Mudlark:

You're hip enough for us!

Knowing where you live it's pretty hard to get second and third opinions without an overnight trip but this is a major league decision. So, if it were one of us we'd be asking every possible medical person for their opinion. One thing we'd do is ask the conventional surgeon why he doesn't do the mini technique. Could be he just hasn't been trained in it but it might be some other reason.

Also, work the internet. In the last few years we have researched several medical topics this way and wound up knowing more than our family doctor about them. We wouldn't be surprised if you uncovered pictures of both kinds of surgery (which you might not want to look at). Not only is there lots of info on the web but at least some of it is cutting edge (pun intended).

Finally, please let us know how we can help you when you actually have the surgery. Do you need transportation? Can we shop and/or cook for you? Can we come over and cheer you up by singing a few songs (this will either cheer you up when we arrive or when we leave). We're not exactly neighbors but we're close enough to help.

Bev and Jerry