THe bendy straws and stool softeners are a must along with all of the soft foods. There are 2 types of hard collars. I had a Philadelphia which is just pink hard foam. I used that for showering and wore a soft collar. My OSS did not believe in the Miami J hard collar. Maybe you can get fitted for all 3 types of collars. When they discharge you, make sure you have plenty of scripts for pain meds, muscle relaxers and even a sleep aid. Good luck with the surgery. The waiting is the worse part both before surgery and waiting to feel better and have bone growth.