Info on the Realize Band?

rhonda021508 · February 2, 2008

Rather than going to their website. I was looking for pros and cons. Not just pros. Any help out there like websites to check out?

deneicy · February 3, 2008

I talked to my doctor before surgery. He was one of the first in the world to do lapband surgery, teaches all over the world, etc. He was recruited to Univ. of CA, San Diego to do additional research with robotics.

He said the two bands are both good, that he's used them both. I asked why he has essentially switched to this one-- he said the Realize band is easier to see on the screens. So I went with it. It's manufactured by Johnson & Johnson.

If anything went wrong, they have a very deep pocket.

The other one is by Allergan.

rhonda021508 · February 5, 2008

Thanks so much! I really appreciate it.

MamaJava · February 5, 2008

My surgeon has switched and uses only Realize bands now. He says so far, there are no cons...only pros. He's a teaching surgeon for the Realize band all over the country.

la8again · February 6, 2008

There was a few other reasons that my doc had. He said it is wider there for less chance for slipage, it doesn't have a fill limit, and the clasp is better than the other band. I hope this helps some.

footballmom104 · February 6, 2008

I just had my psych eval yesterday and spoke with my Dr - I might be one of the first three Realize bands he does, depending on when my insurance is approved! He said he liked the internet support that comes with Realize and that he'd had good experiences with Johnson and Johnson. He also said it's more efficient, since the fill space goes all the way around -

pharmd · February 7, 2008

Hello,

I also had questions regarding the pros and cons of each brand of band. My surgeon stated that either one was fine with him. He didn't have a preference. I ended up getting the Realize band on 1/31 because I liked the interactive internet interface called "Realizemysuccess" where you can log your food diary and exercise and write down challenges and successes, etc. You can also monitor your weight loss. You can choose to allow your surgeon's office access to your logs so they can help if you have a problem or hit a plateau. I like the food diary--I am using it to help keep myself accountable for what I eat. The food diary has some limitations though--you have to choose items from their preloaded database--CIB isn't in there but the whole menu of every fast food joint on the planet is! I already wrote a letter of concern about this so maybe they will fix it. I also liked the fact that the port of the Realize band has a lower profile (it is flatter) but a little wider than the Lap Band port. I cannot feel mine yet. Also, since I am a healthcare professional, I emailed both companies for the package insert (this includes the clinical trial data, specific surgical procedure and any adverse effects experienced by patients). I reviewed both and there were few significant differences. Both implants were approved by the FDA based upon a sample size of around 300 patients. This is a small sample size and I was surprised. However both bands were used for over 10 yrs in Europe before FDA approval. The Realize band was called the Swedish Adjustable Gastric Band before so you may Google that and get more info. Hope this info helps!