Suggest Treatment For Severe Back Pain

Hello I m 53 and up until 4 years ago was extremely active with my own business and sporting activities. I began having back pain and attended a doctors surgery and after several scans was told I would need an operation fusing several discs I was told I d be up and around again in 18 days yet found the pain was almost too much to bear. Pain had never before affected me to any major degree ( I once played 2 quarters of football AFL with a fractured collarbone) To cut a long story short, I m now on 2 100 mg patches of durogesic along with 8 endone tablets and up to 3 5mg diasapam tablets at night which relaxes my spine and reduces my pain enough to get several 10 to 30 minute sleeps . I must carry on for several years at least as I have a 15 year old Daughter and 17 year old Son who for the time being need me . My problem is that I ve NEVER been one for putting chemicals into my body so I regularly cut down and down until I virtually can t move in the hope of regaining some sort of mobile life , which would make my children extremely happy . I m not naive enough to think that I am immune to depression and I am concerned that I may be on that road . I m a single dad and my life is my children. As foreign as it is to me to be a victim, I am concerned that with the addition of depression, my children s lives could be affected and that is unacceptable. I see a very competent doctor but I don t like a complaining person and feel I may underestimate when conferring with him. I ve contacted this site with the hope that I can keep my dignity and maybe even get a suggestion to help my rapidly escalating fatigue, this is the most debilitating as the pain can be coped with but the fatigue is something will power or longing cannot seem to be controlled. I thank you in advance for anyone who may have time to give a quick sugestion or so Many many thanks Bruce