My Back Saga Continues

I'm not very good at this blog thing. This blog is not "advertised" anyplace, so no one is reading it but me, which is fine. I am just using it to avoid using MS Office right now. And I do want to document my journey through this sciatica maze... surgery, acupuncture, PT, exercise, stretching, Reiki? injections? whatever...

I went to surgeon#1 today - Dr. Rachlin, in Medford. He read the consult report from surgeon#2 (Dr Roth, supposedly the expert) and laughed and said he didn't understand it. He told me that Rith was a blowhard and hadn't done anything of note - and no writing or speaking or anything... I was taken a bit aback by his unexpectedly candid thoughts. I don't know if it is jealousy or what. I do trust Dr Rachlin though. He seems sincere and interested in helping me. I have had a couple of conversations with the woman at the front desk (nurse? receptionist? I don't know what she is but she is very experienced). She had only good things to say about her boss.
Since I have an injection planned for Monday - he said, as he did last time, to have the injection, and if I don't get relief, call him anytime and we'll schedule surgery. It sounds like a laminectomy, but he showed me that just a tiny piece of bone is removed - just enough to access the nerves that are compressed. He gave me hope, although I've read that sometimes Doctors also are overly optimistic with their patients. He saw my new MRI online and he's the one who ordered it back in March.

But I am sick of talking about it and everyone keeps saying, just have the surgery already for god's sake!!! I am not going back to Zamir in the fall unless I can successfully stand for at least part of a concert... I will take my time recovering from any surgery and really work to get my back healed. PT, walking, whatever it takes. And of course, I have to look for a job. It has only been 2.5 months - it seems like longer.
But it's a scary thing to think about, and I think I will be different after it, so I want to be sure.
surgeon says I'm just one of the unlucky 1-5% who does not get better after PT and acupuncture etc.