Thanks for sharing. I just had Trans oral robotic surgery 5/9 and the doc took out the lingual and palatine tonsils as well as all the tissue down to the muscle on the left back of tongue.

I have had many of the same experiences:
- really thick saliva that makes me choke. I rinse out my mouth using a solution of 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1:8 tsp salt and a cup of warm water. Just leave it by the bathroom sink so I can rinse all day.

- I could eat after surgery but not the second day. Could only get down a protein smoothie and a cup took about an hour to drink. The third day I had a little cottage cheese. Today is
better.

- The first two nights I would wake up every 45 minutes and would have to spit out phlegm/blood then rinse with the baking soda/salt solution.

- I take 5mg oxycodone every 6 hours and also 1000mg Tylenol every six hours, but shift them by three hours.

- Today is the third day after the surgery and I am not hurting as much but swallowing is so difficult.

- Pathology will be 7 to 10 days smirk

Thanks for sharing your experience! I thought my having the thick saliva was unusual. Glad to know it is common.

Keep fighting friends!

Me -- currently 53 years old
SCC diagnosed 3/7/2017 at age 48
Staging SCC HPV+ T0,N1 primary unknown
PET 3/16, no activity, biopsies 3/23 benign
TORS surgery identified 2mm tumor in BOT (vallecula)
Cancer restaged T1, N2, M0
Begin 30 sessions of radiation (60 Gy) 6/13
Completed radiation 7/24/2017
1st MRI clear 10/23/2017!!
2nd MRI clear 10/17/2018!