Hey Metalhead
Uuuuh, did I ever hate that first week! I really wanted to cry, laugh, and rip that thing out. I had major eating issues for 7-10 days. Not even mentioning the speech impediment.....sluuuuuuuur
I'm 34, and got an RPE some 7 weeks ago. What I can tell you is that in my case, somehow, through magic I think - things one day were back to almost normal. It took maybe 10-14 days of daily expansion for the device to open up sufficiently to allow normality back into my life. What I mean by that is that by expanding, there was more room for the food to avoid getting stuck, and more room for speech to recover.
Eating takes time. Chew properly, loads of water to rinse with after each bite. I lost 2 kilos in short time, but recovered a little after the first week. Your teeth may hurt, an indication of movement.
Use the saltwater rinses for sore spots (tongue) from rubbing against the sharp corners after expanding the device.
Look at my posts for more details on my experience.
And do invest in a Waterpick if you haven't already.