[jss]

Matt,

Condolences on your injury and need to be here, but welcome aboard.

As each situation is so unique, it can be very difficult to know when it's time to pull the trigger on surgery. My personal preference is to put it off until for one reason or another it can't be put off any longer. I don't know if that's best; it's just my preference. I went ahead with surgery when I received a diagnosis of possible myelomalacia caused by the disc pushing on the spinal cord, which is usually terminal at the level it was suspected. Even without that diagnosis, the intractable pain and having to ask passing strangers to open doors for me would have prompted me to go on with surgery soon.

Dr Delamarter is a well respected spinal research surgeon whose name comes across this forum periodically. To date I've not seen an unkind word spoken of him. Either way you go it looks like you're choosing between to very good options.

Good luck, Jeff

BTW officer; be careful out there.