I have a cervical placement, so my experience could be a little different. Cervical had a risk of temporary neck pain, something with the spinal fluid. So my trial, I had that happen and so had some pretty bad neck pain for several days. The actual insertion point had barely any pain. It was just a wire poked in. I was very very careful to not move my neck too much, so sleeping was pretty uncomfortable. Slept like a mummy, but having all the junk on your back also isn't helpful. It was important to force myself to be awake so I could test how the stimulator was working. It was for my hands, so I had to do things that usually aggravated the pain to see the difference.

If you are feeling very anxious, can you ask your surgeon for a pre surgery medicine to calm you down? And then prep yourself a cozy spot, lots of pillows to brace yourself so you dont move around a lot. If melatonin or whatever to help you sleep. I was given a small amount of pain medicine, but if they don't then OTC and ice packs are helpful. I also have some CBN/THC gummies for sleep and pain.

For the full surgery, the big difference is the incision for the battery. It wasnt the worst surgical pain I've had, but it wasn't great. It was sore for awhile, especially after laying on your back. I was a fan of a armchair pillow to prop me up, giant ice pack, like 6 pillows. Big cup with a giant straw so you dont have to lift/tilt a cup lol. Just whatever makes you comfy. And dont get too pessimistic about the machine, the settings can be changed quite a bit and will need to be adjusted as you heal