@denman55 I encourage you to do a lot of research when picking a surgeon because they are not all equally skilled. Find the very best you can, and look for their publications, where they trained, make sure there are no disciplinary actions against them. Look for any online videos of them and if you find some with them speaking at a spine conference for surgeons, you may want to watch if you have access. Look for awards from spine societies, etc or anything that indicate they are held in high regard by their peers. When you have a consultation, you should fully expect that they will explain any imaging to you in person and not just review it ahead of time so they can save time, and go with a list of questions. Make sure you understand exactly what they recommend. It is always worth it to get several opinions because that will help you judge the other opinions, and discuss this with your primary care physician. They can help you understand this. If there are questions you want to discuss here, please don't hesitate to ask!

Good luck in your quest!

Jennifer