My dad had spinal fusion done in 2003, and unlike a lot of the people posting, he had amazing results. He was out of work for three years due to it, was not walking well, etc. The draw back of his surgery was the timing, as he had a massive stroke in 2004 that set him back a long while.

Second and even third opinions are important with any surgery. I have gotten six surgeries done, none on my back so I can't say for that reasoning, but I made sure to get multiple sources of opinion that medicaid was willing to pay for.

Wish you all the best!