After my back surgery they told me recovery would be the most painful experience of my life. This to a guy who spent a year in a full leg cast after a traumatic spiral fracture of the tibia and fibula, has had multiple knee surgeries, broken fingers, ulna, clavicle, etc. Fortunately, they were wrong for the most part. Initially I was on 20-30 mg of oxycodone daily, but I hated that and soon weaned off. There was plenty of discomfort and occasional sharp pains, but I focused on PT and pretty soon was feeling much better. After five months, I was back on the golf course for the first time in years. There was only one brief episode about two weeks post surgery when I stood up to go to bed I suddenly felt 10 level pain, started shaking and sweating, and dropped back on the couch. My wife wanted to call an ambulance; I said no and just breathed deeply for a few minutes and it passed. Not trying to scare you there, more trying to say that there was great pain for only about five minutes of my recovery. Hang tough, do the work, and you won't regret it.