am i right in thinking the only difference betwen the allergen band and the realize is the way its sutured in there? is there any other difference?

I'm sorry you had a bad experience in the past. Hopefully you will get a new start with the rest of us. Good luck to you!

Good Luck with your upcoming Surgery!

Thanks! I hope my information was helpful or at the least, interesting enough to raise awareness

Did you have the Realize band?

No way .... My doctor won't go near it and based on the hours if research I did I feel its not the right choice for me. If I felt it was I would have got another doctor but I couldn't find anything clinically relevant other than a cool website. That's my personal opinion, I've stated all the facts in prior posts.

I thought that maybe that was why you are so adamant that everyone stay away from that company. I guess I just don't understand the anger behind all your prior posts.

You are making a wise decision to investigate new technology.. The Realize band is 14 year old outdated technology in a new box. PERIOD. No one can argue that, it's a fact.

Well I'm going to argue it, because you are wrong. (Period. :cursing:

The Realize Band is not 1st generation. The first generation Swedish Band was invented in the 80s. The Realize Band that is being sold in the US was put on the market in 1996. That makes it 11-12 year old technology, not 14.

You can't even get your basic facts straight and you accuse everyone who disagrees with you of being swayed by the J&J site or being stupid or lying or whatever, which is RUDE and also unnecessary. The idea that someone has done a lot of research and disagrees with you doesn't seem to have occurred to you, I guess. Well, I'm someone who does my research and I'm quite satisfied that the Realize band is a good one and that most of your complaints about it are off-base.

The new Lap-band is modification to a 14-15 year old technology to make it more like the Realize band (and the French Midband that is not yet available in the US). I'm glad they are doing that as making the bands softer and wider seems to help them work better with less long-term complications. But it doesn't make the Realize band "crap" and the softness of the Realize band, that you knock, is actually a good thing IMO.

Really...mmmm

As per Wikapedia:

History of the procedure and device

The first gastric band was patented in 1985 by Obtech Medical of Sweden (now owned by J&J/Ethicon Endo-Surgery) and is known as the Realize Band or Swedish Adjustable Gastric Band (SAGB). An American company, INAMED Health (now owned by Allergan), later designed the BioEnterics® LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Banding System, which was introduced in Europe in 1993. The Swedish band required a laparotomy to install; the LAP-BAND, however, could be performed via a much less invasive laparoscopic procedure. In addition, the SAGB did not have a self-closing mechanism and thus had to be sutured closed. The LAP-BAND System received food and Drug Administration approval for use in the United States in June 2001. In 2000, a lower pressure, wider and one-piece adjustable gastric band, the MIDband®, was used in Lyon, France <sup id="_ref-0" class="reference">[1]</sup>. Unlike many of the early bands, the MIDband® was designed specifically for laparoscopic insertion. It has swiftly become one of the leading bands placed in France. There are now many band manufacturers (approx. 7-8 in total).

The LAPBAND AP Approved in 2007 has no improvements to be like the Realize band. The improvements from the LapBAnd VG (2nd generation to LapBand AP (Third generation are: (360 degrees of even Fluid distribution, a black marker in the window to see that the band is locked, more streamlined design for an easier fit behind the endogastric tunnel and added a large size 14cc. NO SOFTENING OF THE BAND WAS DONE AS FAR AS THE RESEARCH I HAVE DONE SHOWS

Look Im done arguing - I dont' want to spend my one week off going back and forth with people. I was trying to help educate people because I felt J&J wasn't telling the whole. If you didn't know any better, then it's not your fault. If after reading all my posts you still feel it's better - hey go for it. If your band erodes due to crease-fold failure in 3-5 years, I won't be here to say I told you so. Good night and good luck.

I'm just a med student, getting a band, trying to help- that's all

With all due respect, it's a scary thought that someday you may become a doctor and "try to help people out"

Yikes..... I hope they teach how to communicate with patients without insulting them in med school.

And I really hope that you never have a problem with your Inamed band. That would be awful.

Again, good luck to you. May your band work perfectly for you.

Ellisa: The Realize Band turns into a triangle when Fluid is placed in it, not empty

Well I thought I was done here. But I mentioned this to my DH last night. He said," Honey, I might be a dumb truck driver but...if your band is not shaped like a triangle with nothing in it on the table placed in a circle, and you put it around a stomach that's not shaped like a triangle but round and you add fluid, why will the fluid make it into a triangle?" And he also pointed out that the surgeons would notice that if it dammed off like a straw (as Red/Izuza mentioned in a previous post) it wouldn't hold 9 cc's of fluid. Duh! Boy did I feel stupid for bringing THAT up. I think he's still laughing at me. And I tried to explain I didn't agree with "Red/Izuza" but I don't think he believes me. Oh gawd, he's probably going to tell everyone! I may be blond, but it's bleach I tell you!

Oh my, "Red" is now Isuza? Oh and no offense to natural blonds, my DH is naturally blond and he certainly has more common sense than most.

People need to have confidence in their surgeon and his/her abilities. Check out how many surgeries were performed, how many complications were reported, what were the complications, how have these complications been prevented, etc.

Most surgeons make the decision on what size band to use based on your internal anatomy and the amount of weight you need to lose. Are there MDs out there who are driven by monetary incentives? Sure. EVERY profession has good and bad but it's the bad who get the most attention even though the percentage is small.

The bottom line is that you should do your homework, choose a surgeon wisely, and then trust that the surgeon is going to do his/her best for you. Dr. C has been very helpful to many people in his posts and takes the time to offer professional opinions to people who are NOT his patients and who are NOT paying him.

Let's stay on topic and NOT let valuable discussion topics deteriorate into cyber-wars. The goal for everyone is weight loss for the purpose of leading a long and healthy life. Review the rules of posting, respect differing opinions, and make informed choices.

Have a happy day!

Ellisa:

If you stick to a healthy lifetstyle you will lose weight. My goal is educate people against J&J's unethical practices, not to make people feel bad. Good luck on your journey!

The first generation Lapband are precurved - he should have little to no creases and get a great result as well.

Isuza...

I'm on the tail end of a bad case of flu right now and I don't have the desire or energy to discuss which band is better. One point I have to make is J&J's unethical practices.

I only take issue with one point here and that is when you talk about J&Js unethical practices... well, that's up for debate as it's based on opinion. But what about Inamed? They are not exactly saintly in their behaviors.

My own personal opinion is that I prefer the Inamed band over the J&J but J&J does have a much better business rep (standing behind their products, etc.) than Inamed.

I'm thinking "drug company" and "ethical" in the same sentence might look a bit silly but it isn't really fair to discuss ethical issues of J&J while not mentioning Allergan/Inamed in the same breath.

Cheers.

I have a quick question for Isuza, and this is not meant as an attack -- it is a genuine question/concern:

I was recently banded with the APS band. The AP band has baffles, or what I think you refer to as reservoirs. You pointed out that the Realize band essentially forms an irregular triangle when filled, and that this shape causes creases on the surface of the band's bladder. But are the AP band's baffles essentially separated by creases? I'm a little worried because if there is so much concern about creases, I would think that the AP band now has a minimum of seven creases. What do you think?