Eric, first, congratulations on making it through! Everyone who has been there knows how rough it can be. About sleeping, if your "gunk" is the same as my "wallpaper paste" I found that rolling up gauze and placing it in the sides of my mouth absorbed enough of that to let me get a few hours of sleep, or go out in public without constantly spitting and wiping my mouth. I also slept a bit elevated with a couple of pillows. Try taking note of your situation weekly. Sometimes one day seems pretty much like the next, but you can really see a difference in a week's time. And yes, you are on your way back to real life!