Read our Grand Rapids Bariatric Surgery and Medical Weight Loss Patient Stories

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I went to see Dr. Baker for the Lap Band procedure, but due to my countless health issues, he recommended that I have Gastric Bypass. It was difficult at first, learning a new way of life, learning to see and deal with food differently and learning the tricks to keep me from feeling sick. It was a journey - there is no doubt about that. It was as emotional as it was physical. I had to face issues I had long been covering up with food. My family life changed, the way people deal with me changed. I am no longer just the short, fat little gal in the corner - I am in the center of the room! But that did not happen by accident. I worked out 7 days a week. As the weight came off I was able to exercise more and more until I reached my goal weight that I have maintained for almost a year now. I started out 4'10" and 185lbs. I now weigh 98lbs. For someone as small as me, that was a tremendous amount to be carrying around everyday. It was no wonder I was tired and depressed. My advice to anyone who is thinking about weight loss surgery would be to spend some time to find out WHY you are eating so much. Find the core of your issues before your "drug" of choice is taken away. I wasn't sure in the beginning if I could do this, but a year and a half later - I could not be happier. It has truly given me a new life!!

I am a Bariatric and General Surgeon who trained in Grand Rapids - a couple of years behind Dr Baker, and a couple of years ahead of Drs Foote and Kemmeter. I worked with each of them over several years of hard residency. They are all outstanding surgeons, and wonderful guys, who live their values every day, at home and work. I travelled several hundred miles to have surgery with this team (Dr Foote specifically) for the complete package that their program and their practice offers. Although almost all Centers of Excellence give great care and service these days, I have been in the OR with these guys (recently, as well as in training) and know that there is no better care available anywhere. I have been in the OR's, and through the practices of DOZENS of surgeons in my training and travels, so I'm not just speaking in the abstract! I had a sleeve gastrectomy, and Jamie and his team were wonderful through the whole process. They made my self-pay situation work, and the Blodgett OR and Unit teams were friendly and capable - truly they exceeded my (very high) expectations. Many, many thanks! The tool has worked very well for me so far. I try to be responsible with it every day - logging my food, following the separation of liquids, getting exercise almost every day. "Perfect" is never my goal, because I would burn out, but I do think it is possible to "fail the tool" if you don't at least make it to "good" most days! My long term results are yet to be seen, but I know that if I ever need a revision to a RYGB, or even DS, Dr Foote will be there. That was a major attraction to the sleeve, over the Band (as well as avoiding implanted material...) Currently, I am moving from Duluth, MN to Bellingham, WA - will not be doing Bariatric Surgery there for now, but happy to talk with anyone.

In August I will celebrate my 5 year anniversary since my WLS. It has been a life altering experience that I would do again in a heartbeat. Have I felt that way everyday of these past 5 years...NO...but those days have been few and far between. After 5 years I can say that this tool I was given by Dr. Baker is still working. I still get things stuck if I don't chew well enough, my pouch is still small enough that I can only eat small portions or what I think of as what a 'normal portion' should be for anyone. I have maintained my weight at 150-155 for the past 3 years, when I get up close to the 155 mark I quickly get stricter on the rules and I lose it right away because I know how easy that 5 lbs can become 10, 20, etc... we've all been there. Dr. Baker and his staff were great when I had my surgery and even after I had to transfer out of state because of my job they helped me to transition by being there to answer my e-mail questions and phone calls. It was scary moving to a state where they do not do the surgery and there were no Drs who were very familiar with post surgery issues. I can honestly say I've been blessed with minimal issues around the surgery...my biggest issue is my iron runs low but it did before the surgery also.

I have been overweight my whole life. My whole family has struggled with their weight and I grew up with a warped sense of what proper nutrition was. Finally after having two beautiful boys and realizing that I was going to watch them grow up with a "fat and unhealthy" mom I decided to do something about it. I took my first step by attending an informational seminar put on by Dr. Kemmeter. I was amazed at what an intelligent, confident, and straight forward yet kind man he was and I knew right then, there was no other choice for me. I knew that I needed this surgery to make myself healthy and to be around to watch my children grow up. In June of 2007 I had Roux en Y gastric bypass. I truly felt that was a day of rebirth. My highest weight was 276 lbs. Now I am almost 2 years out and I am maintaining my weight at around 145 lbs. I am in the process of planning some plastic surgery to remove some excess skin which will decrease my weight a little also. I feel wonderful! I now find myself choosing to excerise and wanting to eat healthy. Don't get me wrong... it is not easy everyday but I feel Dr. Kemmeter has given me a wonderful tool to help maintain my health and to be around for a very long time!

Now my husband has trouble walking with me because I have so much energy, before he had to pull me along when we went out. It's so good to feel good.

“Now I can…" Wow! What an awesome lead in to a story like mine. As a super obese man I was not able to do what most take for granted. Even getting out of bed in the morning was a challenge. That was when I tipped the scales at around 500 pounds (see picture). A friend of mine who had had weight loss surgery (WLS) talked to me about Dr. Randal Baker and her great success with the Roux En Y Gastric Bypass surgery. At this time I had lost over 75 pounds on a diet plan, but I was headed back up the scale looking at yet another dieting failure. I met Dr. Baker on March 2, 2005. I was impressed with this tall, thin man who was able to express compassion and respect to a man who had spent 46 years failing at diets. Now four years later I continue to have a profound sense of respect and gratitude for Dr. Baker. My surgery was on June 7, 2005 and it went off with out a hitch. The following morning Dr. Baker came in to say that all looked well and that I could go home that day. I had already dropped 24.6 pounds on the pre-surgical diet and now the race was on. In June I lost another 20.6 pounds, and by the end of August 2005 I had shed a total of 81.8 pounds. Now came my first hurdle. I had been struggling with nausea and like the good suffering saint (ha! ha!) I had not complained (too much) about the impulse to toss my cookies (no actual cookies were involved). Finally, I decided that being nauseous all the time must not be normal. I called Dr. Baker and through a series of tests it was discovered that my gallbladder was functioning at less than 10%. On September 12th I went in the hospital and Dr. Baker removed my gallbladder. Wow! What a relief to have that out of my body. I continued on the race and by December 2005 I had lost a total of 143 pounds. That’s 143 pounds in six months. That is amazing! As the calendar moved over into 2006 the weight loss slowed slightly, but by April I saw another 36.2 pounds disappear. Around the middle of April I began experiencing some rather extreme abdominal pain. At first I ignored it, as it was an occasional experience with all symptoms gone in a matter of hours. As the weeks progressed, the bouts of pain occurred more frequently and with greater intensity. By the end of May 2006 I decided (with prompting from my wife) that I should call Dr. Baker. His concern was evident and immediately he scheduled a CAT scan. This would lead to one of the greatest hurdles in my life. Dr. Baker got the results of the CAT scan and within days had me in a meeting with Dr. John Ludlow, an urologist. Dr. Baker told me that it was important that I have my wife with me at that appointment. On June 9, 2006 I was diagnosed with kidney cancer and told that I would need surgery very soon. I was given options and told to go home to make some tough decisions. Two things made a significant difference after that appointment. First was the abiding love and faithfulness of my Lord Jesus Christ. The second was the wonderful wife and soul mate that He gave me. The surgery to remove my right kidney came on June 26th. Over the next five months, I had six additional surgeries and spent a total of 49 days in the hospital. Praise God, I am now cancer free! Dr. Baker stood by me throughout the whole difficult process. In fact the other surgeons Dr. James Foote and Dr. Paul Kemmeter were called upon for several of my surgeries that resulted as a complication of the cancer. All of the Grand Health Partners staff has been wonderful. One outstanding example is found in the kindness and compassion of Dr. Baker's nurse, Amy. Throughout this whole journey, I have found tremendous support from the first meetings in 2005, through to today. At Grand Health Partners, the process for WLS is well thought out, efficient, professional, and most of all compassionate. At every bend they were there to walk me through to this healthy new life. Looking back to my high weight of 500 pounds, I have lost a total of 300 pounds. I lost 201.2 within the first year after my WLS. Wow! According to my BMI I am in the normal range and for the first time in my life I am not overweight. If you asked me today “now what can you do?” I’d say I can do anything that being obese kept me from doing. “Now I can”…fit in the seats on a roller coaster, plane, and theater. “Now I can”…walk up a flight of stairs and not collapse out of breath. “Now I can”…mow the lawn or clear the driveway of snow without two days of recovery. “Now I can”…purchase regular size clothing and shop at any men’s clothing store that I prefer. “Now I can…feel my wife’s arms reach all the way around me as we embrace. “Now I can”…live this life without the burdens born of obesity. But most important is “Now I can”…continue this life free of cancer because of Dr. Baker’s quick action and ongoing care. I believe having WLS saved my life two times. First in helping me to drop the weight and second because of Dr. Baker. Because of WLS my cancer was found early and addressed on time. I thank God for Dr. Baker and the staff at Grand Health Partners.

Now I can LIVE!! Here is my story: I have had issues with my weight all my life. I tried a number of specialty diets, diet pills, fad diets, etc. My weight would decrease, but return twofold. I even denied that I had a problem, I believed that I was in control. YEAH RIGHT! In the fall of 1999, I was diagnosed with asthma and sleep apnea. The excess weight caused my body to start breaking down. My treating doctor never tested me to discover what my asthma triggers were. Needless to say, my asthma got worse and all the doctor did was give me Prednisone and belittle me for being overweight. That’s when he also put me on Paxil for one year then Effexor XR for depression and anxiety. My self-esteem was sinking fast like the Titanic. I went to a counselor and she helped me deal with some issues but not the weight issue (why I ate too much). My asthma and weight were so out of control that I was in and out of the hospital and missing time at work. My body continued breaking down even more, with the onset of Type II Diabetes, high blood pressure, C.O.P.D. You could just about name it. In March of 2003, I was so bad and I decided to change doctors. My new doctor sent me to an allergist for testing and control of my asthma. Guess what...my home and work place were filled with asthma triggers! I lost my job in April of 2003 because of my health. My husband’s insurance wouldn’t even recognize obesity as a disability. Walking to the mailbox and back (75ft.) caused me to wheeze and become short of breath. I weighed 396 pounds. I thought I was as low as a person could be and I needed help! Finally, in October of 2005, I made an appointment with Dr. Kemmeter to start the evaluation for Bariatic Surgery. They gave me a test called “Quality of Life Inventory”. My score was 4 (very Low = 0-36). After a number of other tests, I got the green light for surgery. For the first time I believed I had a chance to turn my life around. My surgery was scheduled for May 25, 2006. With my faith in God and in the hands of an excellent doctor and his surgical team, I had no complications and was home the next day (26 hours). “Like a caterpillar that turns into a butterfly” I was on my way to a new and better life. By the way, I now have LOTS of butterflies in my home. After my three-month check-up, I was given the okay to increase my activities. I had more energy all the time. I decided to join Curves in September of 2006, to help with the toning, building, creating, and just plain waking up of my muscles. At my six-month check-up the doctors were very pleased with my results. The behaviorist gave me another “Quality of Life Inventory” and this time I scored 68 (High = 58-71). This has been a truly amazing, life changing experience. I am well on my way to reaching my goals. It has been a lot of work, but with great rewards! I have lost 211 pounds and have reduced my BMI from 61 to 24! And at Curves I have toned, and built muscle that I had lost. I went from wearing a size 4X (32) to 6-8. As for eating, I have taken the information the dietitian gave me and the Curves Weight Management Program (High Protein) and made it work for me. I can affirm that exercise and changing your eating habits do work. In April of 2007 I started to work for Curves as a Fitness Tech (Circuit Coach). Who would of thought a year ago I would be here! I sure didn’t see that coming. My health has improved so much that my prescription medication went from 11 pills down to 3 a day. I have higher self-esteem, I’m able to work again, and I can take care of my home, kids, dogs and gardens. It is now almost 3 years and I am mantaining my weight. It is an on going change that I will work on the rest of my life. It is well worth it!! Also, I went back to school and now I am a Nationally Registered Medical Assistant!!! WooHoo!!!!

NOW I can see how to manage my weight for a lifetime. I understand portion control and the effects of needed protein in my diet. I am amazed at the fact that I am not hungry. I am also so pleased with GHP over another similar program I moved from. I know I can be successful with the help of GHP! I am thankful for their professionlism and care.

Now I can LIVE! Like most people, I have struggled with weight all my life. I was average size all through school, but in college, I didn't just gain the "freshman 15", I gained 40!! That was the start of my yo-yo fad diets, everything from pills, starvation, diet plans, counting points - you name, it I tried it. I was never successful in keeping the weight off. In 2007 I was at my heaviest weight ever - almost 300 pounds. "How did I let myself get this big" I would cry to myself. I was addicted to food. I had to make a major lifestyle change. I had sleep apnea, high blood pressure, arthritis and was miserable!! Then God opened the door at Grand Health Partners. My new life started on May 8th, 2008. I am so blessed to have Dr Kemmeter and his awesome staff in my life - I am a different person on the outside for sure, but my gratitude for all that you have done to make this possible in my life will never change. I was wearing a size 26 and now am in an 8-10. I want to first thank God for His undying love and provision in my life. I am forever grateful!! I want to thank my husband, Eric, and my kids Jace, Emma & Seth, family and friends for loving me and thinking I'm beautiful at any size. Your support has been the most important. Please feel free to email and ask anything - Blessings in your life journey's. Amy Harrington

I wanted to have surgery, but my insurance would not pay unless I first tried a supervised medical weight loss program. I was not happy about it, but what choice did I have? I spent twelve weeks on the Active Weight Loss part of the program and a few more weeks transitioning back to normal food. During that time, the staff taught me about my eating behaviors, nutrition, and exercise. The results were remarkable. Most importantly, the knowledge I gained through the medical weight loss program empowered me to keep going. I continued to lose weight and I know what I have to do to maintain my weight. Even though I am years past my "active weight loss," I continue to participate in the "Living Healthy" part of the program through weekly support group meetings because it helps keep me on track. Now I am glad the insurance made me jump through the supervised medical weight loss program first. It was just what I needed.

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