Read more: Local, Health
Sue Baker, 35, is scheduled to undergo gastric bypass surgery.
More people are opting for weight loss surgery including a Utica area woman who Action News will be following over the next year.
Sue Baker is a 35 year old mother of two. Like millions of Americans, she is considered obese.
"Seems like a never ending battle. I'm constantly trying the new diets, whatever new is going around town, exercise and not getting anywhere. If I get 20 pounds off, next thing I get 20 on plus 5 more," says Baker.
Baker is now a patient at the Bariatric Surgery Center near Utica where she's slated to undergo gastric bypass surgery this month.
"My aunt had it done after talking to her, she looks great. I thought maybe this is the road I should pursue." she says.
Doctor William Graber's bariatric surgery practice has performed more than 1,500 such gastric bypass surgeries since 2003. It can now be done with just a few small incisions and micro tv cameras. Dr. Graber describes the procedure.
"We're creating a pouch, a little piece of the stomach, cut the intestine and connect it to the pouch. And you can see this bypasses the old stomach which is still there," says Graber.
Graber says this is not cosmetic surgery, but a lifesaver.
"The long term benefit is the chances of heart disease goes down, chances of diabetes goes down and chances of cancer goes down and people live longer after they lose the weight."
But first the staff at the center must make sure Sue Bakers is the right candidate for the procedure. She does not want us to disclose her exact weight, but her Body Mass Index which takes into account her height and weight places her at 51, which is considered "morbidly obese."
Not only must she lose some weight prior to the operation, Baker must undergo intense counseling, meeting with nurses, a psychiatrist and registered dietitian. There are drawbacks including the usual complications following surgery, dietary supplements for life, constant monitoring of her calcium, iron and vitamin levels as well as changes to her eating habits. She must get used to eating small meals. But Dietitian Evelyn Mariani says because her stomach will be the size of her thumb, she will be less hungry.
"You can fit less. You do fit less and you get more filled up more quickly," says Mariani.
Sue Baker is aware of the commitment she is making. "I'm thinking I didn't have any idea of what I was getting into. But I'm ready for it."
Action News will present periodic progress reports. If the operation is as successful as it proclaims to be, the results will be quire dramatic.
