OP (and Duolingo employee #34) here. I can definitely relate to the frustration! It's been years since I've worked on the product side myself, but for what it'

OP (and Duolingo employee #34) here. I can definitely relate to the frustration! It's been years since I've worked on the product side myself, but for what it's worth we do allow equipping up to 2 streak freezes now. I believe you can also restore a lost streak as an in-app purchase; I've never done so myself.