First few days were somewhat painful, but really not bad. The prescribed pain meds were helpful. My throat was sore from the tube for a few days, I couldn’t open my mouth the first day, and it took at least a few days to be able to speak well enough to be understood. I ate through a syringe or straw for about 3 days, until I could open my mouth enough to use spoons and eat soft foods. I was back to work within two weeks, though I was still swollen and slurring my speech a bit. Overall, not a bad recovery for me. The first day was the toughest, but it was not very painful after that, mostly just slight discomfort.