Bear, sorry to hear that your backache has reappeared with a
vengeance. 
You know, you really have to start listening to advice, especially
when dished out by people like NURSES (ahem!!) or your sister!
I've said this several times since you first picked it up but I'll
say it again : Bowling is NOT GOOD for you! Stop bowling, PLEASE!!!
Somebody, please break into bear's house and steal all his bowling
balls, bowling shoes, bowling bag, bowling everything! 
Seriously! No more dismissing of Missy's
advice by saying nonchalently, "I'm ok! / I'm alright! / I'll be
fine!" etc.
I nurse patients all the time with bad backaches, and I've had to
comfort them when the pain gets really bad and they start crying
and all that. Chronic severe pain is very hard to live with and
when you're at the stage when most analgesics (painkillers) don't
work and you need to be on high doses of opiods and opiates to numb
the pain, you're not living much of a meaningful life and all daily
activities get interfered with and usually, depression and
moodiness sets in either as a side effect of the medication or as a
result of the diminished quality of life.
SOoooo... like I said to you since I've known you, and especially
during your b'day, go to a good surgeon! I worked in Neuro and was
in the Neuro ICU, I know which surgeons are brilliant, I'm ready to
recommend them to you and if you're willing, I can help 'pull
strings' to try and get you a much earlier appt too. Don't settle
for a less-skilled surgeon who might botch things up or who might
not be as effective. You want a final solution, not something that
will creep back to haunt you again in a few years' time.
In the meantime, you know what you have to do and what you have to
avoid. When being nagged at, ask not that the nagging stop, but ask
instead, if there IS a message you simply need to heed! 
And oh, when you know your proper diagnosis, can you PM me? And
also, before you go for any surgery, PLEASE let me know! Don't do
something that won't be of great benefit to you and how will you
know?... By telling Missy who will then double check and triple
check with experienced colleagues and even the neurosurgeons here
who I come into daily contact with!
Take care, Bear! And no more being stubborn this time! 
