At Thanksgiving in 2011, I was walking out of work with my boss and missed a step going outside the building and fell down. I found that I could not get up by myself. My boss went into the crouch position like he was about to lift a piano off the ground and helped me up. It was that moment that I decided I needed to lose weight.
I took a new year’s resolution at the start of the year to work out and loose weight. However, I found that my knees and ankles could not take the punishment of working out. As they swelled up and started hurting I knew I had to get surgical help. I went to see Dr. Nicholson and got the ball started and they really helped me get the approvals needed through my insurance company to get the surgery approved.
I weighed 468 lbs. when I first walked into Dr. Nick’s office. I was on an even dozen medications for hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes. In March, I had the gastric sleeve surgery and on the day I went home from the hospital I was off all but 3 of my medications. The recovery went great and I was fully aware of what to expect thanks to Dr. Nick and his great staff. I started walking a little at a time just around my living room and kitchen. After about a month I was up to walking close to a mile a day. After 9 months, I was walking 3 to 5 miles a day loosing weight at a rapid pace. Between 9 months and one year I started jogging. Something I had not done in years. I found that I liked being outside and in the fresh air. At one year, I had lost a total of 190 lbs. was totally off all my prescription medications and was running 5K races.
Now after 2 years, I am still maintaining the 190 – 200 lbs lost and going through a pair of running shoes every two months! My life has been totally reshaped by the weight loss and I feel blessed to have been a patient of Dr. Nick Nicholson.
~ Harold
