Wow, I just posted and had not seen your decision. 100% endorsement. I am glad that you have the finances to do this. You are having a magnificent surgeon remove the failed disk. Was it easy to convince him that you preferred to fuse as opposed to a ActivL?
I doubt that I could afford to go your route 2 1/2 years after spending over 50k, but IMO you have put yourself in the best possible position for ultimate success.
