He Feels 25 Years Younger After Bariatric Surgery
Avid Outdoorsman, Talk Show Radio Host and Bariatric Surgery Patient
"The surgery was pretty minor. I had no problems and recovered quickly. I was back in the recording studio a week later."
In the fall of 2018, Mike Avery, 61, an avid outdoorsman and radio talk show host, was deer hunting in a hilly area in West Branch. As he climbed the hills, fatigue and shortness of breath frequently stopped him, making the hunting expedition a challenging one.
Now four years later and 90 pounds lighter, Mike has hunted the same area and feels like he can practically run up the hills. He attributes this dramatic change in experience to a new lifestyle that resulted from bariatric surgery.
Mike has been a TV and radio broadcaster for 35 years. His radio show, Mike Avery’s Outdoor Magazine Radio, is a staple for those who hunt, fish, shoot, trap and generally love wildlife. His program is featured on 29 stations across Michigan each weekend.
Over time, Mike’s weight started to interfere with his passion for the outdoors. It became harder to move through the woods and climb tree stands. He also developed high blood pressure and sleep apnea. He tried dieting, hypnosis and exercise, but nothing seemed to work. He took his concerns to his doctor Phil Kadaj, M. D., who recommended him for bariatric surgery.
Mike will be the first to admit he was hesitant. With a fear of getting the surgery then gaining the weight back, Dr. Kadaj explained how surgery is simply a tool to help a patient lose weight. The rest is on their shoulders to make the lifestyle changes to keep the weight off. With that in mind, Mike met with Bariatric Surgeon Ernest Cudjoe, M.D., who decided a sleeve gastrectomy was the best path forward. A sleeve gastrectomy is a minimally invasive surgical weight loss procedure where the surgeon makes a small incision to access the stomach and then staples it into two different sections. The surgeon then removes the larger section, making the stomach smaller and shaped like a sleeve. The transformed stomach still stretches and expands, but it prevents the patient from overeating. The procedure is performed by specialized bariatric surgeons at MyMichigan Medical Centers in Alma and Midland.
On the day of the surgery, Mike was a mix of emotions. “I was nervous, concerned and excited. Nervous for the process, concerned about keeping the weight off, and excited for the life change,” Mike said. “I was excited to get my life back. I felt like I had lost control of my life because my weight was keeping me from doing certain physical things.”
After surgery at MyMichigan Medical Center Alma, Mike felt great. “The surgery was pretty minor. I had no problems and recovered quickly. I was back in the recording studio a week later,” he said. Two weeks after bariatric surgery, Mike got rid of his CPAP machine for sleep apnea and his blood pressure decreased.
To keep the weight off, Mike walks three to four miles per day, several days a week. He also added strength training into his exercise routine. Overall, he feels like a new person. “I got my life back,” he said. “I feel like a new man. I feel 25 years younger. I can move better. I feel better. I can do more and I’m more active.”
MyMichigan Health offers bariatric surgery in both Alma and Midland. Those who would like to watch an information video or take a free weight loss assessment may visit www.mymichigan.org/weightloss.
