The point of taking pain meds after surgery is to keep you out of pain when the pain is most intense -- just following surgery. Not taking pain meds when you are in pain following surgery actually tends to slow your recovery. Take them regularly while you need them and you will find as you heal you will need them progressively less until you no longer need them at all. The way you are doing it will just slow down your recovery. Take them only as prescribed (don't double up or anything; that is just as much a problem), but take them as prescribed. If you get to the end of your prescription and still are in so much pain that you need more, that's when you call and talk to your surgeon about how to proceed.