[treefrog]

Gil, what everyone else has already told you is the same thing I would tell you. Only you can decide when is enough. You should always try conservative treatment first, but if that isn't working then is the time to consider surgery. You need to talk to your doctor about the likelihood of another injection working, and if that is a reasonable thing to do, or not.

It took me almost two years before I would consider surgery. I tried PT, ESI's, a facet block, and acupuncture, all without much success. It was then that I asked my doctor about doing a discogram. Because I understood that with DDD, my discs were not going to get better. My pain may not get worse than it is right now, though it may, but it's not likely to get better on it's own. When the discogram showed that it was indeed my two discs causing the pain, I knew surgery was the only chance I had for getting rid of the pain.

And I know that surgery is no guarantee, but it's the only shot I have. I am ready to take that chance. Because I am tired of living with this pain, not being able to enjoy the things I used to like to do.

And like Kathy said, you need to then decide what type of surgery and which surgeon is the best choice for you. I wish you luck in making this very difficult decision.