Amy Smith can attest
to the bruising experience of yo-yo dieting.
For years, the Aurora resident tried the most popular weight-loss programs and had considerable success. That is, until she stopped doing them. Smith eventually would slide back into old habits when she left behind the foods and supplements provided by the programs. She reached a breaking point last July.
“Each year, my health was getting worse,” she said. “My cholesterol was not doing good, I was four points away from having sleep apnea and one point away from being pre-diabetic, and I just decided it was time to do something about it.”
She signed up to have gastric bypass surgery, but days before the procedure, the hospital put a stop to it. At 177 pounds, her medical provider said she didn’t meet the criteria because she hadn’t yet reached the diagnosis threshold.
That’s where Dr. Matthew Metz stepped in. The former medical director of Parker Adventist Hospital’s bariatric program struck out on his own in 2012, creating a practice on the second floor of a building southwest of South Parker Road and Parkglenn Way. He has since pioneered what he calls the Resolute procedure, a take on traditional bariatric surgeries. However, candidates can be as little as 30 pounds overweight.
Metz told Smith about Resolute, which involves the laparoscopic removal of two-thirds of the stomach via five small incisions. He takes out the stomach area that stretches, along with specialized cells that line the stomach and produce the appetite hormone ghrelin, which sends hunger signals to the brain.
“It’s an established procedure that’s been done for bariatric patients for many years,” Metz said. “What we’ve done is just altered it slightly to make it safe and effective for people with lower body-mass index.”
People who are at least 100 pounds overweight have a significantly lower life expectancy because of resulting ailments like diabetes and heart disease. Patients only 30 pounds overweight have a seven- to 14-year reduction in life expectancy, Metz said.
Smith, who has multiple sclerosis and overheats when working out, paid out of pocket for her procedure — Metz estimated the cost at around $13,000 — and said she has no regrets. Smith regained her energy and is “comfortable in my skin,” she said.
Just past her one-year evaluation, she stands at a trim 117 pounds. Smith has also seen reductions in her risk factors for high blood pressure and other conditions associated with extra weight.
Metz said it’s possible for patients to eat so much that it expands the stomach, but his Resolute success rate is more than 80 percent, compared to diet and exercise, which provides only a 5 percent chance of long-term success, he said.
“Being on a diet by itself is a predictor of weight-loss failure,” Metz said.
While learning laparoscopy at the Cleveland Clinic, he was used to operating on patients who were often hundreds of pounds overweight. He is happy to provide a new option to people who are 30 to 90 pounds overweight. And while Colorado is typically the leanest state in the country, with an obesity rate of about 20 percent, there are many who feel the need to try an alternative route to losing extra pounds.
“I worried that people would think this is a quick fix or an easy way out, but it’s not like I didn’t try doing things the hard way,” Smith said. “I’m hoping it’s a more permanent solution.”
For years, the Aurora resident tried the most popular weight-loss programs and had considerable success. That is, until she stopped doing them. Smith eventually would slide back into old habits when she left behind the foods and supplements provided by the programs. She reached a breaking point last July.
“Each year, my health was getting worse,” she said. “My cholesterol was not doing good, I was four points away from having sleep apnea and one point away from being pre-diabetic, and I just decided it was time to do something about it.”
She signed up to have gastric bypass surgery, but days before the procedure, the hospital put a stop to it. At 177 pounds, her medical provider said she didn’t meet the criteria because she hadn’t yet reached the diagnosis threshold.
That’s where Dr. Matthew Metz stepped in. The former medical director of Parker Adventist Hospital’s bariatric program struck out on his own in 2012, creating a practice on the second floor of a building southwest of South Parker Road and Parkglenn Way. He has since pioneered what he calls the Resolute procedure, a take on traditional bariatric surgeries. However, candidates can be as little as 30 pounds overweight.
Metz told Smith about Resolute, which involves the laparoscopic removal of two-thirds of the stomach via five small incisions. He takes out the stomach area that stretches, along with specialized cells that line the stomach and produce the appetite hormone ghrelin, which sends hunger signals to the brain.
“It’s an established procedure that’s been done for bariatric patients for many years,” Metz said. “What we’ve done is just altered it slightly to make it safe and effective for people with lower body-mass index.”
People who are at least 100 pounds overweight have a significantly lower life expectancy because of resulting ailments like diabetes and heart disease. Patients only 30 pounds overweight have a seven- to 14-year reduction in life expectancy, Metz said.
Smith, who has multiple sclerosis and overheats when working out, paid out of pocket for her procedure — Metz estimated the cost at around $13,000 — and said she has no regrets. Smith regained her energy and is “comfortable in my skin,” she said.
Just past her one-year evaluation, she stands at a trim 117 pounds. Smith has also seen reductions in her risk factors for high blood pressure and other conditions associated with extra weight.
Metz said it’s possible for patients to eat so much that it expands the stomach, but his Resolute success rate is more than 80 percent, compared to diet and exercise, which provides only a 5 percent chance of long-term success, he said.
“Being on a diet by itself is a predictor of weight-loss failure,” Metz said.
While learning laparoscopy at the Cleveland Clinic, he was used to operating on patients who were often hundreds of pounds overweight. He is happy to provide a new option to people who are 30 to 90 pounds overweight. And while Colorado is typically the leanest state in the country, with an obesity rate of about 20 percent, there are many who feel the need to try an alternative route to losing extra pounds.
“I worried that people would think this is a quick fix or an easy way out, but it’s not like I didn’t try doing things the hard way,” Smith said. “I’m hoping it’s a more permanent solution.”
Two weeks out from
her one-year evaluation, she stands at a trim 117 pounds. Smith has also seen
reductions in her risk-factors for high blood pressure and other conditions
associated with extra weight.
Metz said it’s
possible for patients to eat so much that it expands the stomach, but his
Resolute success rate is more than 80 percent, compared to diet and exercise
which provides only a 5 percent chance of long-term success, he said.
“Being on a diet by
itself is a predictor of weight-loss failure,” Metz said.
While learning
laparoscopy at the Cleveland Clinic, he was used to operating on patients who
were around 1,000 pounds. He is happy to provide a new option to people who are
30-90 pounds overweight. And while Colorado is typically the leanest state in
the country, at around 20 percent obesity, there is still a need.
The disadvantages,
according to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, are that
the procedures are non-reversible and patients have the potential for long-term
vitamin deficiencies. The National Institutes of Health says that some patients
regain some of the lost weight over time and that problems can occur, like a
stretched pouch or separated stitches. The risk of leakage is generally 2-3
percent, but Metz says he has had zero reports of leakage.
Gastric-bypass surgery and sleeves are generally meant for those with a body-mass index of 35 or greater, but the Mayo Clinic says those with a BMI between 30 and 34 who have serious weight-related health problems are also candidates.
Gastric-bypass surgery and sleeves are generally meant for those with a body-mass index of 35 or greater, but the Mayo Clinic says those with a BMI between 30 and 34 who have serious weight-related health problems are also candidates.
This post was originally published here: Parker Doctor Pioneers Weight-loss Procedure
Related article: What
you should know about Weight Loss
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