Cost to have lapband removed?

 I had my lapband placed 3 years ago in mexico because my insurance covers NOTHING 
Related to weight loss. Does anyone have any idea as to the cost to have it removed?
My PCP is ordering tests for me this week, as he thinks band may have slipped. 
The problems im having are pain after eating very small amount and this causes the food to come right back up. I have severe heartburn and incredible reflux. I am on meds for reflux. I can feel my throat is raw and irritated. I have  a 4cc band which has been EMPTY for two years.
Any input here? I have lost 10 lbs due to these issues in the last 3 weeks. I have alot of restriction with an empty band. I am going for a barium swallow on Friday.
Thanks

I don't know exactly.

I paid 12,000 to have my band put in -- and I expect that about 4,000 of that was the price of the band itself.

So, to remove it, I would expect to have to pay around 8K.

I would still need the surgical suite, and an anesthesiologist, surgeon, nursing, etc --- so, I expect about 2/3 of the original cost is probably about right.

It could be more because I think it might be trickier to take out a band (if it has any erosion) than to put one in.

Well, when I had to have mine repositioned, I think it was going to cost em around $6000 (less than the original surgery since there was no new band to install). However, I was found during surgery to have a hiatal hernia, so they repaired that and billed my insurance for that repair, which took care of almost all of the cost.

From my experience that sounds exactly like a slip. I'm not sure how much my replacement costed, because the band and replacement were covered by my insurance. $20-30K, maybe? Definitely not something I could've paid out of pocket. Would you consider going back to your doctor in Mexico. Take good care. I was so miserable for those few month my band had slipped.

Thank you ladies for your responses. The thing I am confused about is I keep reading that patients normally gain weight when the band has slipped. I have had a significant loss of weight in the last few weeks.

I am not sure what I am going to do yet. I know what I paid $6500 to have band placed in Mexico in October 2008. I cannot afford the cost here in the states to have the band replaced or removed.
I am just awaiting for my barium swallow on Friday to confirm if it has slipped or not. My PCP says if it has slipped, he will refer me to a lapband surgeon. Unless I can strike up a cash deal with that Dr., I may be headed south again. I am just keeping my fingers crossed that it has not slipped, though I think everything points to that.

Thanks,
Marianne

I am so interested in having my lapband removed too.  Please let me know what you did and how much it cost you.  I do not have insurance since my husband left me, I am unemployed, and I hate my lapband and hate how it works.  I cannot maintain it because it costs so much.  I have had it for at least 8 years, maybe 10 and it just needs to go. 

My insurance was billed $17,000 for the removal, so you can expect a cash patient to pay about half that, so $8,000 to $8,500.

 I'm self pay... It was 15,000 to put in and it will cost me $8,300 to take out.....

$4K in MX by an actual revision surgeon.