Pattie
Hi! I have spinal stenosis too. I'm only in my forties. Starting having problems in my early thirties. Doctor says it's genetic because it developed so early and also runs in my family. Anyway, I'm no doctor, but I wouldn't worry about the fact that your pain is worse when you lie down, at least as far as that being unexpected. If you are like me, you'll have pain from the narrowing of the spinal canal but also from all kinds of bone spurs and bone chips (I have two ruptured discs and one bulging disc, and bad arthritis of the facet joints--lower back only). Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, between all that and the ligaments being hypertrophied on top of everything, you're bound to have weird pains and things sticking into things and irritating nerves in a most unpredictable manner. The main thing is, if you have stenosis (which is I think easy to see on film) then you might as well go for the surgery and see if that helps. I know it's not an easy surgery and I'm not saying it lightly but I'm just saying that your pain upon lying down is just the way it goes for you these days. Next year it could be something else. I think it's very hard for doctors to tell what's going to start bothering me from one year to the next. Anyway, good luck with everything and I think you should go on disability for a while. I was crazy from the pain until I stopped working (I qualified for permanent disability.) I'm much more able to pace myself now as to what my back can handle in one day. I know that's not a great solution either but you need a break from all that pain. Anyway, take care and let us all know how it goes. Patty