Terry,
Please ask them about Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) for your pain management. You may need more than an every 4-6 hour pill to keep you comfortable.
PCA can involve morphine, demerol (meperidine), fentanyl, hydromorphone (Dilaudid) given via IV. You can have a continuous dose or not (usually they start you with a continuous dose and wean you off) along with a button that you can press periodically (usually set for a 5-minute lock-out) for additional pain relief. The pump keeps track of your requests and and the amount of medication you receive. Your nurses should be assessing your pain scores at least every few hours to ensure that you have adequate pain control.
I hope you start feeling better soon.