I am 77 and had surgery early this year. Based on two MRIs, the amount and type of pain I was having, I don't see that I could have avoided surgery. I was not however, prepared for the recovery period since most people I spoke to and my surgeon made me think that relief would be almost immediate. Eight months later and I am still dealing with nerve pain in one leg that makes it difficult to resume everyday activities. I was progressing to the point that my pain was limited to one small area until I foolishly attempted to lift a piece of furniture that was quite heavy. Within one day I regressed to the previous level of pain I had several months earlier. It was a hard lesson to learn but part of it comes from having to accept that the recovery process takes time and patience but it will come eventually as long as you respect where you are in it.
As I subsequently did more reading, I learned that everyone heals at a different rate. For some, that may be a few months. For others, a year or more. And, of course age is a factor. If I had it to do over, I would still have the surgery because eventually the nerve pain will go away and my back has been totally pain free since I had it.