Extreme pain after surgery

I had tons of issues swallowing after surgery, so I did a lot of SF popsicles and ice chips. It gets easier though. I find still to this day that when I start feeling pain it's because of gas or I need to have a BM. Try sipping while standing to help the water ease it's way down, that worked well for me also. I know some patients were told not to drink out of straws because it puts more "gas" inside of your body, but when I drink through a straw I actually am sipping, rather than gulping like I do without a straw.

First off, if you're in "extreme pain" you need to call your surgeon or go to ER.

But it sounds like you might be taking in air when you drink. For some people, a straw helps them to take in less air while drinking - for other people, it has the opposite effect. So you might try drinking with a straw.

(Some plans are all "OMG, no straws" but, yeah, some people have better luck with them.)

Just one more suggestion in addition to all the others. Try drinking your liquids at room temperature. Just like Goldilocks...not too hot, not too cold but, ahhhh just right!