Hi grandnexus.
I’m sorry to hear about your back issues, but I’m glad that you are on the way to getting it repaired. I’m sure your orthopedic surgeon has already discussed the importance of having a properly supportive sleep system, which would certainly align with leading sleep ergonomic research.
Thank you for taking the time to do some research on the site. You can read for months and still learn, so I appreciate you browsing through the information I’ve provided.
While nobody can speak to how any specific mattress will “feel” for someone else or whether it will be a good “match” in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances and you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress … outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. Certainly latex is a very durable material. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you find out information listed here (which I think you’ve already done) so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase. Just in case you haven’t already, please read the mattress shopping tutorial here.
In its simplest form, it comes down to…
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Careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) to make sure that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or “fine tune” the mattress and any costs involved if you can’t test a mattress in person or aren’t confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.
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Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight/BMI range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress (see the durability guidelines here )
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Comparing your finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
Subject to first confirming that any retailer or manufacturer on the list that you wish to visit is completely transparent (see this article) and to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets your specific criteria and the quality/value guidelines I linked earlier in this reply, the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Seattle/Tacoma area are listed in post #2 here.
Better retailers will provide the specifications about what is inside of their products, as this is the only way you can determine quality and durability. If they don’t move on to the next retailer.
I look forward to learn about your experience and choice. Good luck with your surgery! 
Phoenix