@lebanon100 Diana, I found some links that may help. I hope so anyway, because I now how stressful this is to find out something is wrong with your spine and be worried about surgery. I was really afraid of surgery, and I found a way to get through it and face my fears. I wouldn't assume that you are too old for spine surgery. There is a lot to consider in how healthy you are and you sound like you are pretty active. There are also other less invasive procedures that are not major surgery on the spine and spinal discs. You may have choices. I didn't think spine surgery was that bad, but mine was neck surgery. Lumbar spine surgery and recovery is more involved because you are bearing most of your body weight through that area, so you have to consider it carefully.

I looked up a case of a 90 near old man with degenerated lumbar discs, and severe foraminal stenosis and severe facet arthritis (you have both of these) and because he wasn't a good surgical candidate, they did radiofrequency facet rhizotamies ( or neurotomy) which is a procedure to alter the nerves that feel pain in the facet joints. These are different from the nerve roots that exit the spine between the vertebrae. From what I read on Mayo's information, it can provide temporary relief. The nerves can grow back bringing back the pain. The 90 year old man got 10 months or reduced pain before it came back. His case study can be found at this link. https://pro.spineuniverse.com/case-studies/richeimer/severe-low-back-pain-90-year-old-male

Here is some information about radio frequency procedures.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/adult-pain-medicine/tab/radiofrequency/#ch-tab-navigation
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/radiofrequency-neurotomy/about/pac-20394931
https://www.spine-brain.com/treatments/treatments-spine/radiofrequency-rf-rhizotomy-rf-neurotomy/

Another treatment is a spinal cord stimulator or pain pump. This link explains a lot, and if you scroll to the bottom, there are patient stories about these procedures.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/adult-pain-medicine/tab/neuromodulation/#ch-tab-navigation

Questions I can think of would be-

You certainly could ask about how much of your pain and symptoms are because of spinal cord compression in the central canal, compared to how much of your pain and symptoms are coming from nerve root compression, and/or facet joints?

You could ask about what treatments can help without major surgery.

You might ask how the degenerating lumbar discs will change over time. Will it get worse and further compress the nerve roots? Will the vertebrae start to fuse together on their own? If that happens, will it be inoperable later?

Incontinence of the bladder or bowel can be a sign of spinal cord compression. If this is a symptom that you have, you could ask if it is related to your spine condition, and is it treatable with surgery or is it permanent?

Ask if there are less invasive procedures that could help.

Ask for a full explanation of any procedure that is offered including the risks, and what is the success rate for the procedure for the specific surgeon you are consulting. Ask if a procedure is a good fit for your activity level and mobility and if it will help you be more mobile or less mobile. (I was kind of impressed that you were hanging from a bar with your arms to stretch your back and walking on a treadmill.)

I know this can be a lot to take in and it can be overwhelming. I hope you have a good compassionate medical team available to help. Do you also have friends or relative who can help take care of you after a procedure or surgery? Will you share what you find out after your appointment?

Good luck.
Jennifer

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