WebDozer

I strongly urge you to get both second and third opinions. I'm not saying your surgeon is wrong, but it does sound like he's trying to rush you. Even if he's not, you need those two other opinions.

And forget about the "multi-level disk disease". Most people your age have that condition, and it's not really a disease, just the deterioration of the disks from wear and tear. The thing to concentrate on is what's happening to your spinal cord and spinal nerves.