Dear Radial Gal,
The answer to your question is that there is a 2 year statute on filing a claim and the clock starts ticking on that when symptoms appear. I did not rush to do such invasive surgery, I looked at other remedies first, so the statute expires in a few months.
I am not keen on litigation either, but even less keen to soak up a multi-million dollar earnings hit when the top peripheral neurosurgeon in the country tells me it is caused by a product that I am required to use in my job, and which might be considered to be defective.
Thanks for the well wishes.