Maybe take a look on the Revisions forum. A lot of people have revised from Lap Band to other forms of WLS. Maybe they will have some info for you? 

Good luck to you. I hope all goes well. 

That's good news. I'm glad things went well. 

 Did your doctor answer this for you? How'd your appointment go? 

Thanks you so much for taking the time to respond. I'm just lost for words and I think your right because I really felt I had a great relationship with my surgeon and he couldn't even look me in the eye and all he kept saying was how sorry he was. It's funny you should say but it does feel like I was a guinea pig. I was told that this will last for life and I had nothing to worry about. After sleeping on it I know I have to get it removed and that's heart breaking because I don't know if I can maintain my weight. I just cant go back to 300 pounds and I see I'm on my way at 250. I will PM because I have a lot of questions about removal and moving forward. Thanks again for your response and I look forward to hearing from you!! THX  EB

This is really very common and I would advise not even trying to keep the band because I too have issues with heartburn still, even tho my band was removed 2 yrs ago. Once it starts damaging the esophagus it just keeps irritating it and can cause Barretts esophagus a pre cancerous condition. If you look on FB there are several failed band groups that have lots of information. Basically we were lied to and used as guinea pigs in the US to test the bands Allergan made deals with the FDA but that info doesn't help you. What you need to do is read about the other 3 weight loss surgeries DS or duodenal switch, RNY or gastric bypass and the VSG or sleeve surgery. If the band worked for you the sleeve should be good for you as long as you can get rid of the GERD with removing the band. The sleeve removes 80% of your stomach so it is like the band in that it makes you a smaller stomach, The RNY and DS involve malabsorbtion and involves re-routing the intestines.

Once the esophagus muscles weaken they won't repair and will just continue to weaken as long as the band is in there. If you have any specific questions I can help you with I'll be happy to try to answer them. Just be assured you are far from the only one that has had his issue there are thousands of us out here that have had what you have and some that are in even worse shape I even know a few people who have completely lost their stomachs because of the damage done by their lap bands. There are many who have come close to death from their bands eroding into their stomachs. It is a horrible device and has caused damage and continued pain for many people! PM me if you have any questions I can help you with.