You telling the doctor what you are no longer capable of and him noting it is vastly inferior to going through a FCE.

When I went through a FCE it helped prove that when I perform fine motor skills with my dominant hand it starts the cycle of pain and swelling within just a few minutes. My physical therapist used water displacement to measure my swelling after certain intervals. What should have taken a few hours in one day to complete had to be spread out over several days because I begin to flare with any activity. When my range of motion and grip strength was tested only once, they were within normal ranges, albeit substantially lower than before I developed RSD/CRPS. When those tests were repeated at both short intervals and longer intervals, my function dropped off substantially. This backed up what I had self reported and what a family member had written in her questionnaire for SS.

You want to get as much medical evidence added into your record up until you file your appeal. Even if the AC does not review the new evidence, it's apparently a loophole that it will be included in your record if you have to pursue your claim to federal court.

By the time you receive a decision from the Appeals Council and receive a new ALJ hearing, you'll very likely be past your 50th bday. (Assuming you receive a remand, of course.) You won't be far enough past it to accrue very much backpay if you decide to amend the AOD though, and so your attorney might not encourage it--just something to keep in mind. You really need to be prepared that even in a best case scenario, and you do receive a Fully Favorable Decision, it could be a year or even two before you receive any benefits. The Appeals Council very rarely issues a Fully Favorable decision.

Returning to some type of work should of course be your goal. Whether or not that is realistic, is another matter. If you utilize the services of a Vocational Rehab Counselor, he or she might be able to help determine if that's a possibility--they will send you out for testing if needed. In some scenarios there might even be help with living expenses while training. You'd also potentially have access to jobs that would attempt to accommodate your special needs.

Depression is absolutely a component of RSD/CRPS. And not only are you trying to deal with a devastating diagnosis, you also moved recently and have the financial complications of being disabled and not working. These are individually incredibly stressful. Combined together it can be overwhelming. I highly recommend seeing a pain psych doc, even if only temporarily.