@katie215 From what I have seen online about the Laser Spine Institute, it looks like lasers are used to destroy the softer tissue like a ruptured disc if it is tissue that extends outside of the spine. They don't remove a disc, just what squishes out that they can see. That leaves the problem disc intact, and this problem can happen again and the patient is back where they started. Your issues are different because it's in the foramen where you have a nerve right up against bone spurs that grew there because of inflammation likely because the disc material extended into the foramen. To free that nerve, the doctor needs to remove the bone spurs or expand the space another way. I don't think lasers are used for bone removal and because what they do is minimally invasive, they can't actually see the area except for the tiny window they have through a tube that was inserted. This is why you need an opinion from a neurosurgeon who uses a traditional approach to solving the problem and can see what he/she is doing. I did a lot of research before I had spine surgery which helped me look at the issues and possible solutions.

Minimally invasive and lasers aren't right for everything. I think they look for easy simple cases, and turn away others. It's good that they told you they can't help because that frees you to look elsewhere. Spine surgery is quite expensive if you have to pay out of pocket, and that's a decision only you can make. Health Insurance in the US involves a "negotiated rate" to discount it from a list price, and institutions have to set prices like this because of the insurance companies. You won't know what an estimated cash price for surgery would be until you ask. If you have to wait 6 years for help in Canada starting now, how much worse do you think it will get by then?, and you have no assurance that the problem would be fixed. I was turned down by 5 surgeons before I came to Mayo and in 2 years time, I got a lot worse. I could go anywhere my insurance coverage allowed, but still it was hard to get someone to help me. I can only imagine it must be a lot harder to get help in Canada where there are a lot fewer spine specialists. The surgery I had at Mayo changed my life and Mayo will take complex cases. They have a lot of experience doing that and many more experts than a lot of other institutions, and you can find them all listed on the website. My mom was able to have ankle surgery in her 80's and did OK, so don't let your age limit your thinking. What is more important is how healthy you are now. If you keep thinking you are too old to be helped, that probably will come true. I hope this information helps with your decision.