Michael Podolla, 68, has always had a sweet tooth. He loved candy and regularly ate two gallons of ice cream every week. Over the years, his increasing weight and his work in construction and roofing took a toll on his body. 

The Morganville, New Jersey, resident had two surgeries on one knee, and the other was likely to need replacement. He was on medications for chronic back pain, high blood pressure, blood clots and high cholesterol.

As his weight climbed to 339 pounds, his family increasingly worried about his health, especially the risk that he would develop diabetes. His wife, Kathi, read about gastric sleeve surgery and begged her husband to talk to his doctor about it. Michael finally agreed to make inquiries. Then COVID hit, and he had to wait.

Finding a Weight Loss Answer 

When he was able to meet with bariatric surgeon Richard Greco, M.D., in mid-2021, he learned he’d be a good candidate for the surgery. In gastric sleeve surgery, a large section of the stomach is removed, leaving behind a “sleeve” of the stomach about the size and shape of a banana, says Dr. Greco.

The reduction in the size of the stomach does two things:

• The much-smaller stomach means those who have the surgery can’t eat as much because they fill up faster.
• They don’t feel as hungry as they did before the surgery because the part of the stomach that’s removed is where most of the body’s hunger stimulating hormone, called ghrelin, is produced.
  
  

Surgery would mean Michael would need to make significant changes in his life both before and after the procedure. Before he could have the surgery, he had to go through several months of nutritional counseling, lose some weight and do rehearsals of the meal changes he’d experience after surgery.

After the surgery, he’d have to begin with a liquid diet and gradually transition to “normal” foods—and he’d have to adapt to eating differently for the rest of his life.

The Right Attitude for Weight-loss Surgery

“I wasn’t really thrilled about going through everything until I actually started doing it,” Michael says. 

Once he committed to doing it, he was all in. “Michael lost 13 pounds during the 3-month preoperative nutritional counseling part of it,” says Dr. Greco. “That’s actually fantastic, and a good indicator of somebody who’s going to do well.”

Michael’s surgery on May 10, 2021, marked the first robotic bariatric surgery at Bayshore Medical Center and the first time Dr. Greco used a robot for bariatric surgery. After half-jokingly asking Dr. Greco if he played a lot of video games growing up, Michael agreed to be his first robotic surgery patient.

“Sometimes that can be a little bit overwhelming for a patient,” says Dr. Greco. “But I explained that it's not the robot doing the surgery; I'm utilizing the robot to do the surgery.”

Michael’s target post-surgery weight was 225 pounds; today, he is holding steady at 195 pounds and is off all his medications except those for his cholesterol. He eats whatever foods he wants to, but eats much smaller portions and finds he doesn’t get hungry or crave sweets like he used to.

Best of all, Michael is feeling great. For the first time in years, he has energy to do things and move around without difficulty. “I used to eat all the time, and eat junk food,” he says. “I don’t miss it at all.”

Next Steps & Resources:

• Meet our source: Richard Greco, M.D.
• Take our weight-loss health risk assessment to find out if you are a candidate for bariatric surgery
• To make an appointment with a bariatric surgeon near you, call 800-822-8905 or visit our website.
  
  

The material provided through HealthU is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual care.