Good Evening Jim!
OK!...here is the deal!....your going to get a lot of different answers here, and I imagine a few questions too!
First question is who has been prescribing you your pain meds to you? It sounds like it hasn't been your PCD (Primary Care Doctor)...a PM maybe?
There must be more to this story than I'm reading....did your PCD look at a recent MRI? and base his decision on this?
In a lot of cases I would say yes!.. surgery may be the last option a person may want to do, but it is not always the case. The problem with taking pain meds is that it can mask other health problems,
that one may not be aware of. Another thing that can happen, is that your condition may become much worse, and the damage can become irreversible.
If you have a bulging disk and it is rubbing on the spinal cord,...if it is not treated by either an Epidural to reduce the swelling or maybe another option......you could actually suffer permanent damage.
This could happen all the while your taking medication for your pain, and think everything is OK, since your not in much pain.
Never ever, let anyone tell you to avoid surgery at all cost! (IMO) This advice could cost you dearly in the long run. (IMO)
Now if you have DDD and your disk are drying out, but not bulging against the Spinal Cord,...then yes you may indeed be able to go for a very long time, taking pain meds.
You're intake of Oxycontin and the Percocet is fairly high, and is pretty close to what I was on before my L4-L5, L5-S1 fusion.
Also the big question is!...will you still have pain after your surgery!....and the answer is we really don't know, but it is a possibility. The important thing is, that you may be mechanically fixed,
to where you will not suffer further damage to your Spine or Spinal Cord.
Have you had any Epidurals?....if not I'm a guessing you should have, before you were put on a pain management program.
I wish you the best, and please please to keep us up to date, as there are many of us with back problems here.
Lets see what the rest of the members have to say on this!
Take care!
SE