I can tolerate a lot of pain as long as I know I'm in control of the situation (and can stop it when I choose). Several times that's worked out to my benefit -- like knowing when a dentist was over-heating the tooth he was grinding down for a crown, e.g..
I had very little pain post-OHS/BAVR, so I didn't have to tolerate anything to drop the narcotics (and then the Tylenol) as soon as my health pro's permitted that, which was soon. The one shot of Morphine I had post-op (which I'm pretty sure I didn't need, either -- it was for drainage-tube removal) gave me weird visual auras for hours afterwards (which I ALSO didn't need!
![Wink ;) ;)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
).
The hospital's resident Cardiologist felt strongly that I should be taking narcotics all along, because I would never use the spirometer aggressively enough, and would never regain lung function quickly enough, if I felt the feelings. I persisted (partly because I was afraid I'd OVERdo if I did NOT feel the feelings), and a day or two later, she admitted that my lung function was very good. While that dispute was still going on, and I was still on Tylenol, one of the actual surgeons came by for rounds. He asked me and the nurses how my pain was, and they told him, in surprise, that I had turned down the narcotics, and was just on Tylenol. That's when he said I didn't need to take the Tylenol either, if I didn't need it. I did take two regular strength Tylenols after that, one per night, because I was having trouble sleeping and thought they'd help. (I'm not sure they did. My sleeping was mostly in 2-hour snatches for a few weeks post-op.)
Just as I dug in my heels to AVOID pain-killers I didn't need, I don't think I'd hesitate to insist on pain-killers I thought I DID need. But in general, I'd usually rather be somewhat conscious of what feels great and what hurts.