Dear tungablk,
Hello!
I would want to reflect the views of an earlier post by an neurologist on medhelp for you:
"Lipomas are quite common benign tumours. Most of the time (>95%) they are completely benign and need only watching. Surgery is usually done when something is compromised by them, such as muscle invasion and nerve compromise. You should get a second opinion about your lipoma from a neurosurgeon. A general surgeon's first thought is surgery. You need to know if it is completely extradural and not compromising any structure (nerve). At the same time, you can have spinal column and cord examined to see if you have a disc herniation or whatever to cause the pain. Most of the time, lipoma surgery is for cosmetic reasons. But, if you have one lipoma you might have others, so it is best to have things checked out. "
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Neurology/Lipoma-on-mid-spine/show/293138
Take care!