Transformation Stories


Transformation Stories: Savannah

Oct 09, 2020

One year after having gastric sleeve surgery with Dr. Roshek at Nicholson Clinic, Savannah is down more than 110 pounds. This is her story.

Life Before Surgery

“Before surgery, I’ll be honest and say I was completely miserable. I had back pain, foot pain, just all over pain. I was only 22 years old and I had severe depression and anxiety. I didn’t like to go out in public besides work and home because of those issues, I always felt like people were judging me because of my size. I was a little over 327 pounds, young, beyond unhealthy and knew I wasn’t going to live much longer going on the way I was. I had tried to diet and exercise before, but then life happened and I gained every bit of weight I had lost back plus some. I had PCOS, which made it hard to lose weight anyways, so that didn’t help my situation.

“I had been looking into weight loss surgery for years but didn’t take the plunge until last summer when I made my first appointment. Weight loss surgery saved my life, and I believe that with my whole heart.”

The Nicholson Clinic Process

“My process with the Nicholson Clinic was great! They made my first appointment super quickly. I stayed updated on how everything was going in the process. If I were to call with a question, they answered it as soon as they could. Towards the end before surgery, I was having major problems with my gallbladder and gallstones. I almost had to have emergency surgery in my hometown because of it, but I was able to call the clinic and they sped my process up by calling insurance and then moving dates around once approved to get me in quicker so I could have my gallbladder out as soon as I had the sleeve done. This was SO helpful to me and saved me a lot of healing time and money as well.

“In the time since my surgery, Nicholson Clinic has been amazing as well! They again have been able to answer questions I may have and if they weren’t, they would be able to direct me to the right people. I will always recommend The Nicholson Clinic. I live in Ada, Oklahoma and drove all the way there to have all of my appointments and the surgery itself. I could have gone somewhere else closer to my hometown but chose not to!”

Life After Weight Loss Surgery

“My life is completely changed after surgery. I don’t have any more pain in my body. I don’t have anxiety or depression anymore. I’ve been told I smile and laugh more. I’ve been told I’m happier. I’ve been told I have so much more confidence than I have in my entire life and that it shows to others. I have been an inspiration to others in and out of the gym, something I never thought would happen.

“I’m a total of 110.1 pounds down from my highest weight and so many inches. I have gone from a super snug 3XL shirt to a comfortable large. My pant size has dropped from a size 24 to a plus-size 14/regular 15.

“I’m so happy that I made the decision to save my life a year ago with the sleeve surgery with Dr. Roshek!  I joined a gym at just six weeks post-op and have been going consistently ever since. When I first started in the gym, I could barely walk a 2.0 on the treadmill. I couldn’t lift very much weight because of the pain I was in constantly. I wouldn’t step up on the six-inch plyo box. There are so many things I couldn’t do.

“Today, I can run a 9.0 speed. I can lift weights easily. I can JUMP on a 24-inch plyo box easily. I can do ab workouts without it hurting my back. I can shuffle sideways on a treadmill easily, which is super hard when you’re overweight and have a fear of falling. I can also keep up with girls that are half my size.

I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone and made new friends, actual GOOD ones, the kind of friends that you know will always be there for you no matter what. These are just a few things that can happen during this journey that you’d never expect when you first begin. This is one decision I will never ever regret.”