osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis

Hi my names Julie. I've suffered with arthritis since I was in my 30's, I'm now 53. Last year I had to quit work as I have bad arthritis in my neck, I had surgery in 2017 to fuse 3/4 of my spine which helped but it's gotten bad again so I can't sleep without shuffling over every 45 minutes or so as my arms go dead. My shoulders are really bad with limited movement, both my knees and ankles, occasionally my hips kick in, and my elbows are weak. Even more recently my arm muscles have become so weak I sometimes have to use two hands to lift a kettle. I waited 9 months to see my neuro surgeon (had to see one of his understudies) who told me he thought I had carpal tunnel, even though in 2017 that test was negative. I'm really suffering, when I wake it feels like the bones in my feet are coming through until I get moving. I fall over and drop things a lot. At the end of the day, I can barely move, and have to go through a pain barrier to get to bed. I suffer terrible hot flushes (definitely not mesopause) when I look down and when I turn onto my left hand side. I can barely turn my neck left and right, my shoulders are always in agony. My GP X-Rayed my right hip and right shoulder and confirmed arthritis (not serious) last year, but I am degenerating at a rapid rate. The only exercise I can do is walking, and I do this 2-3 times a day, as I don't have the range of movement in my shoulders to swim. I'm also exhausted all the time. My GP thinks I have Osteoarthritis, which my Neuro Surgeon confirmed I have in my spine, I don't take any pain killers as I'm really afraid of long term medication. I'm more concerned with the amount of joints that are failing. Does Osteoarthritis effect both joints, as when my joints go it always both sides of my body. Would it benefit me making a private appointment with a rheumatologist to discuss everything or is this a bit overkill? Sorry for the long post but I'm at my wits end.