I had band put in October of 2001. Yes 2001 that is not a typo. On july 19th 2016 I had it removed. Thank god, finally. I lost and gained about 30 pounds. I threw up constantly over that time frame and as I got older I could eat less and less healthy food choices. I started clean eating a couple years back. This is mostly fresh foods and very little processed food. I drink lots and lots of Water. Oh and my band has been empty since 2005.
when they removed my band it was coroded, the port moved and the tube was broken and not even attached. I am doing well with the exception of pinched nerve (self diagnosis) from my posture being askew for a week and for trouble getting in & out of bed.
That's my experiene. My advice get that nasty baby out and join WW. It's cheaper and proved to work. I've seen it 1000 times. I'm no longer a member, I prefer clean eating. Hope this helped, best of luck to you.