Today can be the beginning of breaking the cycle of obesity, shame, and physical pain. Our goal in bariatric surgery is to help patients establish a different relationship with food and nutrition. We understand the day-to-day challenges faced by people struggling with the disease of obesity; we are here to help. Our team of experts—a highly-skilled surgeon, physician assistant, coordinator, nurses, and dietitian—will guide you through the entire process, from selecting the right option, non-surgical or surgical, to providing you with nutrition and fitness advice and lifestyle counseling.
Dr. Stephen Archer and his team are devoted to patients who suffer from obesity. For some, bariatric operations such as sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass surgery help to break that cycle, but surgery is only one crucial part of the journey. Even as isolating as obesity is, our clinic is looking for connections—to you, between you and real food, between you and your family and friends, and between you and yourself, your body, your soul, all of you.
With our medical partners, we utilize a variety of methods to help you reach your goals. With all our resources, we work with you to help you begin the journey back to yourself.
How surgery can help
The BMI calculator
How the bariatric surgery program works
Qualifications for bariatric surgery include:
BMI ≥ 40, or more than 100 pounds overweight.
BMI ≥ 35 and at least two obesity-related co-morbidities such as
Type II diabetes
Hypertension
Sleep apnea and other respiratory problems
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease—caused by obesity
Osteoarthritis
Cholesterol problems
Gastrointestinal disorders
Heart problems
For example, an adult who is 5’11” tall and weighs 290 lbs would have a BMI over 40.
Calculate your BMI
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) also recommend that surgery be performed by a board-certified surgeon with specialized experience/training in bariatric and metabolic surgery, and at a center that has a multidisciplinary team of experts for follow-up care. This may include a nutritionist, an exercise physiologist or specialist, and a mental health professional. Facilities that meet high standards or quality, like those outlined in MBSAQIP, are preferable choices for patients.
Under Dr. Archer’s direction, St. Charles Medical Center has met these standards.
Because bariatric surgery is elective, and because it affects your life every day after surgery and also involves significant risk, we want to get to know you very well before your operation. You will also want to attend the information seminar. From there, you may have several other visits, including:
Nutrition counseling
Psychological evaluation
Exercise Assessment
Lab work
EKG or other heart testing
Sleep study
Resting Energy Expenditure
Body Composition
Additional visits or evaluations may be necessary depending on medical history and insurance requirements
Many of these consultations can be scheduled in one or two days. We will make every effort to help coordinate your visit.
Please note that we require at least three months of tobacco abstinence prior to moving forward with surgery. In almost all cases, we ask patients to lose 5% of their total body weight prior to surgery. We do this because it is a safety issue.
Prior to surgery, we will see you again in the office to have a final review of all testing, review again the risks and benefits, do an exam, and answer questions. You will be asked to sign a consent form for surgery. You will also usually have a preoperative visit at St. Charles Medical Center.
On the day of your operation, you will meet the anesthesiologist and the operating room team. After your operation, you will have a two-hour stay in recovery and then go to your room in the hospital. Often, we start patients on liquids within hours of surgery. Prior to discharge from the hospital, we will review all your medications with a pharmacist and make any changes. Some patients leave with far fewer medications than they came in with!
One of our goals is to make sure you have a great experience before, during and after surgery. Preventing readmissions is a big part of that. Postoperatively, you will want to focus on staying very well-hydrated. Water, water, water!
After surgery, once bowel function has returned, you will be on protein drinks for three weeks, along with water. Following that you will be on a puree diet, concentrating on healthy fats and proteins and taking in less carbohydrates and sugar. By six weeks after surgery you will be on a regular diet. We like to say real food for real people. Whole, real foods are best.
We will see you frequently after surgery. We want to know if you have questions or problems. Please stay involved after surgery. The support groups are for you and patients who go to support groups tend to lose more weight.
Our bariatric team is here to guide you to a maintainable, healthy weight. If you are considering our bariatric surgery program, attending our informational seminar is an important requirement. The seminar is free and open to the public and provides our patients with information about weight loss surgery, the risks and benefits, and our philosophy about Bariatric surgery.
We understand some patients wish to pursue surgery and do not have bariatric insurance benefits. We have self-pay options available and will work with you to select the payment option that suits your financial needs.
Common bariatric operations
Sleeve gastrectomy
Surgery that involves removing about 80% of the stomach, leaving a tube-shaped stomach about the size and shape of a banana.
Surgery that helps you lose weight by changing how your stomach and small intestine handle the food you eat. After the surgery, your stomach will be smaller.