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The Real Skinny on
Weight Loss Surgery

Julie M. Janeway
Karen J. Sparks
Randal S. Baker,
M.D., F.A.C.S.


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Price: $21.95

Softcover | 224 Pages | ISBN: 9780976767220

About the Book

Funny. Easy to read. Accurate. If you’re a REAL person considering weight loss surgery, this book will give you the right information to make the decision whether or not it’s REALLY right for you! If you’ve already decided on surgery, then we’ll tell you what it’s REALLY like to live day to day as a weight loss surgery patient, and how to find a good bariatric surgeon in a multi-disciplinary practice who’ll help you live.

PLUS, you’ll get the REAL Skinny on:
* Hidden costs related to bariatric surgery, and tips to deal with them
* REAL answers about skin issues, protein diets, co-morbidities, and other scary thoughts
* REAL insights into emotional and psychological issues
* REAL experiences specifically related to men’s issues
* REAL information on the Lap-Band® procedure

Successful weight loss surgery patients JULIE JANEWAY and KAREN SPARKS, are Michigan educators who pull no punches in telling you about the good, the bad, and the really weird involved with being a bariatric patient. DR. RANDAL BAKER is a Board Certified practicing surgeon, a leading bariatric medicine researcher, and an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Michigan State University. He is the co-developer of a surgical technology to decrease bleeding and leaks from staple lines, for which he won the American Medical Innovation of the Year Award, and the prestigious international INAMED Award.

No celebrity life stories. No unrealistic Hollywood expectations. Just real life experiences, tips, and information to help you make the decision that’s right for you. If you are looking to save your own life, or get one, buy this book.

About the Authors

Julie M. Janeway
Author/Publisher/Educator
Julie Janeway is a gastric bypass patient having had surgery in October, 2003. She is a previously published author, a former on-air legal correspondent for a Michigan ABC affiliate, and currently teaches at Central Michigan University. Julie Janeway has taught for twelve years, specializing in law, political science, and social science, and emphasizing real world application through experiential learning. Her teaching style is dynamic and non-traditional, and she brings those same charismatic qualities to her seminars and lectures across the country.

She is the co-owner of Little Victories Press, and Athena Group Consulting serving education, business/medical, government, human service, and community arenas with professional development, program development, assessment, and other consulting services. She holds a Bachelor degree in Business Administration with minors in marketing, international relations, communication, and social science, a Master of the Science of Administration, a Juris Doctorate, and is ABD on her Ph.D. in Public Policy / Public Administration. 

Julie is a former Michigan trial attorney with significant experience in employment law, medical malpractice defense, contract and business law, real estate law, governmental relations, and issue advocacy. Prior to becoming an attorney Julie worked extensively in the areas of marketing, promotion, and public relations. Julie is an outgoing and vibrant individual, and she views the world as a classroom in which she both teaches and learns.

Karen J. Sparks
Author/Publisher/Educator
Karen Sparks is a gastric bypass patient having had surgery in December, 2003. She is an accomplished artist, and a true educator in every sense of the word. She is a former Dean of Business Administration and Technology at Baker College, and has been teaching for fifteen years, specializing in management strategies, administrative functions, and technology applications, with emphasis on real world application through experiential learning. 

Karen is no ordinary teacher. Her teaching style is very hands on and practical. Karen likes to tell students that she camps just outside of “the box” and only visits the box when necessary. She is an engaging presence whether in the classroom, or when presenting seminars and lectures across the country. Her energetic personality infuses all she does.

She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration, a Master degree in Business Education, and is completing her Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration as well. She is the co-owner of Little Victories Press, and Athena Group Consulting, serving education, business/medical, government, human service, and community arenas with professional development, program development, assessment, and other consulting services.

Randal S. Baker, M.d., F.a.c.s.
Author/Surgeon/researcher
Dr. Baker specializes in bariatric surgery and has had significant experience as a general surgeon prior to his bariatric practice.  He is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgery.  He completed a Fellowship in Critical Care and holds an additional certificate for Critical Care through the American Board of Surgery.  Dr. Baker presently serves as the Medical Director of the Surgical Intensive Care Units at Spectrum Hospital, and is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Michigan State University.  He is a member of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery, the American Medical Association, and the Society of Critical Care Medicine. 

Dr. Baker is also a 2005 award nominee for the Outstanding Achievement Award of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery Foundation.  This award is given for significant contributions to the advancement of bariatric surgery, and representation of the highest ideals of the ASBS.  As a nominee for this award Dr. Baker stands alongside some of the greatest medical minds in the world today, and his innovative ideas and contributions are most worthy of the praise.  He is also a proud past recipient of the American College of Surgeons Transplantation Award.

Dr. Baker has researched, published, and lectured extensively on the topics of morbid obesity, bariatric surgery, and surgical critical care, and is on the Editorial Board of the prestigious Obesity Surgery Journal, a publication of international reputation in the medical community.  He also helped develop a bio-absorbable staple line product to decrease bleeding and leaks from staple lines.  This product won the 2002 American Medical Innovation of the Year award. 

Following the development of that sealant, Drs. Baker, Foote, and Kemmeter presented and published a landmark study on “The Science of Stapling and Leaks” in the Obesity Surgery Journal.  Portions of this research were presented at the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity (IFSO) Conference in Spain in 2003.  The research received the prestigious international INAMED Award.

The credentials that he considers most important though, are those of husband and father of nine (yes… 9…) wonderful children! (No, he is not Catholic or Mormon, which are the most common questions he and his wife are asked when out in public.)   He is a caring and attentive family man, and has even been known to take the afternoon off work to take all of his children to see a Harry Potter movie. 

In addition to all his amazing credentials, he is actually a caring doctor with a wonderful bedside manner!  It helps to have a doctor with a good sense of humor, but he’s also very careful not to make you laugh right after surgery.  Dr. Baker is also just an all around nice person who cares deeply about his patients, attempting to help them find new, healthy, and enjoyable lives.  He and his partners have surrounded themselves with staff of a similar ethic, those who have intense empathy for their patients through the “thick and thin” of the whole weight loss process.