I had my lap-band done in october of 2006. I lost about 70 lbs, and then one day it just stopped working.

For about one year I got more fills - until my band was over full and still had no restriction. I had all the saline taken out for a few months and started fills again. Had many a tests done, and after all this my Dr. and I decided to put a new band in.

I still have about (60) pounds to lose. I am getting my old band replaced with the new Realize Band.

I am wondering if any others have had there old band removed and this new band put in...and if so how has it been working for you?

My surgery will be on Wed, and I am looking forward to finally shedding these last 60 lbs!!

I've got a friend IRL who did and its working perfectly for her now. She had a terrible time with under/over fills, just could NOT get the right restriction, and had a new band put in about eight or nine weeks ago, which is working ENTIRELY differently (and properly, yay!).

Good luck with yours!

What is the difference between lap band and realize band?

The Realize Band has to be put in empty so there wont be any restriction until the first fill, unless your stomach has very sensitive nerves. The Lapband AP is designed to be implanted with Fluid so it begins to work immediately.

The Realize band is one single balloon, glued together and creases when the fluid is put in. The Lapband has 7 mini compartments and wont ever crease. Creases in Silicone can crack and leak over time.

The Realize Band is actually the Swedish Band made by Obtech AG in Europe which came out in 1994. Johnson and Johnson bought it, put in a new box and called it Realize band and came out with a very fancy website in order compensate for having primitive technology as compared to the new, Third Generation Lapband AP System.

The first year Excess weight loss with the Realize Band is 30%. The first year excess weight loss with the Lapband AP is 62%

Anyone who goes under anestesia, gets cut open by a doctor and chooses a an implant that is meant to be in you for life because the company has a really cool website needs major psychological couseling. If you look at both bands, there is no comparison.

First of all, not every surgeon implants the Lap-band with a fill.

Secondly, not everyone who has a Lap-Band that was implanted with a fill has restriction so their bands don't all "work right away". They also don't necessarily get to their sweet spots earlier than some other patient who didn't get their band implanted with a fill. It will depend on how often they go in for fills, how aggressively their surgeon fills, and how must restriction they need overall.

Third, some people who get their bands implanted with a fill find they have too much restriction and can't take in any liquid in the hospital, have to stay an extra day, and have to get it all taken out. (This happened to a friend of mine just this month.) So implanting a band with a fill is not necessarily a good thing. Like most things in life, it depends on the person.

There is no evidence that aggressive fills cause erosion.

When J&J bought the Realize band, they made some improvements to it. It's not exactly the same band as the one released to market in 1996 (not 1994). In the meantime, because the Swedish band was so popular in Europe, Allergen made some changes to the Lap-band in order to make it more like the Swedish band which they knew J&J was going to release in the US.

Various studies of the two bands show that the average EWL is about the same.

You are someone who posts anonymously on a message board only to trash one band over and over with misleading and inaccurate information. You rarely post on LBT about anything else, in fact. I don't think the people who chose not to listen to you, but to their surgeons are in need of anything. They are very sensible, in fact.

Thanks for clearing that up Mac. I have several friends that have the realize band. It's good information.

I've got a friend IRL who did and its working perfectly for her now. She had a terrible time with under/over fills, just could NOT get the right restriction, and had a new band put in about eight or nine weeks ago, which is working ENTIRELY differently (and properly, yay!).

Good luck with yours!

Glad to hear your friend is doing well with her new band. She did the right thing.

I'm really glad my doctor put the largest Lap Band on the market on me. I have a 14 cc capacity band, and I'm currently at 8.5 cc's, my sweet spot after months of not losing any more weight. I was beginning to lose hope, honestly, but I had to keep on fighting!

I kept getting a fill every month to 6 weeks, which takes time in between, because you cannot get fills too aggressively. With this size band, I will have more room for more fills down the road when I will need it. Right now, I'm okay and starting to lose more weight.

MacMadame- You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. The actual band itself is IDENTICAL to the Swedish Band, I have seen it myself. Im a medical professional for over 15 years so unless you have an MD after your name I suggest you refrain from making accusations as to my intentions.

The Lapband is the #1 selling gastric band in the world, why would they make changes to make it more primitive to something that came out in 1994? That makes no sense and there are NO similarities to the Realize Band and the LapBAnd AP. if there are- please name ONE.

There are ZERO studies showing similar weight loss between the Realize Band and the LapBand AP in year 1. Put your money where your mouth is and cite one. 30% is the average on the Realize Band

The doctors who do not fill the band at implant are not using it correctly. PERIOD. The band has been designed differently so patients will not get dysphasia after implant.

Im not only a medical profeesional but a patient as well.

You aren't an MD either. It's not required to post on this site. As long as you continue to spread misinformation, I will continue to respond to your posts.

I would think any medical professional could spell anaesthesia!

I'm not spreading misinformation....why don't you back up your claims? You're all talk and no action...

Exactly- your talking like a medical professional but you're not so why don't you mind your own business unless you get some certification?

Show 1 study that has equal weight loss Realize vs Lapband AP from any source -go for it.

Forgive me for my spelling error

I'm convinced this person (rockbandster) is SPAM. This person never posts unless to blast one band vs. another. I think this person might work for the band it praises and should be blocked from this site. :confused_smile:

Rockbandster wants to have someone post similarities between the two bands. OK here is one, they are both gastric bands that function basically the same way. Both are filled with fluid to cause restriction. I don't think I need to post research to back that up. I would say they are both extremely similar with only minor differences. And yes, I am a medical professional, my husband is a md, and most importantly, the surgeon who did my procedure knows all of the bands inside and out, works with different types and also does bypass, and is a laproscopic surgeon at one of the best hospitals in the country. I trust him when he says that the final results for all bands are essentially the same. And I trust him when he says that Realize is the best choice for me. There may be problems I encounter and another band may work better for other people, but I am ok with that. Everyone is different. I would request that rockbandster post more than one study that supports his theory that Realize performance, not the Swedish band, is worse than lapband and make sure they are from different sources, unconnected to each other. I would also like Rockbandster to give us research of an equal number of studies that show that they all work statistically the same. I wish he would be as open to our discussion as has demands us to be to his.

Please remember that everyone is entitled to an opinion. It's important to discuss ALL options with the surgeon before making a decision. Remember too that most information sessions given by surgeons are free. It might be wise to visit a few.

Im not blasting anything or anyone- my goal is simply to expose J&J's deceptive marketing of this product so people can make an informed decision. I hope everyone who gets either band does great on it and loses weight. I do not understand why people get upset when factual information is given here.You are all saying, "well they

look the same so they must be the same".Well certain cars may look or be shaped like BMW's but the aren't BMW's. My goal is for people to do extensive research and NOT to just go take your surgeons word for it. People are way to trusting and need to be informed and shouldnt rely on either the Lap Band or the Realize Band marketing to make a choice. Do your due diligence and thoroughly research the implant your gonna be stuck with forever.

Please ask your husband if he has documented statistics of his patients EWL for 12 months for the Realize Band vs the LapBand AP. What is the average BMI for the Realize Band group vs the LapBand AP group? How many follow up visits did each group get per year? Just to say well they're the same isn't fair and not adding value.

Here is a link to a study of 824 Realize/Swedish Band Patients with 30% EWL 12 months. Long Term complications in 191 of those patients and 135 directly attributed to the Realize Band.

You left out the link...

Also, please do not tell people to "mind their own business". First, moderation should be left to the moderators. Second, everyone here is entitled to post their opinions and participate in the discussion -- there is no requirement to be an MD or even to be a "member of the medical profession" to post here.