I am in a similar situation as you, I rode a lot then got ill and had 4 major surgeries that kept me off the bike for a few years, then had a fall where I broke 4 ribs. Dr said I had to wear a hard shell rib protector to ride again, cause if a fell one of the my ribs was pointing at my lung. I did not heed that advice. Then the herniated discs in my neck acted up. At that point I converted my touring bike to tourist bars and my neck issues were way better. I generally only rode around the neighborhood so I'm not back 100%. But today I spent all day sorting out the bike with new wheels and tires. The rode a little bit it felt great. The last month or so I have felt well enough to get excited about cycling for real, again. I'll try to keep it up, I hope you do too. It takes baby steps sometimes.