Hi, Waterbaby. I'm so sorry that you are having so much pain. I agree with you in that you probably developed the depression after getting fibro but, I also agree with your doctor in that your pain is worse because of your depression. Anybody would be depressed having chronic pain for years. I've had fibro for 22 years and don't remember what it was like to have no pain.
I do NOT agree with the woman in the ER that Sassy was talking about who said that if you've never thought of harming yourself then you don't really have fibromyalgia. I've had a lot of pain throughout my years but never once did I ever even dream of harming myself. Instead, I found ways to control the pain and live my life. There is no way I was going to allow fibromyalgia to control my life and my thinking.
I do not take narcotics. I did talk to my doctor about it once and he explained that when taking narcotics, many times you will need more and more to get the same results that you got when you first started taking it. That can lead to other problems and I didn't want to go there. (This is probably what your doctor is talking about.) He did give me Vicodin for break through pain but I never resorted to it because I know that the pain waxes and wanes with fibro and that I would be feeling better eventually. I didn't want my body to become dependent on a narcotic. That's my opinion. I know there are many on this forum that take narcotics and their decision is between their doctor and themselves...just like my decision is between my doctor and myself. I'm not saying I will never take narcotics since I don't know the future but, as long as I can control the pain, I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing.
What am I doing? I take ibuprofen with food and extra strength Tylenol for pain. I use malic acid/magnesium and vitamin D to help with pain and fatigue. I wrote all about these in the Fibro 101 thread in case you are interested. I also do gentle stretching exercises, also found in Fibro 101, and I do gentle exercises. I like to walk and swim. When I started walking, I could barely go past a few houses. Now I walk my dog every morning for one mile. I do a lot of walking in my home, running errands, etc. If you sit or lay too much with fibro, you will be stiff as a board and in more pain.
I go for gentle massages. I see a massage therapist that not only is licensed but certified. She has to take classes every year to learn all the new techniques. The massages really do help me a lot. I take hot showers and use moist heat. You can get a Bed Buddy at Walgreen's and other places or you can make your own by taking a tube sock, filling it 2/3's full of long grain rice (not instant) and tying a knot at the end. Pop it in the microwave and it gives off moist heat due to the moisture in the rice.
I also think positively. I never found that thinking negatively helped me one iota. It just made me more miserable and more depressed, caused more tears, more pain, etc. So, if it wasn't helping me, I wasn't going to do that! Instead, I look at the good things about my life. I look around at all the blessing and the things that I can do with fibromyalgia. I keep myself busy and, like Jeannie said, the pain fades somewhat in the background. I love doing genealogy because I totally forget the pain but yet I'm doing something of value for future generations of my family. Anyway, I think you have the picture.
Sunday I started scrubbing baseboards. Trust me, I put this off as long as humanely possible but it had to be done and I'm a widow and don't have anyone that can to it for me and I can't afford to hire someone to do it. I had no choice. The dirt was driving me crazy. I knew I would be in a world of pain. I started and worked several hours on Sunday and several hours on Monday and, yes, I was in extreme misery. Tuesday I had a massage and that helped me so much. Yesterday I thought I'll mop the floors now. The worst was over with scrubbing baseboards, after all. Well, for some reason, mopping was even worse than scubbing! When I got done, I could hardly move at all and the pain was wrapping around my rib cage and it hurt a lot to breathe, too. I took my ibuprofen and several hours later took Tylenol and these still didn't help.
Then, I remembered that I had a back massager in my closet. I completely had forgotten about that. It is a pad that I can put in a chair. When I sit down, the pad goes from my neck, down my back, until it reaches the back of my knees. It has five zones on it and vibrates. You can keep it on one zone or have it go up and down your back. It also has heat. Well, talk about a lifesaver! This is now my new best friend. If any of you can get this, I highly advise it. By evening, I had total control the the pain again. What a blessing.
So, Waterbaby, I've written a lot here to show you that you can work around the pain. You can find things that will help you. You just have to keep searching. Keep reading on this forum because people do share what works for them...just like I have done for you. Some of this could help you, too....especially the walking. Once you get moving and looking toward the future with anticipation and hope, your frame of mind, your attitude will be affected and you should feel better. I do hope you feel better soon.
Sherrine