After using Remove tool multiple times, it stops working. Edits done subsequently gone without error

This is beginning to be extremely frustrating. This is not the first, second, nor third time this happens to me after hours of making edits to my photographs. I could be editing pictures just fine, using the Remove tool to get rid of unwanted items/blemish in photographs, then suddenly the software stops allowing me to use the tool further. (I click on another item to remove, but nothing happens - opacity is at 100%, everything is on the same setting as before). After this glitch happens, I know I am in huge trouble. The tool only seems to work after I quit the software altogether. Once the software opens again ALL my edits that I had finalized in this and in other pictures, are NOT there!!!!! What is going on??? Why isn't there a manual save button that I can trigger to actually keep track of my progress? How is it possible that after hours of work, my most up to date progress was not tracked by the software even though it's all seeemingly working??? (The software was not slow, and I am on stable internet connection) Is there another alternative to this BS cloud saving? I DONT want to keep running into this issue again, I am PAYING for this service. This is so unprofessional.....