HA! Told you bozos it was an embarrassing story. Wolf's Disease at its finest.
Ya, it is pretty common from my understanding too. The doctor actually didn't recommend surgery right off the bat, but he also didn't have the images yet to look at himself; he was saying it if and only if he felt the pictures matched the MRI report exactly.
Ya, I'm a bit concerned that if I don't get it, this will be my situation too and I'll ultimately end up needing it anyway. Especially with the kind of integrity needed to push for a 300 press and 455 bench. I'll see what he says after he sees the images and also probably get a second opinion. Hope your procedure is successful and the recovery quick.