ll accept it and be happy with other progress.
I live in the Denver area, but as mentioned, I didn’t have the support and assistance that’s necessary for successful post-surgery recovery and was admitted to a rehab facility. Discuss your situation with your doctor to find out if he or she and the surgery team can assist with recovery at a rehab facility. If you lived near, and decided to have surgery, I would do whatever is in my power to help you because this is a life-altering surgery. Only those who've been through it can understand the situation.