I had a rheumatologist many years ago to whom I expressed I felt like I had been hit by a truck, all the time. Work was becoming untenable and I wanted advice/help on possibly going to disability. He commented, rather condescendingly, “you don’t look sick!”. Punch to the gut. Two rhuematologists later and the interaction between psoriatic arthritis and fibro was diagnosed and I began treatments/meds that brought me out of severe depression and I began a better quality of life. Never give up, never stop searching for relief in whatever ways possible, various laws notwithstanding:)

Fibromyalgia...

It’s comforting to know we are not alone in our suffering, and others care and offer experiences that may help us get through the day. With depression I think the most important thing is to not let it linger! It is far too miserable a place to be for a day much less weeks or months or years. Please find a doctor who understands your situation, pain, sleep issues, etc. and let them help you.
I have been fortunate, in a sense, in that I had one major depressive episode, would rather have been dead. But it turned out to be a blessing in that it precipitated my finding the right doctor to put into place strategies/meds that helped. And most of all it helped me understand something I never lent much credence to. I have had a great deal of pain with Anklosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, fibro, occipital neuralgia, but nothing comes close to the suffering inflicted by depression. Please use whatever resources you may have to address it. God bless:)

Thanks for sharing.When the doctor was massaging on neck and shoulders..I cringed ..I can not have finger tips entering on my skin ,it is very painful..I use to go to physical therapy , and when they would try and give a massage with their finger tips I could not tolerate it..I wish I could..seems like it could be helpful,I am glad Dr Oz,is exposing what Fibro is to others..this can be very helpful.

@A MyFibroTeam Member ... so happy that you posted your experience just now. I'm glad that I'm not the only one to feel punched in the gut....when dragging myself to a doctors office when I was so ill that I could barely stand and was told that I was merely overstressed and given THE PROVERBIAL PAT ON THE SHOULDER. I was in such a dark confused place because it was years before I would ever get a medical validation yet my life was disintegrating. Being labeled a nonmedical condition put the burden on my shoulders and made me the culprit and carried with it that I was to be the solution, so more stress and intense confusion followed for YEARS.

Thank you also for sharing that you have depression even though my pain is off the charts I would do anything to ease my depression and anxiety. Even at times when my pain is lower the depression takes the forefront and I can't push through to do what I thought I could do, meager as the plans were (taking a shower, making a meal, etc.). I keep researching and I have to be my own advocate. I introduced my doctors the newest antidepressants and treatments. I'm treatment resistant (eye rolling) another label they put on our shoulders when their limited pharmacology and care doesn't work for over 60% of the depressed population in the world. Research shows that anti-depressants only work for 30 to 40% of the population and even of that population it's not 100% effective.

That you found something that was effective for you is a miracle in my view in you are one of the lucky ones. I'm glad you persevered and was able to get diagnosed properly and at least adequate medical care.

I've begun to believe with more men coming on the site and sharing their histories with fibromyalgia that it will be revealed that men have a higher incidence of fibromyalgia than previously thought. I think some other factors in this are that I think doctors dismiss the condition in general, that doctors dismiss it more with men, that men don't report their symptoms in the same way and that men don't go to doctors as much as women. And last that our culture values suffering to a degree - how many times have we been told to "push through it" or the "pain only makes you stronger" or that we're only valued for our productivity (industrial growth) or that "idle hands are the devil's workshop" so there are enormous multiple forces resisting a condition like ours.

Remember when alcoholics were told that they were weak and alcoholics and depressed people alike that all they had to do was to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps?" A mere 20 years ago in a teaching University I had a well meaning resident tell me that he thought depression could be overcome by sheer will.

I just thank God for the Internet

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