I was recently diagnosed with moderate cervical spinal stenosis at C5-C6. My whole spine is full of arthritis with neuroforminal stenosis, disc bulges, osteophytes, etc. I went to a neurosurgeon for low back pain and discovered that all the falling and concussions aren't because of having Meinere's Disease, which I presumed. After a MRI of my cervical spine, the surgeon explained that my lack of balance, falling, lack of gripping with my hands, abnormal hand and arm reflexes, and more is because the arthritis is so bad it is squeezing my spinal cord and causing all the issues I have had for six or so years. He said I needed surgery asap. That freaked me out. The whole thing freaks me out. I see it as a lose, lose situation. If I don't have surgery to replace the vertebrae, I will get worse until I am paralyzed from the neck down. If I have the surgery, there is a less than 1% chance of something going wrong and I end up paralyzed from surgery. Small chance, but it is a chance. I have a reprieve until August. Meanwhile, my neck is hurting, and I have a headache that feels like my brain is going to explode with trouble seeing with my glasses on. This is a relatively new symptom. I just had my annual eye exam and an endoscopy. All the problems can be attributed to the spinal stenosis at C5/C6. What's a person supposed to do?