LAP-BAND^® vs. Realize Band

Mowree · 06-01-2008, 12:42 AM

Anyone have any opinions or better yet FACTS which is better or any other information regarding the 2?

I do LOVE the website and support for the Realize band.

Please submit.

Thanks.
Mo

amsderb · 06-01-2008, 12:57 AM

Hi MO...my doc uses both...I reuested Realize. Just got banded Wednesday!

My doc told me that they are both wonderful products that it boils down to a few things: web support (she said if you use it as another tool you will be successful); the port can be moves easily if you have plastics down the line; Johnson and Johnson is the company behind it...some people like the idea of a bigger company. The Realize band is 9 cc 's interms of fill level.....she said she tries to get the smalles band n a person and that this one fit me perfect!

That's all I know except whart they say on their web site.

Good Luck

Mowree · 06-01-2008, 01:01 AM

Thanks for your reply. I think I will call the head of the Hospital that my surgeon works under and see what he has to say as my surgeon is out of town until June 9th (2 days before my surgery). I just want to be sure I'm getting the best tool I possible can.

I would guess that if my insurance would pay for one they'd probably cover the other.

Thanks and GREAT work!

Much continued success.

Mo

Northwest_Nance · 06-01-2008, 01:49 AM

My doctor (who does only lapbands and has done them for years) said he really believes there is no difference between the two, and he showed me literature to back that up. He gave me links to the websites for each product and suggested I check it out and decide which band I wanted to go with. I chose the Realize band, partly because it has been used in Sweden for many years even though it was just approved by the FDA in the U.S. a few months ago. For some reason, I trust Swedish medicine.

I'm kind of disappointed in their website though, particularly the food journal. It's slow to load, and most of the foods I've eaten, are not in their database and I had to enter them myself. I didn't find it to be real user friendly; I ended up liking The Daily Plate better for recording my food journal.

amsderb · 06-01-2008, 07:10 PM

I think you would want to use the one your doc is more comfortable using becasue there is a different protocal for pre surgery with realize...things we would not even be aware of...and the way the port is attached is with a tool not sewn in...so I would want to know how many Realize bands he had used and what the training was?

If you go on their website you can see if he is on the approved list? This would be a criteria for me???

Good Luck

Northwest_Nance · 06-01-2008, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amsderb

I think you would want to use the one your doc is more comfortable using becasue there is a different protocal for pre surgery with realize...things we would not even be aware of...and the way the port is attached is with a tool not sewn in...so I would want to know how many Realize bands he had used and what the training was?

If you go on their website you can see if he is on the approved list? This would be a criteria for me???

Good Luck

Hi amsderb! I'm not aware of having gone through any different protocol for pre-surgery with the Realize band. In fact the doctor didn't even need to know which band I'd chosen until the day before surgery. Also, it's my understanding that my port IS sewn in. I'm curious where you learned that it isn't -- I'd like to check on that!

amsderb · 06-02-2008, 11:35 AM

What I meant by protocol is the doctor preps the bands different in OR....My doc's nirse was telling me...the Realize band takes a bit longer becasue they are required to like put it in water or something to check for leaks first etc....the stuff, as we are asleep and don't know it is going on...

As for the port...go to Realize.com and it will show you how there is a tool that "stamps" the port in place...reminds me of a studder for like gems on leather....the port has its own little claws that grab the fascia muscle (sp?). Also, if it needs to be removed after plastics they can use the tool to retract the claws move and then stamp in place again! My doc told me that part!

HOpe that helps

coolcrystal · 06-03-2008, 10:38 AM

Nobody is going to diss the realize band, because if they did they'll get their asses chewed out by all the realize band patients.. so, you won't get an objective opinion here.. I will tell you that my doctor refuses to use them. And that's all I will say on the manner as there was a huge thread on this before and when anybody said anything bad about it, every realize banded person and their dog had to post and get all offended.. so on this topic, you won't get anything.

I was upset at first when I heard my doctor tell me he didn't use them and then I did my own extensive research and was glad he didn't use it.

As for the website.. big deal.. everybody talks about this "website".. I wonder how many people continue using the big exciting website 6 months later, not many because they go on living their lives and being banded becomes second nature and they dont' have to track every aspect of their banded life... and I do believe allergan is working on one or has already released one, but is that all it takes to have somebody pick a band??? there are tons of journaling websites out there that are free.. heck, I just use an excel spreadsheet to track my weight.. sorry if this seems bitchy.. but it just cracks me up that everytime somebody mentions the realize band they bring up the website as the reason they picked it... that a website is the deal breaker on something that is put in your body... it cracks me up... yet dissapoints me.

amsderb · 06-03-2008, 02:19 PM

Crystal...I agree that picking a "tool" in our body is not about a website.

I don't think that anyone can say what is the BEST. As I said earlier, I would use the one my doc feels most comfortable with.....

I do think it is great that there is a choice....It will keep both companies striving to improve.....that is what it is all about...

As for me, what is done is done...I too did all my research and had my reasons.....for ME and MY doc...so no harm talking....

Good Luck to anyone making a decision....be 100% sure of what you personally want...and then march on!

Northwest_Nance · 06-03-2008, 05:14 PM

I chose the Realize band but it doesn't mean I would diss anyone who doesn't like it, so I don't need to be lumped in with that group. On the other hand, I am sure I'd get a little defensive if someone was hostile when stating their opposing opinion.

We all have an obligation to do our own research in preparation for such a big step as gastric surgery, and to choose a doctor we trust and then follow that doctor's advice. This forum is a great tool for support and comparing experiences, but at the same time, most of us aren't doctors so when it comes to medical opinions, we are pretty much just repeating what we've heard, what our doctors have said, or what we discovered in our own research and all of that is a very individual thing.

I am very comfortable with my own research, and I trust my doctor implicitly. I wish that same level of trust and comfort for everyone! In any case, there's no turning back for me now, I've been Realized and I hope to stay that way for a long time to come!

amsderb · 06-03-2008, 05:50 PM

Good Luck Nance and well put! I am Realized too!

NukeChik · 06-04-2008, 08:51 AM

Something that hasn't been mentioned is that the Realize port is a standard low-profile port. I have the Realize band. I wasn't allowed to choose, but I understand now that my surgeon lets the patients choose if they want the LAP-BAND^® or the realize band.

I'm not going to diss anyone who doesn't want the realize band. I have been involved in some of the other threads of which I think that Crystal is referring. I have only been replying to people posting things that are outright lies and have no basis.

**MacMadame** · 06-04-2008, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NukeChik

I have been involved in some of the other threads of which I think that Crystal is referring. I have only been replying to people posting things that are outright lies and have no basis.

Same here and ... I don't even have a band yet and have no idea which one I'll end up getting. But lies and misrepresentation chap my hide and I couldn't let them stand!

The Realize band is a good band. It had better results than the old LAP-BAND^® system and that's why Allergan changed their bands to have some of the same features as the Realize band. It's ridiculous to say that a band that has been in use for over a decade with excellent results, brought in some innovations that all the LAP-BAND^® manufacturers now use as a matter of course, and jumped through all the FDA hoops to get approval is "crap" and if people say that, I'll post to challenge them and make them back that up. (Not that they've been able to.)

coolcrystal · 06-04-2008, 04:06 PM

I am still curious, because I dont' think anybody ever answered me on another realize thread... does the realize band shape like a triangle around your stomach when it gets filled? I know it looks like a circle when its not inflated.. but when you get fills, is it a triangle or what? I keep hearing conflicting stories on this. Does the website show it inflated?

Oh and Northwest, I'm not "lumping" you into ANY group... my comments were a figure of speech, and if you can't recognize that, I'm sorry.... but, anybody who disses or questions the realize band gets trampled on by SOMEBODY on this forum.. and I get it. It's perfectly natural to defend your own band if somebody disses it. But, people who are searching for somebody to give negatives about it on here is not going to get what they are seeking.

1byfaith · 06-05-2008, 02:38 PM

HI Everyone!

When the LAP-BAND^® is inflated with saline it forms like little pillows as opposed tp a smoother ringed surface. I was not told I got the Realize band until my first post-op appt. Why? I dont know. I am not bothered by not having had a choice as I have worked in clinical trials and am currently a research evaluator so I am comfortable with the research on both bands. They appear to both be good bands and will yield decent results for most either way. Everyone should research them both and make an informed decision regardless. I agree with you Crystal that no one should get defensive at all.
Surgeons have their reasons for choosing one over another.

Its funny bandsters are having discussions like this. Can you imagine if this was a bypass/band forum? The things I have heard bypassers and their surgeons say about us bandsters!! You talk about being dissed! :)

LAP-BAND® vs. Realize Band

LAP-BAND^® vs. Realize Band