Patient Q & A

What can I eat?
You will have to make healthy food choices, eating small amounts, and avoiding bread, pasta, rice and sodas. See food recommendations under post surgery diet.

I am a farmer and work outside and need to drink enough water when its hot to stay hydrated. Will lap-band allow me to drink enough water when working outside in the heat?
You will be able to drink water, but you will need to sip and not gulp it. Some lap-banders have trouble with really cold water, so they drink room temperature water. Another favorite drink is the sugar free Kool-Aid packets you can add to water. So drink up and stay hydrated!!

Will I get a small fill the day of my surgery?
The band is placed with no saline solution on the day of your surgery. Your first fill or adjustment will be 2-3 weeks after your surgery. Your stomach will be swollen after surgery so you will already feel restriction. It needs time to heal before we perform your first fill.

Why is it so hard to take medication now? What can help me take my medication without the feeling of throwing it back up?
Because your stomach pouch is smaller, taking pills is not as easy as it used to be. If you are taking capsules, you can open them up and mix them with water or juice. If they are tablets, try cutting them in half. Also, you can ask your pharmacist if the meds you are taking come in a liquid form. Be sure to take your pills one at a time, and space them out if you take more than one.

I am interested in the lap band surgery and have arkansas medicaid. doest medicaid pay for this surgery and if not could you give me the approx. cost.
Medicaid will only cover the procedure if it is performed at a Center of Excellence for Bariatrics. That would be Baptist Hospital. We do not perform surgeries at Baptist, so Medicaid would not pay for us to perform the surgery. The self-pay cost for the lap-band is $14,500.

How long do you stay in the hospital after surgery and how long is recovery time before you can start working out?
Thanks for the questions! We do our surgery on an oupatient basis, so there would be no hospital stay. Most patients are back to work in a week. After your first post op visit with Dr. Luttrell, he would best be able to tell you when you can resume working out. Typically you can start walking immediately and abdominal excersises you usually have to wait for 12 weeks.

How long should I feel discomfort after having a fill/adjustment?
Typically it takes about a week for all the discomfort to leave and for your body to adjust. You have to go back to liquids, and basically start all over again with foods as if you just had surgery. You are the best judge of how you will feel. Sometimes there is bruising at the port site, but this typically disappears within a week. If you recently had a fill and are still having pain or discomfort, please contact our office.

I had a Gastric by pass in 1992. I have since had 2 children and kept my weight off for quite sometime, however, in the past 2 years, I have gained and have been unsuccessful in losing any substantial weight. I need to lose 80-90 lbs. I am very interested in the new Stomaphyx procedure. What is the cost? I would most likely be a cash patient as my insurance will not cover this. In your experience and opinion, would this be a good option for me?
Thanks for your interest in the StomaphyX procedure and our office. We will not be submitting the surgery to insurance companies at this time. The surgery is so new that it does not even have its own code. The confirmed price for the procedure is $11,000 and that covers Dr. Luttrell’s fee, the surgery center and anesthesia. Dr. Luttrell will require a psych evaluation and an EGD prior to surgery. The EGD will be done to ensure you are a candidate for surgery. We can try to file your office visit and the EGD with your insurance company. This is a “second chance” procedure. The first step is to come in for a consultation with Dr. Luttrell. We ask that you bring your operative note from your gastric bypass procedure, if at all possible. Think it over and then let me know when you’d like to make an appointment for a consultation.

I am out of town and going to attend one of the seminars plus speak with Dr. Luttrell. Is there a charge for this initial visit with the Doctor or is it covered in the over all charge?
The seminar is Free but there is a charge for the consultation. If you have insurance you would be responsible for your co-pay.

If I were a cash patient, how long would it take to get a consultation appt. and how soon would I be able to have the surgery? In other words, what is the wait time?
You can attend the Seminar on Wednesday and have a consultaion with Dr. Luttrell afterwards. You have to be on a pre-op diet for about 2 weeks so your wait time is about 2-3 weeks from beginning to end if you are self pay.

I have arkansas blue cross insurance. How long do i have to be on a structured diet before i can get on with the process to get surgery? my BMI is over 50.
Arkansas blue Cross typically does not require a structured diet program prior to the procedure. If you would like for me to call and check your benefits I would be glad to call and find out what is required. But we have not had that requirement in the past. I would need your ID #, DOB and phone number to check your information.

Does Dr. Luttrell do tummy tucks after weight loss?
We typically refer our patients to cosmetic surgeons for those types of procedures. However he would be glad to do an evaluation for you and tell you what you should do or if it is something that he can do.

I am considering having the lapband procedure. I am more than 100lbs over weight but have no health problems, I do have Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance. What are my chances at getting approved and what steps do I need to take to get started?
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield are typically easy to deal with when getting approval as long as your BMI is over 40. I would be glad to discuss your BMI and there requirements with you just call our office when you have free time. 501-978-4343. The first step in getting the process started is to attend one of our weekly seminars and then attend a consultation so that we can gather all of your medical history and send off the get insurance approval.