Longtime fibromalgia sufferer...having trouble adjusting to limitations.

[Guest guest]

Good evening,

I have had fibromyalgia for the past 17 years along with depression. I spend

about a third of each year depressed. I have had 13 years of

therapy and I take an antidepressant to keep the depression from

becoming severe.

I just came out of a six month depression about Jan 20, so I am

adjusting. I am 60 years old and work 20 hours a week as a bank teller.

My husband is retired and does the heavy housework, dishes and outside

work, plus grocery shopping..all stuff that I used to do, plus work a

full time job(prior to fibromyalgia).

I have two issues: adjusting to my limitations and my emotional feelings about

this. I can adjust, but I do not like it.

I also went to a funeral recently for a spouse of a co-worker who

committed suicide due to pain that could not be relieved. He was

an alcoholic with liver damage and that is why he did not receive

more medication. I am not at all suicidal, but my pain levels were so high at

the funeral that I could hardly sit in the chair.

I only take Aleve when I work and during the day. I have 30 low dosage vicodin

for breakthrough pain for a month. I do plan on calling my doctor this week and

seeing if we can up the vicodin to

50 per month, so I can take more than one on a really bad day.

My question is: How much pain can I realistically expect to have relieved by

pain medication?

Thanks so much for any answers and understanding concerning this.

I am so happy to not be depressed, but unhappy that my pain levels are so high.

Penny