Bariatric Surgery

Be Healthy Again!

Is your weight holding you back from doing things with those you love? Does it affect your relationships? Are diets causing you to gain weight rather than lose it? Is your diabetes and blood pressure affecting your health? Do sore hips and knees limit your mobility?

If you are ready for a change, it is time to learn more about weight loss surgery options. Our program offers the most comprehensive program and safest surgical weight loss options in the area, to help individuals achieve their goals while maintaining healthy lifestyles.

With Michigan Bariatric, you have access to established and experienced weight loss experts. We are seeking real and lasting results. It is not about a quick fix. Our program offers expertise in nutrition, exercise, clinical psychology, and if desired or needed, minimally invasive weight loss surgery, including laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery, and robotic bariatric surgery. We also offer Single anastomosis duodenal switch (SADI, Loop DS, Modified DS). We have the tools of success, including patient education seminars, informal peer groups, one-to-one counseling, and above all, the support that you need!

Personalized Medicine

Our team of experts gives you the resources you need to be healthy again! Meet our experienced dietitians, psychologists, physician assistants and surgeons face to face. Personalized and compassionate boutique healthcare is our priority.

Highest Quality Care

Our physicians are Fellows of the American College of Surgeons, and members of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, and are active participants in Michigan quality collaboratives such as the MBSC and MSQC. Results in Michigan Bariatric are some of the best in the state!

Surgical Expertise

Michigan Bariatric is committed to using the latest technology to make weight loss as safe and effective as possible. We are committed to enhanced recovery pathways, making your journey easier! Our patients frequently use less narcotics and have faster recovery than many other programs. We have completed over 1500 bariatric cases since our program started in 2017, and now all of our bariatric surgeries are done robotically with the DaVinci robot.

Customer Satisfaction

"NUMBER ONE IN PATIENT SATISFACTION AMONGST ST. JOES MEDICAL GROUP."

Success Stories

Discover how a Navy Veteran, a Stanford Nurse, and a former NFL player used weight loss surgery to overcome their struggles with obesity. This video is published by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Learn more at http://ASMBS.org

A life long struggle with obesity ends in success for patients undergoing minimally invasive bariatric surgery at UCLA. Hear their stories following the gastric sleeve procedure and watch as they reclaim their lives. Michigan Bariatric performs these same procedures locally!

Elliot discusses life after surgery, the speed of weight loss, and its affect on mobility and health.

Terminology and types of procedures

BARIATRIC SURGERY

Bariatric surgery involves altering the anatomy of the digestive tract with the intent of weight loss. Surgeons have devised various procedures that decrease the capacity of the stomach or alter the absorption of nutrients. Procedures like the gastric sleeve and gastric bypass help people achieve significant and long term weight loss with fewer complications. With the advice of your primary physician and surgeon, you can choose a procedure that helps you achieve your weight loss goals within an acceptable risk profile.

METABOLIC SURGERY

Metabolic surgery is a relatively new term, bringing attention to the fact that obesity is a systemic chronic disease that affects the entire body. In addition to weight loss, metabolic or bariatric surgery can make drastic improvements in diseases such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, sleep apnea and hypertension. In fact, improvements in diabetes may occur with just modest degrees of weight loss. Therefore, the types of medical problems that people have play a role in the decision when choosing a procedure.

SADI

The SADI uses both restriction and malabsorption to achieve weight loss. First performed in 2007 in Italy, this operation uses a consistent common channel and gastric sleeve restriction to create durable and long lasting weight loss with consistent results.

This operation is generally a safer modification of the original duodenal switch. The advantages of this procedure seem to be increased safety, less risk of changes in bowel habits, and less risk of nutritional deficits. The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery began recognizing this as an option for bariatric surgery in 2018. We have been performing this operation since 2021, and initial results are looking very favorable. We have one of the largest data sets in Michigan, and see this procedure as key to treating severe obesity.

ROUX-EN-Y GASTRIC BYPASS

The roux-en-y gastric bypass uses both restriction and malabsorption to achieve weight loss, and has long been recognized as an effective, durable procedure.

In the gastric bypass, the stomach is permanently divided to create a small gastric “pouch” that limits the size of meals. The small intestine is then connected to the upper pouch so that food “bypasses” the remainder of the stomach and the first part of the small intestine. This limits the calories and nutrients that can be absorbed, and immediately changes many of the hormones that regulate weight and weight-related comorbidities.

Unusual risks of the operation include bleeding, leaking or stricture formation at the staple lines, and intestinal obstruction. Dumping syndrome is unique to the gastric bypass, involving nausea, diarrhea, and a weak, uncomfortable feeling when eating certain sweet foods. A 1-2 night hospital stay is common after the procedure. The gastric bypass may be more effective in resolving diabetes than other procedures.

SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY

Gastric sleeve surgery is a minimally invasive weight loss procedure. This procedure is lower risk than the gastric bypass, and has better results than the Lap-Band, and therefore it has quickly become the most common weight loss procedure in the United States since 2013. Currently, about 60% of weight loss procedures in the United States are the sleeve.

Gastric sleeve surgery involves the permanent removal of about 2/3 of the stomach. This turns the stomach into a long, narrow tube using a row of tiny permanent staples. Food and nutrients quickly pass through the stomach into the un-altered small intestine. This causes metabolic hormones to change levels, leading to weight loss and improvements in comorbidities. Surgical recovery typically involves a 1-2 day hospital stay, and a few weeks off of work. Risks can include leaking or bleeding from the staple line, but the gastric sleeve surgery generally does not have the long-term nutritional risks of the gastric bypass. This surgery is known to have a lower risk profile than other common operations, such as orthopedic joint replacements or gallbladder surgery.

Frequently asked questions

Weight management isn’t easy. Are diets and exercise the only options?
An appropriate diet and exercise is always the first step in achieving a healthy weight. Unfortunately, for many people, diets and exercise are not effective for long-term sustained weight loss. In fact, repetitive dieting typically leads to overall weight gain over many years, as it has a net negative effect on someone's metabolic hormones. Bariatric surgery is a weight loss option that both restricts someone’s ability to intake food and causes long term hormonal metabolic changes that aid in effective and long term weight loss.

When should someone consider bariatric surgery?
When diets and exercise do not work, bariatric surgery may be the most effective long term therapeutic solution. In order to qualify for bariatric surgery, someone must have been unsuccessful in previous attempts at weight loss via diet and exercise, and have a body mass index of more than 40 (100 pounds over ideal body weight), or a body mass index of 35 (75 pounds over ideal body weight) with at least one medical obesity-related condition such as diabetes, high blood pressure or obstructive sleep apnea.

Are there more than one type of bariatric surgery?
There are several types of bariatric surgery. However, currently, the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and laparoscopic gastric bypass are the most common. Our program is proficient in robotic surgeries, such as sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass, SADI, duodenal switch, and revisional bariatric surgery. We have helped over 1500 people through surgery and comprehensive follow up education and obesity treatment. Your bariatric surgeon will discuss your weight loss goals and medical conditions and make a surgical recommendation that is most appropriate and effective for you.

How does bariatric surgery help someone lose weight?
With the most common operations listed above, the stomach volume is smaller and results in restriction and a much quicker feeling of fullness. In addition, the changes in bowel absorption anatomy alter the expression of certain gastrointestinal hormones that affect hunger as well as metabolism. We have extensive experience in these operations, which can have immediate weight loss outcomes that improve quality and length of life.

How much weight does someone lose after surgery?
Total weight loss varies by person and the type of surgery, however, the average weight loss with these operations is 60-70 percent of the person’s excess weight within the first one to two years after surgery. The overall success of bariatric surgery and long-term weight loss maintenance is also dependent on a permanent lifestyle change. Surgery should be viewed as the tool that allows for sustained significant weight loss, but not an easy fix.

How does weight loss surgery affect overall health?
In addition to sustained significant weight loss, bariatric surgery patients experience significant improvement or resolution of many obesity-related medical conditions. These include diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, high blood pressure, arthritis and reflux disease. This can allow surgical patients to come off of many medications and improve overall health and quality of life.

Is bariatric surgery a guarantee for permanent weight loss?
Almost all people lose significant weight after bariatric surgery, but it is not a guarantee. While genetics and other factors may affect someone’s response to surgery, the most important determiner of success is typically a successful surgery combined with commitment to lifestyle change. Surgery is not an “easy way out” and requires dedication and compliance for optimal results.

What lifestyle changes are necessary after weight loss surgery?
Each patient receives extensive education as well as a comprehensive manual of appropriate and acceptable foods and beverages. Our surgery patients learn how to obtain the most benefit from the calories consumed by eating nutritious meals. Meals and snacks center on protein as the primary source of calories. Additionally, once a person has recovered from surgery, energy level is dramatically improved, and therefore most people will increase overall activity and develop a sustainable exercise program that fits his or her individual capabilities.

Does insurance cover bariatric surgery?
In general, yes. However, many insurance companies consider bariatric surgery a special category and may or may not cover the procedure depending on several factors. Insurance companies often require documentation from your primary care physician detailing medical conditions, treatment plans and proof of unsuccessful weight loss attempts before covering the procedure. It is best to check with your insurance company regarding your coverage. We can help guide you through this process.