Thanks for all of the information, and thankfully my max. out of pocket is "only" $2,500... Of course it would help if I actually HAD that, but that is another matter.

I guess what I need to find out, sooner rather than later, the real odds of the nerve impingement causing real damage. Frankly I can deal with numbness/tingling in my right arm - I've dealt with that for years - indeed I've never given it a second thought (though it has worsened since the whiplash). I can deal with muscle spasms. My pain level isn't THAT bad that I can't adjust to it. It helps being a stubborn old bird. What matters is the odds of permanent nerve damage from the "bony protrusion".

I do appreciate all of the advice, and I will report what the doctor says Wednesday. His nurse was obviously uncomfortable telling me all of that over the phone and what she said may have been reflecting that as much as what she was reading to me.