I totally feel for you, Acadia. I deal with pain every day in recovery, and I know how bad it can get. That nurse who said it "was too much of a hassle" for her should be fired... or demoted to bedpans. Nursing without any sense of caring for patients has become more the norm than the exception these days, I'm sorry to say. Over-worked, underpaid and totally disregarded in the workforce, the rate of burn-out among nurses is incredibly high.

In our hospital, we have a pain service that does nothing else but monitor patient pain levels and jumps in to relieve acute pain like what you were having.

Why the heck didn't they give you a PCA???

There's no excuse for that nurse's attitude... none at all. I hope you get some sort of patient feedback form from the hospital: if you do, please cite this nurse.  And it can't hurt to send a letter to the ward thanking those who took such good care of you, whilst expressing sorrow for those nurses who find relieving pain of their patients "too much of a hassle"... just a few ideas.

As far as the pain goes: it is terrible pain... it was a big surgery, hun. Take your pain medications regularly to try to stay on top of the pain as much as possible. I so feel for you, Acadia... and wish you much strength and the fastest-possible healing.

God bless... my prayers are with you for a speedy recovery.

Monterey/Mint21.x/Win10 - Blender3.x - PP11.3(cm) - Musescore3.6.2

Wir sind gewohnt, daß die Menschen verhöhnen was sie nicht verstehen
[it is clear that humans have contempt for that which they do not understand] 

Metaphor of Chooks