I don't want do downplay what you have been through and all the effort you have put in to trying to get an accurate diagnosis, and I know how discouraging navig

I don't want do downplay what you have been through and all the effort you have put in to trying to get an accurate diagnosis, and I know how discouraging navigating the US medical system is, but there have been a lot of advancements/changes in the area of orthopedic disorders since the 90s. If lidocaine in your shoulders is the only thing that has given you relief, you most likely have some form of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. Lidocaine injections in shoulder muscles force those muscles to relax, releasing the brachial plexus (nerves) and thus relieving the symptoms of nerve impingement. Physical therapy is the primary treatment for TOS (e.g. building and stretching the muscles in the shoulder girdle), but surgery is an option as well. Ultimately they can just cut the ligament/muscle that is impinging on the nerve and viola, your symptoms are gone. In some cases, the nerves are impinged by something like an extra first rib that some people are born with. This too can be surgically removed. I encourage you to research TOS and come to your own conclusions since you know yourself better than I do, but that's what it sounds like to me.