Recommend surgeon who'll be honest about if surgery will help?

I wonder if you would have that kind of experience if you were at one of the major and highly recommended hospitals like Mayo, John's Hopkins, Stanford, cedar Sinai, etc.
Where has your spine surgeon search and research led you so far? What state are you in if travel is an issue? Good luck in your quest.

If you’re headed toward surgery and you don’t feel comfortable with the surgeon’s abilities or fear they will not be honest with you get some counseling or seek some advice first. You are setting yourself and the surgeon up for failure having that concern hanging over your head. Going under the knife in older years is fraught with concerns normally so don’t make it worse for yourself.

@jenatsky
Thanks. I've gotten so many opinions I think the surgeons are suspicious of me, but I need to be reassured of certain things. They are all at good hospitals and I have gotten recommendations from people who had surgery with them, but I think my spine is more complicated. I have osteoporosis that is being treated, but I still have it in certain areas. So if a surgeon acts blaise about my osteoporosis I think that's not a good sign, don't you? Do you have any tips about asking them questions without hurting their egos? Some of them seem annoyed or just give me answers like "this is my bread and butter," when I ask how many fusions they do in a year.

@annie1 what is the surgical procedure you’re contemplating having? I presume you’ve gotten a second or third opinion since you’ve expressed concerned about the process and have any of these opinions been in agreement?
How did you react to the doctor telling you “you may not get the results you’re looking for”?
I’m 74 with osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, peripheral neuropathy and after my initial fusion is 1988 I’m not looking for more surgery. I stay as active as I can, exercise, stretch, walk, gym anything to stay limber. Since I know my body will not improve I’m holding into what I’ve got for as long as I can. And jumping back from general anesthesia is no joke for older folks. Can you continue to live without surgery? Would better pain control help? Are you doing all you can do for yourself before deciding on surgery?

@gravity3 I'm only leaving this message because of my personal experience over the past three years (July of 2023 to today), and the very surprising treatment I've endured.

I live on the West Coast, and there is Cedars-Sinai, Keck of USC, UCLA, Providence, St. Johns, and Kerlan & Jobe. When people see/hear the names of these hospitals (I've heard several say this), they are under the same impression, "Oh, they're the elite doctors / hospitals!" Believe me, again from what I have been going through, and am still going through, every one of these hospitals has a problem you are surprised that they do.

I've been lied to, mis-diagnosed, treated like a child (I'm over 60), yelled at by a surgeon (my wife thought it was coming to blows), and the number one thing these "elite" hospitals do, is ignore you. I have a primary doctor I gave up on after more than a year of never hearing back (I went to other doctors in the mean time), the first spine surgeon I saw in 2023 ghosted me for over a month before I moved to another hospital, and I have a pain management doctor
that is the nicest guy, but his schedulers / assistants are the worst.

I started seeing this doctor in December of 2025, and to this day, no one from this office has ever called me for anything; when the insurance denied a procedure request, never received a call, I called after two weeks of hearing nothing; when the insurance approved another request, I was never called, I only found out after waiting again, and calling again; then I finally resort to messaging my primary to let him know what the delay is, he then emails the pain doctor, then I get a call to set up an appointment.

So, just because there is a famous name attached to the hospital / doctor, you cannot assume they are the "elite" in their field. The healthcare system is broken in the US, and it is only going get worse before it gets better.

@marcd2k

What a shame that you have had such a tough time. I hope that you are able to find the care that you need.

@gravity3 Hello, thanks for writing. Yes, it has been a real eye opener for me and my wife seeing how poorly the healthcare system is being run. We have been told on more than one occasion by our insurance carrier that we have a very good plan. It turns out, you can save a lot of money by not having insurance, and then paying cash for visits or procedures.

The main thing is to not give up. Just because someone tells you they know the answer, or that they don't know the answer, until you find out what the actual medical problem is and how to treat it, you keep moving. Keep reading, watching videos, writing to people, ask questions, etc.

This has been my full time job since July of 2023. I read, watch, call, and write to everyone I feel could have an idea for what is wrong, or who to see next. I have been to more than 30 doctors, and this is why.

Several gave up before even seeing me in person, several more gave up after a single visit, or a single procedure, was done, but there was no change to my condition. I've had two doctors that I felt were actually trying, to the point they got upset when something didn't work. And it took me about 2 years to find a Primary doctor that actually listens and returns calls / messages, and cares about what is happening.

Onward we go...

@marcd2k Shucks yes those are supposedly good hospitals, esp Cedars-Sinai.

@ccchang Exactly, and Cedars has actually been the worst overall. When this started in July of 2023, my wife drove me to the ER because my low right side back pain was so bad, like a knife was stuck in my back. They performed a CT scan of my abdomen and pelvis looking for kidney stones, but all of my organs were normal, and no stones were present.

The ER doctor then proceeded to either lie to me, or mis-diagnose me, either way, not a good look for Cedars. First, a little context at the ER. I was there from about 1pm until 5pm, so actually not the longest ER visit, but still as much fun. While I was waiting to be brought to the CT scan room, there were nurses and doctors rushing around, and I heard a couple of them comment on how busy it was that day. So, when an ER employee says it is hectic, it is hectic.

This is what I believe happened...since I was not in distress to where I was rolling on the floor screaming, and they needed to clear out some patients because it was that busy, I was given a line of BS by the attending physician.

He told me the CT scan showed Diverticulosis in my colon (I researched all of this when I got home, didn't know details at the ER). He actually drew on a piece of paper, showing me what happens in the colon, especially after a certain age (I was 60 at the time), little pockets bulge out and this is where food/waste can get stuck. If there is no problem with trapped food, and there is no infection (which is Diverticulitis, when you need anti-biotics), there are no symptoms. So, no pain in the abdomen or low back, and the only way to find Diverticulosis is when another scan (like my CT scan) is run.

There were two problems with this diagnosis. First, after telling me false information about my condition, I asked him what do I do, and all he said was "eat more broccoli", then walked away. So, I was sent home with the same pain I arrived with, and as I stated, either lied to, or mis-diagnosed.

The reason I say this is two-fold; Diverticulosis has NO SYMPTOMS, as there is no infection, and no trapped matter in your intestine / colon. The only time you will have pain from this condition is when it progresses to Diverticulitis (an infection). And the pain from this condition will be in the LOWER LEFT ABDOMEN, not the LOWER RIGHT SIDE of my BACK. And this is why I say it was either a lie (he didn't know what was wrong, but needed to clear out some room in the ER), or it was a mis-diagnosis, where he didn't know the difference between the two conditions. Not sure which is worse, would have to ask the hospital which situation they would rather explain to their patients.

This was all the VERY FIRST DAY of my now more than three year journey into medical H E DOUBLE TOOTHPICKS. I have been going through multiple hospitals, I've seen multiple doctors, and they all have their problems, even the "elite" ones. But the way I've been treated overall has been very disappointing, so it doesn't help just because I changed hospitals / doctors, someone will still mess something up.

I just had Fusion done - I interviewed a few and selected my surgeon - I trust my surgeon, can recommend, but where are you located?