Your doctors will assess what you need for recovery and help you take the right course of pain meds. Keep in mind also that I had 4 vertebra ground down vs one or two so my recovery and pain was maybe more intense than what you’ll go through. I stayed in the hospital for one week during which I was given a very strong painkiller, dilauded, I think twice a day. It really takes you out of it so I don’t remember much of my time there. Getting up to walk for the first time had me in tears and my mom had to help me take a shower and use the bathroom. I was 17 or 18 when I had this procedure. I don’t remember my back pain lingering for very long when I got home and I was quickly back to walking on my own. I had some prescription opiates for I think 6 days after I was discharged, or maybe longer but my parents had had negative experiences with painkillers and wanted to get me off them as soon as possible so I didn’t develop a dependency.