Tina,
DDD can be hereditary and typically sets in after 40years or so. Somehow your rationalization that back problems were "bound to happen" to my young sons doesn't make me feel any better nor make any sense.

I wander if you had a loved one who had a family history of lets say.. heart disease and it typically sets in when they are over 40 years old. Now, imagine this loved one is 21 years old & is very concious of eating right & exercising because she knows her family history. One day she is accidentally gased by an overturned tanker truck on the highway and inhaling the toxic gas caused irrepairable heart damage. Now everybody knows that she would likely have heart disease one day because practically all the other family members had it. However, those who loved her had hoped that it wouldn't strike her or maybe by the time she was 40ish (20 yrs from now)medicine would be able to cure the disease & maybe even prevent it. Alot, can happen in 20 years, you know.

I'll bet that you would be very distraught that your loved one (say she's your daughter)gets to start dealing with heart problems at 21 instead of the typical 41. You might even be concerned that when she is age 41, what she'll deal with then.

Now, I don't know for sure, but I am guessing that you might not appreciate nor understand why someone would tell you that since your daughter has a family history of heart disease and even though she was in an unfortunate accident the heart problems were "bound to happen".

The above story can be substituted with anything that typically starts during middle-age: arthritus, diabetes, Degenerative Disc Disease, etc. You are certainly not the first person that has expressed this same conclusion - that severe back problems were coming anyway. Apparently, you are a very pragmatic person which is not necessarily a bad thing. However, it tends to take away a person's hope & that really hurts.

Let me conclude with this quote: �Life may not be the party we hoped for... but while we are here we might as well dance!"

Apache

P.S. Joshua's fusion is scheduled for April 26th. He decided because of the constraints of dealing with WC and the fact that he wants to get on with his life, this was his only option.