Raymond, it's more than likely your pain medications but when Jack came home he had pretty severe acid reflux - which he'd never had before - so they prescribed prevacid for him and it helped. As everyone has stated there are a variety of pain meds that can be used if you are having any problems with the one you're on and let your doctor know about the issues you are having now that you are home. They are used to changing plans and problem solving.

It's a lot of trial and error on what consistency you can tolerate but small, frequent attempts at liquids is the best way to start. You can build up from there. Jello, custard, shakes, soups, scrambled eggs are good. The cans of nutrition are your best bet right now because there's a balance as well as calories. We also used to blend food for Jack and add more or less water to get the consistency that worked for him that particular day. For some people thin liquids are hard and there's a product called thickit that you can buy in a pharmacy that could be helpful.

I would ask about seeing a speech therapist because they work with swallowing problems and can set you up with exercises to strengthen the muscles. Surgery causes trauma and swelling so that may be a factor in this early stage of recovery.

Regards JoAnne