Pain is information, and an encouragement to change what you’re doing or how you’re doing it.
A little reorganization of your code can make an order of magnitude difference in how fiddly the scaffolding is. Does that mean your code structure is informed by tests? Yes, yes it does. But classic car designs are informed by access for repairs, and some vehicles are cherished for their ease, others become a topic of complaint and camaraderie. Really any industrial design has an element of this.
A little reorganization of your code can make an order of magnitude difference in how fiddly the scaffolding is. Does that mean your code structure is informed by tests? Yes, yes it does. But classic car designs are informed by access for repairs, and some vehicles are cherished for their ease, others become a topic of complaint and camaraderie. Really any industrial design has an element of this.