hello and sorry you have had trouble so long.
have you ever heard of a dermatome map...

take a look at this map of the body...

http://www.backpain-guide.com/Chapte...culopathy.html

it gives you an idea of where pain is felt in the various parts of the body based on where in the spine there is pressure.

it could very well be that the so called tendonitis is really symptoms from nerve compression.

i am unlucky enough to have compression all through my spine. symptoms from the compression vary. some feel like muscle strains and i get some weakness. others are sharp and shooting. some are aching and tingley as in pins and needles. and some are just weak with no pain. if you have any of these symptoms in the areas of the map that relate to the area of compression then in my opinion its related to your bad neck.

i had major surgery in my lower neck and upper thorasic area and i did get pain relief. i am now able to really stress my hands, arms, shoulders and neck with some pretty heavy work like cutting wood by hand or polishing cars. i no longer get tingling or weakness in my hands.

i dont know if you will be able to get another opinion but if the surgeon only checked you for 2 minutes i would recommend it. also there is another test that could prove or disprove nerve compression. that would be a EMG test...ask about that. a good exam of your situation should have been the dr testing your skin sensations by pressing a pin at your skin in shoulders, arms and hands, did surgeon do that? did he check your reflexes? some of my body parts are so numb i cant even feel the pin.

it sure sounds like surgery will help but its a big move and you want to be sure.....pal pete