Hi everyone! I am new here, but hoping I can get some help from you all. Surgery tommorow - please help!

Ok, so the surgeon says that in his mind, the bands are absolutely equal in tems of results, the only difference (which he really likes) is the Realize Band has good patient support with their website. To me, the patient support is nice, but not really a decision-making element. As an engineer, I am more interested in the structural differences between the two and why one design might be superior.

In my mind here are the pros and cons:

Realize Pros - Low Profile port, different port anchoring system (less chance of flipping), wider band, low pressure band, softer band material. Could be considered an improvement on an already good product

Realize Cons - I was all set to go with the Realize until I came to LapBandTalk and there was one lone guy who brought up this issue - the band material is not pre-curved, so when it is buckled around the stomach it wrinkles and kinks onto itself (imagine bending a straw into a triangle) forming a triangle which could a) cause the band material to rub against itself and erode and :Angel_anim: prevent uniform pressure when the band is filled. also c) this odd triangular shape could create a non-circular stoma opening, which might be bad (? who knows).

So that is, to me the big question. the non-pre-curved bit. Could this band wear out sooner? Could it cause problems for my stomach erosion, etc? Does just the potential (nothing is proven that I could find) of these problems outweigh the obvious pros?

There was only one guy (who clearly had some sort of ax to grind) who brought this up. I have not found any mention of it anywhere else. Does it seem like a legit concern? I also am slightly concerned about the fact that this band has not been used in this country for very long. My surgeon says the results are the same two years out. But I am thinking that two years of data is all we have on the Realize. That's not that much.

Lap-Band Pros - A tried and true product. I like the pre-curved shape of the band - it seems more compatable with stomach anatomy.

Lap-Band Cons - The high pressure of the band - not really a con, just a difference that might be slilghtly inferior to the low pressure band. The high profile port (my surgeon won't use the low profile one)

Overall, the Realize has some VERY good points, but also one point that could be bad.

Since the Lap Band is the gold standard here, I could be not giving it enough credit in my frenzied psyco analysis. It is a perfectly fine band with good results, but I want whichever one is the best. I know at this point you are probably rolling your eyes and telling me to quit overthinking it and just pick one, but I am just like this. Any input you can give me is appreciated.

thanks, Deb

The surgeon I'm going to uses both bands, so I've been very interested in this thread. I know this is a silly question :blushing:, but what does "low profile" port mean? I know what the port is, but is it flatter or something?

Deb - thank you so much for sharing all of this information. I think it looks like we all can use the continued support, and so far this site seems great for that. It's been an amazing tool to me already (for research), and I don't even have the band yet! :blushing: GOOD LUCK and be sure to let us know how it goes for you.....

I talked with my surgeon and I have no ax to grind but he also mention the thing about the folds of the balloon of the realize band. He also mentioned a few other things:

The low port is nice but there isn't much difference between the stance on the Realize port thus making it more difficult to find the proper placement of the needle for fills(think volcano shape, easy to tell where the lava goes as oppose to a small inset on a box size shape). Because it is so shallow he said that it is hard to know where the bottom is for the fill. He anticipates this will mean more people done under flouro. Also the tube from the band to the port doesn't show up on x-ray whereas the other does (don't know if this is usfull). He showed me the ports and it made sense though I know its hard to communicate what I am saying over the net.

Also said J&J insists that it be put in unfilled so when they do there first fill and he extracts the contents( I think they have to or else the pressure of the air wouldn't let the saline go in) first to fill, it gets air in it. Whereas the other gets some primer in it.

Also, he showed me how the part of the band around the ballon slides easily. He said he isn't sure if that is a good thing or not.

These are his words. Just food for thought. I have decided against the Realize band, but it seemed that either were fine. I am sure some dr are just more comfortable about what they have always done. Good luck with your surgery tomorrow and in making your decision.

Cool - thanks for your input! Good things for people to bring up with their surgeon.....

It's been really nice reading this thread and seeing everyone stay calm, and not get hostile or defensive about liking or not liking one particular band! I've seen a few threads where people got pretty worked up in favor or against one band or the other and in the end, I don't think it's a huge difference. Both bands have been used for years (Realize has been used in Sweden for a long time) and both bands have their fans.

NewHere, hope your surgery today is going really well.... let us know!

i bet if we look at the web pages 2-5 yrs from now we are going to see many other new bands just place the choice in the surgeons hands he/she done enough to know whats best for you good luck!

HI, I have the Realize C band which is precurved so there is no triangular shaping when filled. I certainly feel good with it. No problems except one time I ate too fast. But that is not the bands fault. I have to wait at least 90 days between fills so I have not had much restriction. I have had one fill ( 8cc) rather agressive and I need another one but that will not happened until Sept.

so the weight loss has been slow. My concern is that I only have 3 cc's left and will I have long term restriction and hit the sweet spot

Hmm so I read this whole thread and it was very interesting. I myself have the realize band and for the very reasons you have pointed out the low port and the wider band all I liked. So now ONE YEAR down and lost a total of 75lbs! I couldn't be happier it was a slow loss but when I began this journey I didn't sign up for a "race" I signed up to lose weight and I have done nothing but lose!!!!! It's been while but I wonder what band they chose afterall...