‘I love the new me’ In 2017, Brian Bates knew he needed to find a “healthier place in life.” Although he had worked with a personal trainer and nutritionist for several years, Bates was unable to reach his weight loss goal. The London-based international capital markets lawyer was up to 283 pounds, with a body mass index (BMI) of 39 (30 and higher is considered obese). “I developed sleep apnea, pre-hypertension and pain in my legs, hips and feet,” Bates said. “I couldn’t enjoy the type of lifestyle that I had as a younger person. And traveling internationally, which was necessary for my job, had become increasingly difficult.” CHOOSING THE BEST OPTION
One of Bates’ colleagues, who had undergone obesity surgery 15 years earlier, recommended a duodenal switch — a type of obesity surgery — due to her experience with long-term success. She advised him to choose a gastric surgery practice that was highly experienced in the complex procedure. After researching surgical weight loss programs in the U.S. and London, Bates decided to fly across the Atlantic to meet with the bariatric team at the University of Chicago Medicine.
match between the choice of procedure and the patient. “Each patient has a different amount of weight to lose and different health issues related to obesity,” said bariatric surgeon Vivek Prachand, MD. “In addition, the surgeries have different levels of effectiveness and side effects.” UChicago Medicine offers all four types of bariatric surgery — sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass, gastric band and duodenal switch. “In just one stop, I met with the surgeon, nurses, a dietitian and a psychologist,” said Bates, a Midwest native with homes in London and in Northwest Indiana. “The conversation was professional, constructive and informative. Because I could speak to them directly and candidly — and due to their vast experience with the duodenal switch — I knew the UChicago Medicine team was for me.” The duodenal switch — also called the biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch and commonly referred to as DS — combines a sleeve gastrectomy with an intestinal bypass. Because it reduces how much food a person feels like eating and results in improvement of metabolism, it helps patients lose weight and maintain weight loss.
Every patient considering obesity surgery at UChicago Medicine first meets with the entire weight loss care team. The visits take a half day, with the goal of finding the right
“Brian’s BMI was less than the typical DS patient,” said Prachand, noting that the procedure is usually performed when the BMI is over 50, or over 40 if the patient has other health issues, such as severe diabetes. “He didn’t need DS from the standpoint of the magnitude of his weight.”
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The Forefront | S U M M E R 2 0 2 0
Brian Bates lost 130 pounds after he had obesity surgery and learned a new way of eating.
