I think you could be onto something there - with your back surgeries, you're going to be prone to pain issues as it is, without adding the strain of trying to reach the pedal! :( Throwing all your weight to one side like that = muscle fatigue and more pain.

I have just the opposite problem - my legs won't fit under most sewing cabinets. I tried putting my favorite cabinet up on pieces of 2X4 and I use an adjustable height chair set up high. This is working out so well, I'm going to make frames to go under all the machines that I use a lot. It's so worth it to sit comfortably at a sewing machine, for a change!