24, you really shouldn't be giving post-op advice.. firstly, if he just had surgery and had a complication, he'd probably remain NPO for several days to ensure healing. Secondly, it was surgery in a delicate area involved in swallowing, even further supporting a NPO diet. If inflammation or swelling resulted, you would not want to ice it, you would aspirate the fluid to prevent localized edema from impinging various anatomical structures in the area. And in surgery we don't want to get rid of all pain, contrary to what patients believe and desire. Some pain is more than okay in the post op course after surgery. Other than that, your suggestion of a lozenge type throat-numbing spray is a good one. You're obviously in the field, but be careful with giving post-op care advice out.

Agree with above commenter, definitely should not be eating for several days considering patient already had a complication and required anesthesia again. And pain meds lower the respiratory drive, which would further increase this patients chance of a lung problem developing. -Nurse (not a doctor)

I was given pretty much the same advice by my ENT and I even had the same post-op complication. Like OP, it happened after I coughed but I had just gotten out of surgery and was in the recovery room. After 24 hours, I was told that it was okay as long as I was VERY careful and did things like making sure ice chips/popsicles were completely melted before swallowing and only swallowing very small amounts of liquid at a time. After a few days, I was able to eat as long as I didn't eat anything anything hard or rough enough to disturb the stitches and scabs and, again, only swallowed a very small amount at a time. And there are things that actually do help that some people may not think of, like ice packs. I can't tell you how much those helped me. Ice doesn't need to be directly applied to an injury to help reduce pain and swelling. Icing my jaw was about the only thing that helped after I got my wisdom teeth taken out.

Wouldn't expect the FML community to understand this, but no, if you have dehiscence post-op with pharyngeal area surgery, the CURRENT recommendation is to not swallow for a little over a day. Because if the skin ruptures again, a) it needs to go back to surgery and b) its a lot bigger deal.

I could have been a bit clearer in my comment. That's my bad. To clarify, I am not saying OP should be doing all of these things right this second. They are suggestions for OP to talk to their doctor about to help reduce their pain during the entire recovery process; meaning when OP can drink, cold liquids can help, when they can eat, soft foods can help, etc. I am also not saying OP should expect a pain free recovery (in fact, I said just the opposite) or that pain is not an important indicator of complications. Yes, pain medication can affect the respiratory system, but that doesn't mean they can't be used in a safe manner. Every single medication comes with a risk of negative side affects. Adequate pain management after surgery is a big aspect of recovery and it's important for patients to discuss any problems they are having with their doctor. Last of all, what I mean about ice packs is that they can be used externally to help reduce pain, not that they should be used internally.