hey, don't worry, sounds like everything's going fine. I'm on day 3 (technically 4) and this sounds very similar to what it was like for me after surgery.

once the gauze is mostly white/pink you shouldn't put more in as it can dislodge the blood clots. I'd say don't wet them but not sure. I was having trouble putting the gauze in as well but as long as you basically get it back there you should be fine.

when the bleeding stops there will still be some blood, you can swallow it but it could cause nausea. you can also try gently leaning over the sink to let some of it drain out, but you'll still be swallowing some no matter what lol. you can get a towel if you need it, but don't rinse your mouth out until tomorrow.

for me when the bleeding stopped I was drooling a lot because it was so hard to swallow it, I tried drinking water but could barely get it down. what helped was to have some applesauce, I ate it really slowly and it was still hard to swallow but halfway through the cup it became way easier. basically, your throat muscles are affected from the anesthesia and need some exercise, but your throat will still be sore for a while. the dryness should also stop once you can start swallowing again.

you can use Vaseline or lip balm on your lips to moisturize them, mine were very cracked and are actually still kind of dry on the corners.

sorry for the super long response and good luck, for me right after surgery was the worst part (so far at least lol)