DrugBuyers.Com: Advice on tolerance, please.

Any doctor with any good sense will tell you that it is not a great idea to self-medicate. Unfortunately, I have had to turn to OP's to get adequate pain treatment for three herniated disks. My PCP and several orthopedists I've been through think that a big strong relatively young (41) guy like me should be able to grit through the pain. As I've posted before, the pain is on between a 6-8 level daily. I've procured Norco and refills from an OP and don't want to get into the dependency and tolerance spiral that the OP doc and a few wise folks online have warned me about. The days my pain is a level six is about three days out of the week and the days it is a seven or eight is about four days.

My question is: If I just tough it out on the "six" days and don't take the NORCO and do the one every six hours on the "seven or eight" days, will this be enough to keep the tolerance at bay? Right now, when I take it on the really bad days, it works like a dream and I can keep my focus at work without the nods and giddies.

The online doc was adamant and forceful in her insistence that I strictly manage my doses, and try not to take it every day.

Long story short, does this sound like a good plan to not build up a tolerance? How do some of you other folks handle this dilemma? Thanks in advance.

--------------------
I'm not a doctor, I just play one on a message forum!