Spine Surgery Denied

I been having pain in my neck, shoulder and hand with nub-ness, pins and needles down my arm for the last 10 weeks. During that time I was on anti-inflammatories and even had a course of Steroids to relieve inflammation. There was no improvement and I was eventually medically disembarked from the ship I work on. On arrival back home I went to my GP who referred me to a Neurosurgeon. I was sent for an MRI of which Discovery only covered 2/3, the rest came out of my medical saving which had accumulated. The MRI showed a badly herniated disc at C6 in my neck that was pinching on the nerve bundle that goes down my left arm. The Surgeon immediately prescribed surgery to remove the disc and replace with a prosthetic. Discovery denied me this surgery on the grounds that I hadn't had any "Conservative" therapy. There is no Conservative therapy to fix my issue given the time that has already passed and all that is happening whilst surgery is delayed is damage to the nerve bundle. A letter of motivation from the Neurosurgeon for the urgency of the surgery was submitted to Discovery. They immediately asked for more information. When that was submitted, they waited another 3 days before requesting a new set of irrelevant information - delaying tactics. I am disgusted with the way they are trying to avoid paying. I have had to turn to my company to try and cover my surgery. Discovery, any nerve damage that is caused every day I am delayed will be for your account on the grounds that your lack of urgency contributed to the damage. You think you are secure in the knowledge that you have Medical Aid, you are not! Just try and claim and see what happens.