@grandmaraines You're welcome. Perhaps a counselor could help you sort through the fear. I know how it is the deal with fear knowing that surgery is inevitable, but facing the fear of the unknown can be done. You can start by writing down why surgery scares you and what events in your past have brought you to these feelings of fear. That would be the beginning of understanding it. I also found music very helpful, and I was doing deep breathing and listening to music to say calm, so I had a routine I could fall back on in my mind any time I needed it. I was lowering my blood pressure significantly doing this because I took measurements before after my listening/breathing sessions. There are also a lot of good TED talks about facing fears. I watched a lot of those. Your nephew can probably help you find a good surgeon, and you will want one who only does spine surgeries. Patients have talked about Mass General in Boston as a good place and they are ranked as the #6 best hospital in the nation by US News and World Report.

I would also add that Boston is renowned for having excellent medical care and hospitals. Surely they are on the forefront of many research institutions. I would not hesitate to seek medical opinions in Boston!