Thanks! It's a bit overwhelming at times, but I have never felt better in my life.

My story is out there, so I am not going to bother with it again.

BUT I will answer these questions -

How long between diagnosis and new operation? My band came out in June of 11, b/c of scar tissue and swelling I had to wait two months to get my revision, and I was revised to the VSG on Aug 1, 2011.

Which operation did you choose, and why? The VSG b/c I was comfortable with the stats, and I knew that I could do well with restriction only.

Did you use the same Doctor? No, I had a whole new team for my revision.

How long between new operation and “recovery” from band issue? I still have "band" issues. Slow esophagus and spasms that feel like chest pain, these continued after my band was removed and while they have gotten slightly better since my revision they still creep up on me.

The VSG has been amazing for me, it's everything I thought the band would be and wasn't. I lost pretty good with the band, but have lost better with the VSG (lost the same amount with the VSG in 8 months that it took me 3 years to achieve with the band). My pictures do the talking for me now.



Finishing my first race, ran the whole thing, something I could have not even dreamed about this time last year -

The only thing that showed my slip was the CT scan, I went into the ER for pain and they did an x-ray (showed normal) and an Upper GI (also deemed normal) and they sent me home and told me it was nothing. A day later I was rushed to the ER in tremendous pain, they reviewed my previous tests and decided to give me the CT scan which showed very clearly that there was a problem. 

Honestly I don't know if the Upper GI did show a problem but the doctor reading it didn't really know what to look for since it's the ER they look at everything, and he was not specifically a bariatric surgeon and it's possible that he overlooked something that my actual bariatric surgeon would have picked up on the first time around had he been the one to read it. 

I just always suggest the CT scan if someone still feels like their is a problem after the Upper GI, since it's possible that the doctor who is doing it/looking at it and doing the report that goes to your doctor might not be an expert in the bariatric field and so they might miss something that your surgeon would see and find suspect. Also, it's best to have the actual video/xrays sent to your doctor if he is not the one doing the actual test so he can see the pictures for himself. 

 Because people come back here with issues and need help, what kind of help can you offer them if you have not had problems or band failure? That's right, you can't offer them anything but the advice to go somewhere else to look for help. 

And I don't think people jumped all over you because of your success, they jumped on you b/c of your finger wagging and telling people how to act on a public board. Sometimes we have to remember that we have to take the good with the bad, and that support isn't always telling people positive things that they want to hear.

 I don't block, but I am blocked. Oh and I do log out and read the posts of the people who blocked me, I am just nosey like that, can't help it. 

 It was one of my hardest lessons to learn, and one of the biggest reasons I never use food to reward my kids. Growing up EVERYTHING was celebrated with food, and it's always the first place my brain goes, so I find myself chanting this mantra in my head over and over again. 

I think maybe now that my hormones are balanced (I have very bad PCOS that is finally controlled with the weight loss and diet) I am much less likely to freak out and start screaming at random people, it's definitely a plus for me LOL

 My new favorite is the RTD Oh Yeah shakes, they are a bit high in cals, but I like them for days that I work out hard or need a few extra carbs. I have also developed a real taste for the Optimum Nutrition Gold Standared Whey, the Rocky Road is fantastic and so is the Cookies and cream.

 Hee hee, I am not unpleasant, in fact I am much nicer now that I am skinny.

 This is why I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Control It restriction tanks from Kohls, they are not hot or uncomfortable or super tight, but they do just enough to smooth all that out so you can wear a more fitting t-shirt without worrying about the lumps and bumps. 

 I always have to laugh at those adds b/c they say "Gastric Bypass NO surgery" but the picture they use is always of a banded stomach. If they can't even get their surgeries straight, I doubt their product is up to par LOL

 You are doing fantastic, you will be there before you know it!

 I agree and that is why I don't make them, I think a lot of times those statements are made out of frustration and anger. I have been running and traveling in on-line circles for years, the lesson I have learned is that you take what you want from them and just ignore the stuff that bugs you, there is always going to be those few people who drive you bat****

BUT you have to admit that there are blanket statements made by the other side too "If you just did what you should have" or "maybe if you just followed the rules" and that is incendiary also b/c many of us have done the things that we needed too and still paid a huge price. 

You are always going to have extreams on both sides, on message boards and in real life, you just play to the middle and try to stay out of the mud on both sides. 

 I am a HUGE fan of the Syntrax Chocolate Truffle! It's very good, and not really thick. I add it to 8 ozs of almond milk.