My wife works at hospital her coworker strongly urging me not to get c spine surgery bec it can shorten my life span is this true? these epidural injections may fail for me?

I would be cautious about taking medical advise from some random co-worker with unknown qualifications and a potential bias against such procedures. Get whatever evaluations you need and second opinions from well trained physicians and make your own decision based on that data. If a procedure performed by a well trained doc can improve your quality of life, it has value.

Shortening your life span is not true. If you can be managed non operative methods obviously it is better .

CONCEPTS: Epidurals help control symptoms when a nerve root in the neck is compressed, but the duration is limited to a few months at most. Surgery should be done if unremitting pain, progressive weakness and atrophy, abnormal bladder function, and/or spinal cord compression. Surgery is not always as successful as wished but does NOT shorten your lifespan.