Alan A. Saber, MD, FACS Bariatric Surgeon Director, Metabolic Surgery

D.A.S
Personall Comment:
I made the decision to have gastric by-pass surgery in the spring of 2004. My family doctor told me about a local doctor who was doing the surgery. I went to her seminar and started all the testing that was required. After completing all requirements by the insurance company I was approved for surgery, only to find out the surgeon I was going through had stopped or was stopped from doing any gastric surgery for three months. Then four months, so I searched the internet and found Dr. Alan Saber, and I went to his seminar and with all my testing done he was able to accept me as a patient. So my first visit was in Nov. 2004 just before Thanksgiving. On Dec. 2nd, 2004 I received a call saying my surgery was scheduled for Dec. 14th and to start my liquid diet. My surgery went well. I was home four days later. I am nearing my one year anniversary and have lost 100 lbs. Dr. Saber is a wonderful, caring doctor. On a scale of 1-10 I would give him all 10's. His nurse Pat is great, she always has a smile and kind words of wisdom. I thank God every day for Dr. Saber. Without him I know I would not be alive if I had gone with the other doctor.

I first met Dr. Saber at an informational meeting. I was very impressed with his presentation, and felt confident in his abilities and commitment to quality medicine. The preop workup took a long time, but I knew it was all for my benefit and safety. I am now 2 months postop and have lost 30 pounds. Dr. Saber is very passionate about his work and very compassionate with his patients. He continues to stress the importance of diet and exercise along with the surgery to have a successful result. He makes sure I'm doing what I am supposed to be doing and reassures me that he is always available, to call any time with any questions or problems. Pat, his nurse, is phenomenal! I was so confident going into surgery that I had the right surgeon and that I had made the right decision that I didn't need any preop sedation. I was completely convinced this was the thing to do and that Dr. Saber was the one to do it. He is definitely a 10 in my book. The only negatives I have run into have to do with the clinic and residents he works with, but these are minor compared to having a competent, compassionate surgeon. I learned to bring a book for my appointments because it may be a long wait, but that happens with any surgeon.

Personally, I can’t say enough about Dr. Saber and Pat. I had my surgery October 11, 2005. Dr. Saber had to go out of town a few days later and he gave me his cell phone number and kept in contact with me twice daily. I would have never known he was gone. Not many doctors will give you their cell phone number after surgery and instruct you to call them any time, day or night if you have questions or problems. The care I received from him was beyond excellent. Dr. Saber is very passionate about bariatric surgery and I find him to be not only extremely qualified but a compassionate and genuinely caring Dr. as well. He goes into detail about the risks and the benefits of surgery and the team of physicians he has assembled to make sure you are a good candidate for surgery is wonderful. They were all very thorough and sensitive to the issues overweight patients have. Dr. Saber takes time with his patients and never rushes you. He wants to make sure you and your family have all the answers to your questions. Pat is wonder woman in disguise! She will get you the answers you need and make sure all of your needs are taken care of right away. She's always there to encourage, advise and cheer you on. If you choose Dr. Saber you will be very well informed, very well taken care of and lucky to have him as your surgeon.

I had met with 2 other surgeons before meeting with Dr. Saber. At that meeting I knew he was the one I wanted.
He explained the surgery, what pre-testing I needed to have done to make sure I was in the best condition to have the surgery. Dr. Saber and his Nurse Pat answered all my questions, gave me so much support and confidence that everything would be fine.
I had my bypass surgery on 9/04. Everything went great. As of 10/05, I have lost 120 lbs and feel wonderful.
Dr. Saber and Pat were always available. We also have a great support group that meets once a month.
Bless you Dr. Saber, Pat and the whole team for everything you do for all of us.

I was very nervous, I went to the informational session, and was very happy that I had done a lot of research ahead of time. Once I had my first one on one meeting with him, I was much more comftorable. he always has the time to be sure every question is answered. I really liked everyone who works with him, they are very freindly, especially Pat, she is so sweet, she always has a smile, and makes you feel so welcome. She will celebrate all your landmarks with you.There is nothing that I can come up with that I dislike about Dr Saber, it even ended up being a really small world, and I have known his wife for sometime, as she is one of my longtime customers. One thing I would say which even he himself jokes about is his accent, sometimes he would talk fast and was hard to follow, but he will laugh and stop and slow down to be sure I understand.He is very concerned that you are doing okay. He wants to know about any problems. He gives you his pager number and tells you to call anytime. I am going to the first support group in two days, which I am nervous about. He explains all the risks of surgery so I was aware of what could go wrong, thankfully none of that happened to me. I am very happy about my choice, and would do it again today. I think surgical competence is important of coarse, but there is a lot to be said for bedside manor, being treated like I matter is important to me.

My first impression of Dr. Saber was that he looked young. I know that sounds funny but I really wondered how many surgeries he could have. To my relief, I found out that he is the Chief of Minimumly Invasive Surgery at MSU-KCMS here in Kalamazoo. He was however very friendly and seemed to be understanding. He was very informative but he seemed to speak rather quickly and he did have an accent so I had to struggle to understand him at some points during our consult. But the nurse did ask me afterwards if I needed anything repeated. The only member of his staff that I met was his nurse Pat. I just loved her. She was extreamly friendly and willing to talk. She had the surgery over a year ago so she knows what she is talking about. She is however very busy and it usually takes about a week to get ahold of her via telephone. I liked the idea that they contacted all the doctors you have to see before the surgery and set up all the appointments. It takes some stress off. We didn't talk to much about aftercare. I think the dietician talks alot about that and that is an upcoming appointment. Luckily I will have the same doctors and staff througout and I won't be bounced around. So far I would have to say that I would indeed recommed the doctor.

I have worked in the same clinic with Dr. Saber going on 3 years, I began working with the bariatric program about a year ago. I have the fortune to work with him on a professional level and on a personal level as his patient. Dr. Saber has been wonderful to work with, he is so dedicated to his work that he must dream about surgeries. At his monthly information meetings, he always adds new information, ever on the quest to provide as much information and statistics for his pateints as possible. I have absolute faith in Dr. Saber's abilities, not for what he has done for me, but what he has done for our patients. He wants every patient to be successful and my own primary care doctor and my endocrinologist were impressed and said I have had a very comprehensive work-up for the surgery. The team that he has assembled to address cardio, pulmo, pysch, and dietary have all been wonderful to work with. I've begun attending the monthly support group since I am within a few weeks of sending the paperwork to the insurance company. The meetings are packed full of information, fun and casual. We've even gone to a restaurant to help us to better understand how to order after surgery, what are the best foods nutritionally, portion sizes, etc.
Dr. Saber already performed surgery on a family member in June, and she looks wonderful and acts 10 years younger. My husband and I are both going through the work up and it's reassuring to know that I won't have to describe to him what I will be going through, or vice versa.
Having a professional relationship with Dr. Saber has made me so much more relaxed as a patient and I look forward to his guidance through this process.
Dr. Saber's nurse, Pat, is like everyone's big sister or aunt, she always has time to talk to anyone, address concerns, suggest ideas. Pat is just as passionate about the Bariatric program as Dr. Saber, they are a great team. I have the benefit of hearing the successful stories, his quality work up before the surgery has enabled his patients to be successful. I wouldn't want anyone else to do my surgery.


Well 3 years after my gastric bypass, I find myself needing a revision. Dr. Saber is going to do it. I have now been working with him for over 5 years and my impression of him has not changed. Dr. Saber has been so concerned for me and always tells me, "Bonnie, I will take care of you." I feel very assured that he will be doing my surgery and he graciously went over everything with my husband today, who is concerned, but feels confident in Dr. Saber. A patient couldn't ask for a better bariatric surgeon.

It is hard to find enough words to explain to you how blessed I am to have met Dr. Saber. I am forever changed and better for having him touch my life. Dr. Saber was very personable and reassuring from the very first visit. He explained everything in detail and did not mind my endless string of questions. He took as much time as I needed to be certain I knew what I was getting myself into. And here I am, 5 months out from surgery, and he still treats me like I am very important, still has time for any questions, and still gives me reassurance and confidence that I am doing all the right things to make this successful. I am also blessed to have the opportunity to know his office nurse Pat. Everytime I talk to her, I feel like I am talking to a family member. In the early weeks post op, I needed questions answered and was even a little scared at times and she was there to get me through. I would tell anyone considering surgery with Dr. Saber to relax. He is careful to explain all the risks and benefits. But I firmly believe that you are in the best hands. My surgical procedure went flawlessly. I had some discomfort...who wouldn't after having major surgery...but he took great care to see that I was comfortable and had enough pain medication. I had my 5 month checkup today, and he was impressed with my progress, but also made sure I was doing all the right things. He won't let you believe for a minute that this is a cure all. You must do your part!!! Fortunately, there are monthly support meetings to keep you on track. If I could rate Dr. Saber on a 1-10 scale, well you already know... he's a 10+!!!!
This is just a message to inform you of my personal account with Dr. Saber and his staff.