Is surgery good news?

So at last I have been referred for surgery....the Referral was going to take forever on the NHS so I begged, borrowed and stole to raise £295 to see a private consultant. My appointment was ONE HOUR long! Definitely worth the money for the peace of mind and confidence that he gave me. A week later I had a 'triage' appointment with the NHS when I was given an allocated 2-4 minutes (as explained by the Consultant). He too recommended surgery. I'm not bashing the NHS, I wouldn't be here without it and I certainly couldn't afford the surgery both Consultants recommend, which is.....Lumbar spine decompression, realign deformity (spondylolisthesis L5/S1) & fusion (complete with Meccano!).

Can I please hear from anyone who has had a similar operation and I would also like to hear from anyone in the uk who has had spinal surgery, would you recommend your hospital? I can't have complex spinal surgery where I am so I'm looking at somewhere not in the south west.

Thanks

[Clycat]

Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, part of Oxford University Hospitals NHS