Tracy,
Nice to see you post here. I am not real familiar with the realize band although the regular lap band has many convertees to the VSG. From my point, 39 years old, I have been overweight all my life and obese for most of those years. I view the lap band as a temporary solution, one that I can remove in 5 years when I lose all the weight I want. Well that just won't cut it. Odds are I will put weight back on even with VSG after I hit goal weight, so what are the odds of me maintaining my weight after I have the band removed?
Chances of erosion are there with banding and at 440 lbs, you cannot afford the chance to get diabetes or other problems. Pick the VSG, it's for life and obviously you can't control your weight in the first 32 years, what makes you think you can resist the temptation to remove the band later?
Also, VSG is no maintenance. That's just the way I see it, make it permanent and move on to doing something with your life that does not involve Cookies, cakes and a bunch of horrible items to put down your gullet
Please post again Tracy, I would love see your progress, because I was in your shoes at age 32, now 39, my shoes are bigger (edema) and my blood sugar is high. Good Luck.
Les