Please do post once you have had the op - I would be interested to hear how it has helped you. I think that given the pain that you have been in, in terms of your quality of life an invasive procedure is the best way forward. You could manage it conservatively, but there are no guarantees this will work, and you might be in considerable pain in the meantime. Sounds like people over here in the UK moaning about the NHS wouldn't be any better off in Oz!