I want to jump in with my two nickles here!
First....perhaps this "nurse"...I'm sure just a med aid, not registered RN, has a few things wrong with her thinking!
She should NEVER be talking about other patients AND never tell about her own pain! And using judgmental attitude that pain meds makes people "bad" just proves she knows nothing about long term pain!
Her ignorance is showing! She knows nothing about pain management!
I doubt she really has "full blown" Fibro...if so how and earth is she able to work any job?!
Let alone working around sick people, on your feet entire day...yada, yada.
Maybe one day she had a gas pain, heard this was part of FM so self dx~!
I've run into sooo many people who do this.
It was always funny to me...to watch a woman come into the hosptial to deliver her baby alla natural! (I was then a phlebtomist (Blood sucker!)
They claimed they were NOT going to have drugs!
Few hours later, I'd hear blood curdling screams....give me drugs! NOW!
All that natural birthing went out the window with a "little" pain!

The other week, a lady (a teacher) claimed her pain from FM was always a 15 on pain scale 0-10. Thats odd....the highest marker is a 10! And thats screaming.
I questioned her further as she had announced in the meetings that her pain went to a zero in 10 days of not eating junk food, was cured of her FM by this. She sticks to this story, still.
She also stated she worked full time despite high pain, never missed a day or work...that she NEVER took a single thing for pain...that her tolerance level is very high...that you can do anything if you just put your mind to it.
She lost all respect from me and only discredited herself with many as well as made this disease confusing for others who don't understand any of this.

Now she's telling me how bad her Fibro "was"....while I'm the Fibro-queen of Boring ORegon!
I too have high tolerance for pain...didn't take even a Tylenol after 5 hour surgery...had my guts opened up with 8 inch cut....so what does that prove? I was young and healthy then!

Anyone who truley has Fibromyalgia knows that day after day of feeling as if you have a temperature of 104*, worst case of flu AND run over by Mack Truck...then beat up by gang of thugs....thats what Fibromyalgia feels on a good day!

I was forced to quit a wonderful job I loved....was high end Real Estate agent, being paid over 6 figure income and promises an even higher as my business was growing beyond my wildest hopes...I'd worked hard....then fell hard, all in a short period of time!
There was NO amount of trying...I just could not work!
I desperatly wanted to work! But my body hurt way too much and my fatigue was a 10+!
I was heartbroken, self esteme shattered and all that goes with falling ill.
The life I once knew was over!
You could care less about the "Good girl prize" one gets for being stoic enough to not use drugs!...sure people can make it thru a few days of pain, but try week, after week, month after month...year after year of this, all bets are off....GIVE ME PAIN MEDS! Cuz thats the ONLY way my body gets a little releif!
You body does not work like others who don't have daily chronic pain!
You are part of a different "group"...welcome to the club!
So never mind these mindless stories...give them a button to wear on their lapel "say no to drugs".....anyone can just say NO if they've bodies that aren't broken or diseased.
If you aren't hurting as much on some days and able to cut back on amount of pain meds you need, then that is good! Take less then.
But if you are suffering, then why allow yourself to suffer?
You're not going to get a prize! And not many feel sorry these days.
People who take pain meds for pain do not feed their "Pleasure receptors" vs people who take them for a high.
If your pain cycle can be knocked down by taking pain meds....why wait till you're at the top of the pain scale?
But my opinions come from 20+ years of suffering Fibromyalgia and other diseases.
I don't care if someone can go without pain meds! Goody for them!
I'd like to be able to "hold them to it" down the years of pain!
If they truely have FM....they'll be eating their words one day....and lets see what happens then if a doctor tells them to take a hot bath, get good rest and excersise and write a persript for Physical Therapy instead of pain meds! Lets see who whines then!?!?! Been there, done that!
Blessings, cheryl
PS....anyone suffering with Fibromyalgia...please make an appointment with a pain mangagment center asap! They're the ones who deal with this and have all the latest info and help for this. Why allow yourself to suffer? What are you going to gain by this?
You're only hurting yourself! perhaps hurting your family as well...and NO ONE will feel sorry for you long term....I wish they did...but truth is...they won't! After awhile, their eyes beging to glaze over and yawning begins....they hear....blah, blah, blah...yada, yada, yada...and thinking "When will she ever shut up....my big toe itches...wonder what to fix for dinner, hmmm, how am I going to scratch my butt...it itches.....did I turn off the stove...yawn!"