Sips are fine the more the merrier. Just swallow !! Try flattening club soda and drinking that - it helps! I got by without meds until the last 2 days of rads - the weekend before - I ended on a Tuesday - was brutal! That's when I dug out the oxy - it made me sleepy. I kept tryin things that would comfort me. In the end I would take an oxy wait 15 minutes - swish with magic mouthwash (has lidocaine) it would numb me. The i'd chug a bottle of ensure rinse my mouth (with club soda or the baking soda mixture or manuka honey) then sleep! I did this for 5 days and then started to feel better so I weened myself off the oxy and by the end of week 2, I only had one the middle of the night to help sleep. A week later I was done with them all... I was very lucky as I have a high pain tolerance and healed quickly. It will get harder don't wait until you need pain meds to fill the prescription. you've gotten this far with so little - hopefully the next three weeks will go smoothly. Hugs!