I did not have a sore throat or any real pain after surgery. Everyone has a different experience so keep that in mind. Also keep in mind that your taste may change. My biggest regret was that I brought so much protein shakes and soups before having surgery and did not use any of it because I couldn't tolerate it. It's great to be prepared but see if you can get "sample" sizes of things before stocking up. It becomes wasteful and expensive.