Anyone had their band removed after losing the weight?

Not same insurance.  Current insurance covers the band.

Hmm, if your current insurance covers the band, it will cover removal for what they consider a legitimate reason.  If they consider the port pain to be legitimate, have the entire band removed.  If they don't, have it migrated to somewhere it won't cause you pain.

Sometimes, people have ports int he most unexpected places.  I remember, several years ago, one lady was in a lot of pain whenever she put her bra on because her bra wa****ting the port just so.

My port doesn't get irritated from ab work, but I feel it's presence a lot more. My port has a leak so my band has been empty for a couple of years. I opted not to have it replaced for now. Trying to really amp up the exercise and run more. I'm contemplating doing a 5K in the fall so you're an inspiration! Anyway, when my surgeon explained the port replacement, he said I could do local anesthesia or general anesthesia. If the surgeon's going to remove the band it would have to be general anesthesia. It's more of an invasive surgery. Something to consider if you're concerned about being under general anesthesia, like me.

A side note regarding the scar tissue surrounding the port... I had my band replaced two and a half years ago. My doctor didn't end up replacing the port. When he looked at it he said it was encapsulated. I don't think it being encapsulated is necessarily "bad." I think it just meant it might have caused me more pain and irritation to replace. It was (at the time) working fine so he left well enough alone. In hindsight, I wish he'd replaced it. Another surgeon did my original surgery, and I often wonder if my band and port problems are related to how she originally placed them.

This ended up being quite long-winded! Congratulations on your weight loss and running accomplishments! It's impressive!