Impacted Wisdom Teeth Removal/Gauze?

I just had my four impacted wisdom teeth removed at 9:50 this morning. It's currently 12:27 where i am. i've had to change my gauze once already because my mouth dried out when the gauze was stuck to my throat (blocking it with a thin layer). I guess I'm swallowing blood and saliva because i keep burping and i haven't ingested anything since 9 P.M. yesterday night. How often should i be changing this gauze, and also, can I drink? when I try to drink with the gauze, i just start dripping blood and water everywhere (im still numb from chin to eyes (save my nose).