What's the worst that can happen?

I agree...not to test your band this early on,,,,i was scared to eat tuna fish 3 weeks after i got my band....my post op diet was similar to bette's...but i was 6 days clear fluids only(no broth) then when i got my sticthes taken out i could move on to 3 shakes a day and clear fluids for 2 weeks( i did have sf popsicles)...the the 4th week  had 2 shakes and a mushy  for a week then i moved on to all solids around my 6th week ......it was hell but i lost most of my weight then.....i still follow the hour after rule...

What's the worst that can happen if I had a few sips of water while I ate?

You could vomit and loosen the tissue holding your band in place and have a band slip down the road, causing another surgery or loss of your band.  That would the worst that could happen.

I agree with the others,just start following the rules right from the start.  Set a timer and before you know it, this will become automatic, where you don't even think about taking a drink for the time suggested by your surgeon. 

I agree with the others that it's best to not drink while eating.. but I asked my NP almost the same question 2 years ago when I was newly banded.

My ? were.. if I get a mouthful of something really spicey or bad tasting.. what can I do?  She said her preference would be for me to rinse & spit, but if I was in public or somewhere that wasn't possible.. a tiny sip and swallow would be OK.  Key word.. tiny.

But keep in mind.. I was WELL PAST  one week post-op when we had this discussion.  At 1 week, I was still on soft foods and wasn't having thirst issues.

Try cutting back on the salt in the things you eat.. that might help.  We use light salt in our home and I haven't cooked with salt in forever due to my DH tendency towards hypertension.. so that might be the difference here.

Congrats on being banded.

Hi everyone else answered the why really well but I would like to tell you how I cope with this problem - I like you am always thirsty when I eat...well and all of the time really.  My MD wants me to wait an hour so I set a timer.  That helps so much so I don't lose track of time or keep watching the clock.