I had a 9lb 15oz baby and had a minor 1st degree tear. I was truly terrified of tearing before I even got pregnant, lol! I had an epidural and didn't feel the tear at all. The stitches healed up totally fine too.
I had another friend who had to be cut because her baby came so fast.
I had another friend who needed over 50 stitches but she did heal ok.
ETA: My recovery was totally fine too, no pain in sitting etc. They did have these icepack thingies in the hospital that I LOVED for the first few days, lol... also used the squirty bottle with warm water when I peed to help with any stinging - that thing is AWESOME- and even had a pain reliever spray (didn't use that one much though).
Sitz baths can help too.