[jss]

Howe,

You have a tragically common story. Welcome aboard.

I don't know what you should do, but can tell you that we see this pattern all the time. Waiting and waiting, trying everything but surgery (chiropractic, injections, acupuncture, etc...), only to finally succumb to surgery after years of life being on hold while in pain. The great majority come out of surgery much better than when they went in, and most seem to continue to do well. If you've lost significant disc height, that is generally a sign that the most effective treatment is going to be removing the disc (fusion or ADR).

If you go ahead with ADR, I would encourage you to select a surgeon before tying your horse to a specific disc. That is easily the most important decision regarding ADR. BTW: if you go with the ProDisc-L, I would encourage you to consider Jack Zigler at Texas Back in Plano, TX. He has as much experience in the US with that implant as anyone, and is the budda-head of all things ProDisc.

Good luck!