Very conflicted. I have L4,L5 and S1 Lumbar problems. MRI shows one verterbrae tilted forward, another rotated and out of alignment along with three discs they want to replace. They want to do a spinal fusion on me as well as the disc replacements. Doctor has spent weeks telling me I am a candidate for surgery and then last time I visited, he proceeded to scare me to death, even going so far as to tell me I could get AIDS from the cadaver bone they will use for the disc replacement. He also told me I needed to lose 30 pounds before the surgery and said he didn't even know he he could "get in there" to the area that needed surgery. Am I nuts to feel ill at ease with this guy? I can find no black marks against him, but his bedside manner sucks. Of course he is a specialist, but does that excuse his behavior? That being said, does anyone know a stellar back surgeon in central Missouri?View Thread