Friday, October 14, 2016
“You need to lose a 100 pounds before you can think about having another baby.”
Those were the grim words Lindsay Pack, 36, of Canton received from her obstetrician-gynecologist earlier this year.
The mother of two boys, including a 2-year-old and a 6-month-old, had been contemplating weight loss surgery for some time, inspired in part by her mother’s 75-pound weight loss success with the procedure.
But this recommendation – along with the benefit of already having met her health insurance deductible earlier this year as a result of childbirth – motivated Pack to set the date sooner rather than later.
If all goes according to plan, Pack will have weight loss surgery in November, and recover in the new bariatric, post-surgical suites at Beaumont Hospital, Wayne. Follow-up appointments with her medical team will be scheduled at the new Weight Control Center in Canton.
“We’d like to have another baby,” Pack said. “But right now, I can’t keep up with my two boys.”
As part of the surgery, Pack will have follow-up access to physicians, dietitians, exercise physiologists, psychologists and support group meetings at the weight control center. The center’s staff also works with patients to arrange health insurance coverage.
“I think the exercise piece is key to maintenance,” said Pack, adding that while she’s been thin most of her life, she gained 70 pounds while pregnant with her first son, and more with the second. “I love the support group opportunity at the center. You get to meet people going through the same thing as you.”
Easy access to the new facility is another key perk for Pack.
“I’ve been driving out to the Royal Oak center for my pre-surgery appointments and that’s 45 minutes each way,” Pack said. “We need something on our side of town. The new center is four miles from my house.”
Center location is also a point of pride for its medical director, Tariq Kakish, M.D., a board-certified bariatric physician.
“We’re very excited to be in Canton, which is currently underserved,” Dr. Kakish said. “I don’t think there’s another program out here like this.”
A multidisciplinary approach, Dr. Kakish stressed, is the most effective route to permanent, healthy weight loss. “Working alongside our bariatric physicians, we have a whole team of health care providers who through education, nutrition and exercise, can help patients change their relationship with food,” Dr. Kakish said.
Wendy Miller, M.D., corporate medical director for Beaumont Health Weight Control Centers, said patients are more likely to be successful long-term if the program is located near their home.
In addition, “Individuals who aren’t specifically enrolled with our program, are welcome to come to our healthy cooking demonstrations or work directly with our psychologists on emotional or psychosocial issues that may be contributing to weight gain,” Dr. Miller said.
Featured equipment at the center includes a DEXA-Scan, which provides the most accurate measurement of percent body fat and can help determine an individualized, realistic goal weight.
The average weight loss for bariatric surgery patients is about 100 pounds, Dr. Miller said. Many patients resolve weight-related medical conditions after surgery, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, low back and join pain. Quality of life also often improves considerably.
“We provide all the support patients need, pre-operatively and post-operatively, to be successful in their weight loss journey,” Dr. Kakish said.
Beaumont Weight Control Centers in Royal Oak, Rochester Hills, St. Clair Shores and now Canton, also offer a non-surgical weight loss program and weight loss programs for children and teens.