Hi. I had mine removed at 36 years old. I had a great recovery. I was up and feeling much better by day 5. The pain med made me very sick and I switched to extra strength Tylenol liquid. You may want to pick some up just in case. My best advice to you is to drink water, as much as you possibly can. I drank very cold ice water constantly and basically numbed my throat through the recovery. The more you swallow, the less it hurts. I'm not sure about learning to swallow again. I didn't have that problem. You will do fine, and you will be so much happier after you recover! Good luck, and post back on how you are doing if you can.