> I had back surgery, there is no way in hell he only missed a few days of work or was working anywhere close to capacity through this ordeal.

I'm sorry, are you a doctor? A friend of mine just had back surgery a month ago. Something with his spinal fluid. He was fine & pain free after three days. They sent him home from hospital after four at which point he went back to work.

There are so many reasons why someone may have back surgery. You seem to deduce something from /your/ back surgery. A specific case and a sample size of one ...