I'm glad the surgery went well and you are recovering. Yeah, pain meds are a mixed blessing. I was on them for seven years. I was grateful for them when I couldn't get a correct diagnosis and my pain was intolerable, but you do become dependent and it took two months to recover after stopping them.
I was gone for ten days this summer and my cat was nuts when I got back, she was clingy and needed to be held and cuddled a lot for five days before she calmed down. People think cats are all aloof, but this one is anything but.