pital12345,
I saw a pain management anesthesiologist once who looked at the MR images and said, "There are so many things wrong with your spine. I don't know what you expect me to do." Four days later I saw a pain management md (Stanford University Pain clinic Dr Board in Georgia now) who looked at the same scan and said, "There is so much we can do."

In my opinion you need a full assessment by different physician. I'd suggest a university pain clinic where you will get more than one opinion.
I don't think you should be thankful for a book on PT, nor do I think you should blame yourself for any weight gain, especially the inevitable gain from having pain with activity.
I believe, as our moderator, that most doctors do everything they know to help us, but sometimes that isn't good enough.
At least find a pain physician who will try another round of radiofrequency (in case he missed the nerve).
Pause, if you need to, but don't give up.
Best wishes