Hey man, glad to hear you made it through ok and thanks for letting us know... we at ROD are invested now!
Regarding pain management, I'd encourage you to advocate for yourself and be persistent with the doc if necessary. In 2025 we've got all the drugs needed to mask pain... they just are concerned about future dependency, of course. But if you take opioids for a short period of time and only as prescribed you should be okay.
For me after surgeries, hydrocodone (Vicodin) wasn't effective at all. But oxycodone (Percocet) really worked. Everyone's body is different. And if they are reluctant to give you opioids, they have other options.
Bottom line-- they have TONS of different pain relievers, many different varieties that work in different ways. So if you continue to be in bad pain, I'd encourage you to speak up and let them know!!
Good luck with your recovery.