You'll know it if you gulp water. It WILL HURT! I am 6.5 weeks post-op rny and only now can take swallows, rather than sips, but NO GULPING because I know the pain it causes. I've noticed that if I take my regular swallows too close together, it can hurt. If you are just sipping and even sipping back-to-back, you are doing fine. I have found my gulp mistakes have been made when I have been distracted (same thing with eating mistakes). If there are people around and I am in a conversation or in front of a screen, it is very easy to forget our present selves and revert back to old behaviors and boy, do we pay for it! That's when I am in danger of gulping my fluids or eating foods too fast. Suffering soon follows to remind us of our new self and the changes we've made and are making. We must also change our default, non-thinking mode by consistent practice so we eventually no longer revert back to our old selves. Happy losing, my dear! 🙂