ipad notes lost after sync

Disclaimer: I have read many of the other similar questions and they didn't help.

I am using an ipad and had some really important stuff in its native notes app. Today I noticed it didn't sync with my macbook which is normal since I moved to notes only during the last two weeks and still figuring things out.

(Must mention, ipad ran the last ios before 16, did not even know there was an update).

I went to settings and enabled icloud sync for notes. I was never prompt to make a backup neither anything appeared (I read some other users mentioning something about "keep older notes" but I wasn't shown anything).

Moments after, I check my macbook and no new notes have been added. Checking ipad I find very old icloud notes but none of my "offline" ipad notes. They're gone.

Doing some search I found this guide If you're missing notes on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch – Apple Support (UK) . At this point I did update my ipad to ios 16 but when I check the folders for the "recently deleted" folder it is not there. In fact there in the "All icloud" notes folder there are only few very old notes and nothing else. It seems like syncing with icloud REMOVED ALL OF MY LOCAL NOTES. Can't find any logic in this. I've been syncing across devices and using cloud services for a more than a decade and this a first.

Hate to say it, I moved to notes after deciding to completely immerse into apple's ecosystem soon. Can't describe the frustration and obviously I will be moving out asap if not solved.