Thunderbolt Frustration!!!

I am so lost!! My Thunderbolt seems to have a mind of it's own & I attempt to research how to troubleshoot the MANY problems I am having & end up more confused!! I'm also brand new to this website so if I'm doing something wrong or I'm in the wrong place then any helpful direction on where to go & what to do would be greatly appreciated. I am looking for answers as to why my phone CONSTANTLY has to load the home screen only to either turn black & shut off or flicker & start loading again. I am using my drop down notifications screen because it's easier than wtg for the main screen to load however in doing so I'm not using 90% of what's available to me (And it's BEYOND ANNOYING!!!) I have a difficult time sending/receiving text messages 99% of the time. Actually making or not dropping phone calls is nearly impossible!! I've got VM that I cannot access, pictures & music that randomly disappears NEVER to be found again! I've been dealing with all of these issues & more for months mostly due to the fact that I cannot afford the insurance replacement fee & more importantly I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO!! This phone was an upgrade from a HTC Incredible through Verizon & have been told repeatedly by Verizon Sales Associate's TOO BAD. I am considering just giving up on trying to figure these problems & going with the factory reset OPTION but am fearful of doing that only to have the same problems on top of losing all my data!! Is there someone(s) out there who can help?? If so, PLEASE HELP!!! I'm at the end of my rope......