I doubt I can help you much, but I will share my own experience with you about my shoulder problems and an observation I made. I was a very active and still working 65-year-old when I got home from work one evening and could barely move my arm to open my car door. I saw an orthopedist for the first time and had an MRI done on my shoulder. My rotator cuff was torn. He gave me a steroid pack to get me through the next few months until I could have surgery. It just wasn’t possible at that time. Three months later after the steroid wore off and he could effectively operate on my shoulder, the repair was done. I had a rough three months of physical therapy, but that shoulder is 100% useful now and I have had zero problems since then. Five years ago my other shoulder started having pain and I went back to the doctor for an MRI. It looked like another torn rotator cuff. I was able to go ahead with surgery right away that time so a few weeks later, I went under the knife again. This surgery was tricky because when he went in for the repair, he found the cuff to be not completely torn. The option for that is cut it and do a full repair, or debride it and supposedly make the recovery and PT time a lot easier. WRONG!! I am now suffering a totally weak shoulder and arm on my left side and really wish he had cut it and done a full repair. I still had to undergo three months of painful PT for the debridement. I’m finally going to get to the point I wanted to make… There was a gentleman undergoing therapy at the same time I was. He had a full shoulder replacement and within a month was able to move more easily than he had in years. He said his recovery had been super simple and he was totally surprised at the ease of the surgery. It doesn’t seem to be a surgery to be afraid of based on the recoveries I have noticed around me. Also, don’t discount what your shoulder could feel like down the road when you are less able to go through any physical therapy easily. I’m sorry if I’m overstepping. I just really wish my doctor had made that little snip and done a full repair or I soon become eligible for a replacement. My arm is fairly useless to me, unless I have steroid injections. My doctor can’t/won’t do that as often as mine are needed. I had blood work done yesterday testing for autoimmune disorders as well. I’m just waiting for the results. I had a diagnosis of RA almost 6 years ago. The rheumatologist I saw was kind of useless. She didn’t do much else but bloodwork and write prescriptions. My regular GP can do that and he is a lot more helpful. Two years later, my blood work came up clear for auto immune. Very odd. We’ll see what the recent tests show. I wish you luck in your journey and comfort in your days. Not knowing what’s going on or the real source of your pain is really hard. I am thankful I have at least one doctor who believes what I say and really works at trying to find solutions.

I know only too well! My life went down to a 1 also. Sitting in a chair all day....