Hello, my name is Michael. I have COPD, High blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. For over a year now I’ve had degenerative disc disease and a herniated disc in my lower disc. In April 2014, I had surgery to shave that disc to relieve the pressure on the nerve. It has ruptured and is putting pressure on the nerve again. It’s really painful. My back surgeon now wants to do a Hemilaminectomy and a Discectomy. He wants to do a two part - Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF) / Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (PLIF) surgery. I’m not sure if I want to take the chance on such a major surgery since the first one didn’t work and I had such a hard time with the first one. My questions are: Should I have this surgery or try to live with as it is using a pain management program? I’m considered 100% disabled now, if I elect not to have this surgery, will I be approved for disability retirement?