>>>I certainly understand the desire to relieve debilitating pain. Until last year I used to be very active - played tennis, skied, worked out for 2-3 hours a day . Now I have such terrible pain in my legs that some days I can barely walk. Like you say - what a drag it is getting old.
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>>Anecdote is not data - but if the pain in the legs correlates with stenosis of the spine pressing on some nerves, micro-chirurgic widening of the canal was one thing tried only after lots of less intruding measures that helped in a particular case. In hindsight should have been tried sooner here, even if no problems stemmed from operation. IAC best wishes to get better / at least over that hump next year.
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>Is this ""anecdote is not data" now a standard reply, in response to anyone sharing a relevant personal observation? <s>

I have seen the bracketed s - even so:

As I remember crossreading lots of medical info and trying to fit that to one particular case, that particular concentration altered the weights of my processing back then - so not a standard reply, more as a guard against lucking in with bulls eye diagnosis and not knowing Marcia's other situation making reccomondation possibly contraproductive.

And it IS cute, kiwi-tinged and more ;-)