Over doing things

I keep telling my self that I need to get out and do things around the house,but every time I do something around here I tend to go over board and end up paying for it for the next 3 or 4 days.This weekend was an example of me doing just that.I had planned on working on the fence between this house and the next because it was falling apart.I had started on it during the week but it was so hot that I had to stop alot and cool down.So I wasn`t making much progress or at least what I thopught was enough progress.Well Dad called and ask me if I needed some help getting it done.So he came over and helped ,understand this that my Dad has all kinds of physical problems of his own,he can`t walk very good or bend over and there is no way that he can kneel down to get to the bottom bracing.And some of his carpenter skills have also left him.I know he means well but sometimes I worry about him doing too much.Back to the story,we got a late start and I had already put the bracing in place when they arived.I was looking all over the place for my line level so that I would have a perfectly straight string in which to line up the slats for the fence.Good thing Dad brought his along so we got started and it got hot and even with us taking frequant breaks for water and rest we got the other pannel up and the gate in but it didn`t match up with the other side(it was too short in hight).I was wondering why after we went to all the trouble of getting a level line to follow that my Dad took it down before we started with the slats.I used to work for a fence company when I was a lot younger and knew that this line across the top was supposed to be left in place until all of the slats were put up but I didn`t mention it to Dad because he would have went off on me about not knowing anything and I should just keep my mouth shut.Well we needed that line and as it turned out we ended up with the gate and the fence that we put up is 1 1/2 " too short so now I have to take the fence that I put up down and cut it to fit so it will look right.I think I over did it because I have been having problems with my hips and lower back hurting so bad that it is almost impossable for me to reach my shoes to put them on and every time I try to get up my lower back feels like it is going to brake into and it is very painful to walk.I am going to try and stretch it out but so far nothing is working .I have some disc issues in that part of my low back and my doc say`s that she thinks that I need to have surgery to fix the 5 disc`s that are bulging out of there sockets back there.I have had some very good friends tell me that I don`t want to get that surgery because it made them have more problems that ever and they have also said that the pain never really goes away and that I will end up having to have more surgeries in the future.I just don`t know what to do about it because I don`t like being drugged or the feeling that I have to take certain med`s just to get through the day.I just don`t know what to do.It is a case of your damed if you do and damed if you don`t.Which is the lesser of two evils?The pain and not being able to mave around or pain and being able to do a little moving around?Any suggestions,any of you had this surgery and didn`t have problems later on?