I am two years post op. How would I go about having the band removed.

See your banding surgeon, and ask him or her to remove the band.

Why??????????????

You aren't having problems too are you? I sure hope not!

Acid reflux all the time, shoulder and back pain, constant feeling of something stuck in my throat, tired all the time...... I am afraid to ask the Dr. to remove it. Will he look at me as a failure? Does insurance pay for the procedure?

Heathergirl, have you talked with your doctor about all these problems? There are usually other things to try before having the band removed altogether.

But if you truly come to the decision that the band is making your life worse, not better, your doctor will NOT look at your as a failure. Your experience won't go down on his list of band successes, true, but that's not your concern. Your concern, and HIS concern, is YOUR HEALTH. Talk with him about your issues and you'll see what the next step is.

Insurance should pay for the procedure if your doctor deems the removal to be medically necessary. That depends a lot on your symptoms and how your entire banding experience went. Also, is your insurer band-friendly? Was your initial banding surgery covered? If not, you might be up against a challenge getting them to pay for removal if it's not an emergency situation.

First things first: call your doctor and discuss your symptoms and options. Then come back and let us know how you're doing!

Heather, did you completely unfill to see if that helped?

No I haven't been completely unfilled, but I haven't had a fill in over a year. I am so tired of pbing everything I try to eat. I am supposed to see the Dr. on Thursday. I'll let ya'll know. Thanks

Glad you're going to see the Dr. Could be something simpler like a minor slippage that could be fixed by a brief time of being unfilled. Ya never know. Good luck.

No I haven't been completely unfilled, but I haven't had a fill in over a year. I am so tired of pbing everything I try to eat. I am supposed to see the Dr. on Thursday. I'll let ya'll know. Thanks

Just curious about how your follow-up went. Having same issues.