@wdb1210, I thought this discussion might be interested in some good advice I received from the best Personal Care Physician I have had, among more than a dozen in recent years: "Go see a surgeon and ask for a diagnosis if you are convinced that you need surgery AND if a PCP you trust recommends it."

@tyrless, I understand your suspicions that Medicare practitioners often discourage expensive treatment for aging patients, but as an 83-year-old patient, I can say that those suspicions are almost always unwarranted. Over the past 30 years, I have been treated by two dozen physicians/specialists and only one acted as though he would brush me off because of my age. In my 18 years under Medicare, I have never had to deal with an unwilling doctor, although in several cases I had to deal with a doctor who was not equipped to deal with geriatric issues, so I diplomatically changed doctors. Do you have a PCP who takes the time to talk to you about your medical concerns, orders necessary tests, and explains any they are important and what they will tell you?