@spadgera Jerry, Have you tried any physical therapy? One type of physical therapy that has helped me a lot is called myofascial release. Basically, that is stretching that helps break and loosen the tight pattern of tissue that develops from our habits and injuries, and it holds our body and restricts movement. If you have developed a stooped over posture, it could be for several reasons, and tight fascia can contribute to that. Exercise that strengthens the core muscles that hold the spine erect can help. If your pain is the result of arthritis and bone growth compressing the nerves, physical therapy may not totally help that, but in general what improves posture and strength tends to help. My core strength is also really improved by horseback riding. If that was something you wanted to try, there are therapeutic riding centers that use horses for physical therapy. It works because you have to compensate with your back for the motions of the horse which is the same walking motions of your pelvis, but exaggerated a bit. Usually people who don't ride a horse and do that on vacation get sore because of using muscles that they don't normally use. I know from my experience with horses, that it helps my posture a lot and that is important if you have spine issues. I have a horse and like to trail ride just at a walk. A therapeutic riding center usually has someone leading the horse, so you are not just turned loose. It would be a controlled situation.

Here is our Myofascial Release discussion.
— Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/
There is a provider search at http://mfrtherapists.com/

Have you consulted another spine specialist for an opinion? I don't know if you are looking for a surgical answer, but there would be many considerations on someone your age and you may or may not be a surgical candidate. Certainly, a surgeon would not want to do something that would increase your pain. I have an older cousin who just had a laminectomy of the lumbar spine at age 80 which involves expanding the space for the spinal cord that was getting compressed, but not removing discs for a fusion. A fusion would be a harder surgery to recover from, but a laminectomy was not a hard recovery for him and he was up and around just a few days after the procedure. After a week, he discontinued his pain medications. You can get different answers from different surgeons. I understand feeling like you've been dismissed, and pain management does help some patients. Do you think surgery would be a solution that you wish to consider? Surgery can make you worse, so you will need to ask a lot of questions if you are considering it.

Would you be willing to try myofascial release and physical therapy to see if it could help you? Often that is a prerequisite for surgery if PT fails to help.

Jennifer