How to know what spine surgeons and their reviews are honest?

@annie1
I have not read any of yout past comments, but it was the title that you posted that caught my attention. That is certainly no small concern, and I can imagine how this is affecting everything that you do and think about constantly because it brings to mind a loved one who also faced a life of paralysis for a different reason. Anyway, I am happy to see that you have a counselor/therapist, however, I do have a thought that might be helpful to you at this stage of your condition. Here is what I learnd from a loved one - The very best thing that they were encouraged to do, by the rehab team was to get therapy - from a therapist who specialized in the spinal condition/recovery/potential paralysis. In fact, the rehab team made a recommendation, and it was a good match - and - more helpful than expected.

@annie1, What do you think about finding a therapist who specializes in a specific condition such as you are facing?

@rosemarya: You have a good point - the specialty to which you're referring is known collectively as pain psychologists or behavioral medicine specialists. In my past professional life I have known of individuals who have sought and obtained treatment from such clinically trained professionals. Psychology today does have a site dedicated to finding these therapists: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists

@grammato3
Thank you I'll look at that link. By the way I really should have not said I was afraid to be paralyzed. I really don't think that's realistic for my symptoms. I think in the middle of the night it's easy to become extreme. I don't think I'll be paralyzed let me just say that again it's not that severe. Is confusing and scary because I've gotten so many different answers some surgeons didn't want to touch me they said I was too high risk. So, that being said I think it's normal to be leery of surgery when surgeons themselves are telling you you are too high risk. Of course those are only a few the others were gung-ho on doing fusion. So it's really hard to sort through.

@annie1: No need to explain - pain and anxiety are very closely related; especially at night there is a tendency for our brains to get carried away with thinking worse case scenarios and this is a safe place to express your concerns without judgment. While we can't offer any direct advice, those professionals trained to do so can be a good first step should those mind games get too intense or the confusion and/or pain start to interfere too much in your daily activities.

Surgery has been one option to try to address this issue but is not, as you've unfortunately found, always completely successful and it appears you've attempted some injections. If these have these been done by a pain management group, perhaps another area to consider would be an implantable spinal cord device. This is not my own area of personal experience so much as having worked with it in some professional capacity so I admit I may be out of bounds here not knowing the particulars of your situation but I'm merely offering the consideration with your medical team. Has this ever been discussed as a possibility?

I think going to Mayo Clinic in Phoenix is an excellent suggestion. I had a huge tumor growing on my spine.
Mucho pain 9 or 10 24/7. I would recommend Antony Guanciale at UC Medical in Cincinnati. My opinion: He is simply the best of the best. It's worth going to Cincy to see Dr. G. His work number is (513) 475-8690. I won't gush more. All I can say is 10 years pain free thanks to him. Oh, I'm 81. Good Luck!