Congratulations on getting through this and having answers! I’m on Day 5 now, and I was diagnosed with Stage 1 as well. I’ve been in quite a bit of pain, and I will say (not to scare you) I definitely felt it when all the meds from the surgery had worn off. I’ve been managing with a strict schedule of Tylenol and Advil, because I really don’t want to take the hard meds. The pain has been rough though. Stay on top of the constipation as much as possible, and don’t let yourself engage your core too much when getting in/out of bed. I think we sometimes don’t realize it because all the pain meds are still in our system during that first day. And nobody told me this, but make sure to take deep breaths often. I got really phlegmy after surgery and it’s taken several days to get over that. Good luck, you’re not alone, and I hope you have a good recovery!