My pain might not even be comparable with yours since you've been through surgery, but I recently tried to hold out against the pain and found myself give in and take painkillers just so I could get through the working day. I think sometimes it's necessary and it's counterproductive to continue to be a stoic and cop all the pain.
I originally was hoping for a miracle with this program since we've read about those people who were cured by reading Sarno's book or by going to a seminar. Once I realised (thanks to the encouragement of those on this forum) that it's a long drawn out process, or at least, it can be, then I relaxed into it a bit more.
I think trying to go it alone without pain medication can sometimes be another symptom of the TMS - of not being kind to yourself. I've since found that after I stopped seeing the medication as a evil and associating it with failing, paradoxically, I haven't needed it as much. Hopefully this can be your experience too.