Jeff: You have to do what makes you most comfortable. For myself, if Lap wasn't available, I probably wouldn't even do surgery. Also, even though your doc sounds like a wonderful doc, he may not have the experience needed for the Lap. Most Lap surgeries under an experienced surgeon would not take 4-5 hours unless there were complications. It also sounds like the second surgeon you mentioned is being very thorough with the testing, etc. I think I would feel more comfortable with that approach, as well. My doc ordered a ton of tests for me, but I'm glad they're taking a look at everything before surgery, so they will really have an accurate picture of my health status going in. Best wishes to you in whatever you decide.