The majority of people on our list who have had the surgery had pain control. You can get some idea of the doctor's view of follow up by the answer to this question. How he will deal with YOU if you fall into this category. While this will vary depending upon each case you should have a baseline idea of the timeline. If it doesn't seem realistic, ask questions.
Nothing beats advice from the horse's mouth, so to speak.
An excellent way to get ideas for second opinions. Get a second opinion.