Dear Mom...
It's tough to discern if you face a quality of life decision... (am I bad enough to do the surgery), or if you really have to pull the trigger now to reduce the risk of permanent cord damage.
I've had several clients who go to one neurosurgeon and get the "you have to do multi-level fusion ASAP or you'll be paralyzed if you get in a fender bender" - then go to another neuro and get, "whatever you do, don't do a multi-level fusion!"
It's a minefield out there. When reading your report, I'm focusing on the adjectives as much as the pathology. Most of us who live to be 40 have issues in our spines. Mild this and modest that is way different than a bunch of moderate to severe's. You will have a difficult decision process to go through. I'm glad that you discovered that you must take responsibility to learn what you need in order to make the appropriate choice.
Do your homework, make informed decision.
All the best. I hope that soon, you are an ex-spine-patient.
Mark
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