I had back surgery in 1999 its not the best thing to have done.
My op was from s1 to l4 fusion I still have the screws and rods in.
The op was not painfull but my hip was the worst as thats where they took bone from for the bone graft.

Just take it easy for a few months and do plenty of walking.

Do what I do and use the pain as a measure of what you can and cant do.
I have not taken any pain killers since I was released from hospital.

Hope you have a speedy recovery.