Michael Schuhknecht Bariatric Surgeon MD

I have been working with the Lakeland Weight Loss Center in Niles, Michigan since 12/9/2014. Thecenter has excellent , caring staff and Dr. Schuhknect is amazing. Love his sense of humor, he put my mind at ease and he is a wonderful surgeon. I am so happy that my insurance company required a six month medically supervised plan before surgery. It gave me the time to get my eating habitsand exercise on track before I had my surgery on 9/23/2014. Thank you Dr. S.

On June 11, 2003 I attended an informational meeting sponsored by the CORI Center in Warren Michigan. Dr. Schuhknecht and his team of patient service representatives were conducting this meeting. I was really impressed by his knowledge on the surgery and his care and concern for the people attending the meeting. He and his staff stayed until every last person had their questions answered.

I will be assigned a Patient Service Representative to help me with the process of gaining insurance approvals.

In discussing my surgery with the CORI Center Patient Care Representatives(Chuckie), they have assured me that they do accept Medicare/Medicaid Insurance. They say that the only major requirement from Medicare/Medicaid is you have to have a well documented history of 5 years of Physician monitored weight loss with your PCP.

I live 500 Miles from Dr. Schuhknecht. His office staff have been extremely helpful to work with me and my travel schedule to coordinate my appointments. I have also selected Dr. Medick who is a Psychologist in Grosse Ile Michigan to conduct my Psyc Eval. Both Dr. Medick and Dr. Schuhknecht have been willing to make some adjustments with their schedules to accommodate me. I am real grateful.

On 7/16/03 I had my Consultation with Dr. Schuhknecht and was very pleased with his complete examination of the surgery and the risks involved. He made me feel like he was genuinely concerned about me. I did not feel rushed as he answered all the questions I had.

7/31/03 (3 Days Post Op) Dr. Schuhknecht was great. I continue to be impressed by his knowledge and his patient care. He took time to speak with my family after surgery to let them know I did fine. He also stopped by my room to see how I was feeling. I also spoke with Dr. Wood several times during my stay. He was also very friendly and would answer any questions I may have had. I would recommend any of the CORI Surgeons to anyone considering this surgery.

8/30/03 (1 Month Post Op) I just had my One Month Post Op Follow Up visit with Dr. Schuhknecht and I am so pleased with the level of care and concern that Dr. Schuhknecht and his staff have for their patients. I feel like a part of their family, even though I know I am a patient.

Doctor Sapala is great and so is his partner rnrnDoctor Schuhknecht. Doctor Schuhknechtrnrnis going to be my surgeon. The staff is great, rnrnvery friendly people. Everything and all the rnrninformation they gave us was great.rnrnThe CORI Center is one of the best rnrnplaces you can go. But do research rnrnother places. Dr Sapala gave us all the information rnrnwe needed to know about the risk of this rnrnsurgery. Out of 10 I give them a 10. Ty rnrnDr.S and Dr. Sapala rnrn

Dr. Michael Schuhknecht did my revision surgery at Wayne State Medical Center in Detroit, MI on April 6, 2004. We had a pretty rough go of things. I had a leak and had to go back into surgery on April 7, 2004. Long story short, me being the poster child for a really screwed up immune system (my original surgery was done May, 2001 by a Dr. Elliot Goodman in NYC at that time I weighed in at 383lbs. and was dying from Hepatitis C...I was playing guinea pig for what is now known as the state of the art treatment for Hep C in a clinical trial program out of Marshfield, WI. The reason for the bariatric surgery was if I non-responded to the treatment for the Hep C, I was going to need a new liver, and at 383lbs. I would not be able to get 1/2 of my mother's liver because it wouldn't be able to sustain my body weight, regardless of the fact that she was a perfect match for donation...she only weighs in at 125lbs and is 4' 11\" tall, the upside of all of that was that the Peg Intron worked and I have had no sign of a Hep C viral load since January 2002 so I am considered cured, liver functions are normal and liver regenerated itself and is doing great, however I will always test positive for the Hep C virus antibody in a blood test). I had some serious complications after the original surgery which is what brought me to Dr. Michael Schuhknecht in Detroit, MI in 2004. At that time I weighed 263lbs, and had lost over 120lbs. from the original surgery, had done a tummy tuck and breast reduction in 2003. problem was that I still vomiting most everything that I tried to put into my stomach that was solid food, so I was living on mashed potatoes, cottage cheese, refried beans, really mushy tuna & chicken salad, lots and lots of Boost with High Protein content, cream of whatever soup and broths, jello and pudding, popsicles, etc...you get the picture. I was having terrible pain and had developed bleeding ulcers and was a mess. Even though I was high risk, due to my body's auto-immune system, and I had developed allergies to different medications and antibiotics, Dr. Schuhnecht and his team decided to take a chance and try to help me. I spent the next several months at Wayne State, not due in any part to any negligence or incompetense of my wonderful doctor, the nurses, the teams of doctors who helped Dr. Schuhnecht save my life. I developed a horrible allergy to the blood thinners after the surgery that caused my platlet count to plunge into a very dangerous territory, thank God Dr. Shuhnecht and the teams of doctors at Wayne State figured it out in the nick of time and did a procedure called pherisis to replace and clean out all of my blood. I developed a nasty staph infection in the incision which cause some other serious problems. I could go on and on, but none of this was any fault of the Dr.'s, the nurses, the hospital, etc...they were wonderful and everytime something life threatening came up they found a way to save me. I cannot say enough good things about this wonderful man who happens to be the best bariatric surgeon that ever was, bar none!!!! He is my knight in shining armor, my hero, and aside from God, my angel here on earth that God sent to take care of me. I have to say that I probably gave him more scares than any other patient he has had before or after me. He called me his warrioress...that was the name of my tattoo on my left breast, I think we were both amazed that I actually made it home in one piece and not in a body bag. I just can't tell you how much this man cares about this patients, how he goes above and beyond the call of duty, how he genuinely cares about every single on of his patients. He is the best!!!! I love you Dr. Schuhnecht...I weigh in at 145lbs.almost five years after the fact...yeah for me!!!!

I was very impressed with Dr. Schuhknecht when I first met him 2/08 at a seminar put on by Lakeland Hospital/St. Joseph, MI. His presentation was very open and honest. Answered every one's questions in a layman's level of medical understanding. He said he has come back to his home area, Berrien County, MI to enjoy his medical practice, family, and recreational interests. I previously was a pre-op patient of Dr. James Sapala of Jackson, MI just as the Cori Center stuff was started. Never got past the initial office visit when business, and family death took precedence. By the time that was clear, Dr. Sapala closed the Jackson office, and I understood moved to NYC.rn 4/16/08 met with Dr. Schuhknecht and his staff at the Lakeland Comprehensive Weight Loss Center in Niles, MI for the initial consultation. Extensive presentation again on different types of surgeries preformed, nutrition and lift style changes needed to be successful.rn So far jumping the many hurdles required before surgery and still awaiting insurance approval.

My first impression of Dr. Schuhkneckt was that he was a kind and understanding man. He seemed to be completely confident rnwhat he was doing and that he would be able to help me. That impression has only been confirmed by his continual support each time I've seen him in his office. When my tests showed that my hemoglobin was too low for surgery, he quickly respected my wishes to not accept a blood transfusion and said that he would rather treat the illness the slower way than use a quick fix. It touched me deeply to know that he was more concerned about treating the whole person rather than treating me like an unknown face with an illness. Upon being admitted to the hospital, he made sure I had the best of doctors to treat my anemia - along with a slew of others who took part in my care. After surgery, he made sure that the treatment continued - and the slew of doctors continued as well. There were a couple of times when I felt it was necessary to page him - and he responded within two minutes! I'm sure he recognized it was more my nerves than actual problems but he was patient in dealing with me and took the time to answer all of my questions and concerns. rnrnWhat should future patients know? That he's the best. I like that he's experienced in this rnfield. He emphasizes aftercare strongly - maintaining your waterrnintake, eating a certain amount of food, etc. He tries to help his patients to appreciate the need of followingrnthe program to prevent weight gain and that surgery is just a tool - not a cure-all. When he addressed the risks of surgery, he was very candid and rnstraight forward. He didn't pull any punches. However, because ofrnhis soft-spoken demeanor and confidence without being arrogant, Irndidn't worry. I knew that I was in good hands. And I was right.rnrnSurgical competence or bedside manner? They're both terrific.rnI don't think I could have done this with anyone else. Overall,rnHE'S THE BEST!!!!

My first impression of Dr Schuhknecht was very good. He was understanding but didn't beat around the bush in telling me what might happen if I do or don't have the surgery. He was very compassionate and I felt comfortable sharing my feelings to him. When working with the office staff, I found it very easy and they always returned my calls. They were extremely helpful and did everything in a timely manner. I went to the consulation with my parents because I was very scared and anxious at the same time. Dr. S is very much to the point and straight forward. During the consultation, he gave some statistics and very informative information. I found that all the paperwork was easy to fill out and didn't take a lot of time. After the consulataion, I was immediately scheduled for surgery. The office staff did all the insurance work and I didn't have to do anything except the paperwork and the psych evaluation. As my surgery date came closer, I received a call from the hospital to get everything set. The day of the surgery, all I had to do was sign in. It was at Harper Hospital in Detroit. The staff there was just as great as the Dr's office. They were very helpful and were there when ever I needed them. They made sure I always was walking, had something to drink and my pain was controlled. Other than my roommate, it was a good experience! My first check up was one week post op. One bad thing about that was the office wait. I waited about 2 hours after my appointment to finally be seen. That only happened this time. My staples were removed and I did a weigh in. After seeing the Dr, I went on to the nutritionist right there in the office. They made sure that I had paperwork to take home and a number to call if there were any questions. I have nothing but good to say about the CORI Center and Dr S.

Dr S is the best but he keeps moving! I need to have a Rervision & no other surgeon will do it because he is not dead or this time moved out of the state. I hope that others don't have this issue.

Update 2/20/08 Dr. Schuhknecht is working in the St. Joseph area.rn rnFirst impression - may have potential as a rock star also! He is very smart and politically incorrect. I like that because that means he is not trying to fake me out. He's the man for me.rn[IMG]http://pic15.picturetrail.com/VOL600/2590505/5153984/189893731.jpg[/IMG]rnUpdate- Same guy as before. He is a no nonsense man and took good care of me while at the hospital. He means business and that's why the staff there says he is the master.rnrnUpdate 10/31/05 I have had my secondary procedure with Dr. Schuhknecht and he once again took good care of me. He removed 4 lbs of skin and tightened up my muscles. I made a good choice when I selected him. He is a person of high standards and it shows.rn

I now have Dr Michael Schuhknecht in Warren. He seems like a very nice guy. He explains everything in detail and answers any questions. Hes not real uptight and seems like a very normal down to earth guy. Will know more after my visit for consult.