((((((Yellow)))))) Hang in there and good luck whichever way you decide.
My dad gets out of the hospital today from his 2-level lumbar fusion. Results TBD...
One of my riding buddies had L4-5 fused a couple of years ago and is very glad he did. He said it was a solid year after the surgery, before he reached maximum recovery. But I don't know how long he'd been dealing with it and how much the nerve roots needed to recover from.
Take care.
Speed comes from what you put behind you. - Judi Ketteler