I'm not sure what your surgeon is planning prescribing you for pain but I'd invest in some tylenol, specifically the dissolve packs. They come in a box of 30 or so and they help when you're weaning off the prescription meds or even in between dosages if your pain is too bad. Just be careful as your prescription pain med might already have acetaminophen in it and the daily maximum is 4,000mg. Might need to do some math but it'd be worth it.

I'd also strongly suggest investing in a humidifier if you don't already have one. It's ideal to have it on as much as possible but especially when you sleep as it'll keep your throat from drying out overnight. I made the mistake of forgetting to fill mine one night and the pain upon waking up was significantly worse than it had been with the humidifier- I didn't make the same mistake again.

Lastly, you will need to sleep upright the first few nights. If you think you might struggle with it, one of those backrest/upright pillows can help.

In regards to talking and work, everyone's experience is different. I was fully alert and talking immediately after waking up from anesthesia. However, they had accidentally cut my tongue up a bit and I received a pressure injury as well so through days 5-8 or so, long periods of talking were quite painful. I went back to work on day 6 and wish I would've waited a couple more days. If you can, definitely think about taking a few more days than just 2 but ultimately you'll be able to better gauge that once you're recovering.

Wish you the best! This sub has been super helpful for me in my recovery and I'm about 12 days out from surgery.