Patient Stories

Lisa L.
Age: 58
Weight loss: 173 pounds
Occupation: Retired High School Teacher

Lisa Laughlin, a 58-year old retired high school teacher, recalls struggling with her weight since the age of 18.

"I've been a yo-yo dieter since college. In 2012, I actually lost 110 pounds, and then gained it all back plus 30 more," said Lisa. "Food was my go-to thing. I ate when I was happy. I ate when I was sad. I ate when I was mad. And that's a lot of eating."

Lisa shared that as her weight kept going up, her life began spiraling downward until she reached her heaviest weight, 330 pounds, in 2021.

"I had high blood pressure, I was pre-diabetic, and my joints were taking a beating. I was only 56 years old and had to use a cane to walk and hold myself up," she sighed.

Lisa recalls that her husband, daughter and even her co-workers began sharing their concern about her health and credits these loving relationships for nudging her to pursue weight loss surgery.

"I wasn't living, I was just existing. I knew I had to get help," said Lisa.

Lisa began working with Dr. Vinay Tumuluri, one of Northwest Medical Group's physicians specializing in medical weight loss in March of 2022. With his support and guidance, she lost nearly 70 pounds to prepare for her bariatric surgery. She underwent a vertical sleeve gastrectomy by bariatric and general surgeon Dr. Andrew Martin in October 2022. At her one year post-op appointment, Lisa had lost 173 pounds.

"I feel like I got my life back - my joy back," said Lisa. "My health has drastically improved. I'm off my blood pressure medicine, I'm no longer pre-diabetic and I'm able to walk without a cane."

Roger B.
Age: 61
Weight loss: 112 pounds
Occupation: Retired Insurance Industry Manager

Roger Boylan struggled off and on with weight for the past 35 years.

"I never really tried dieting per se, but at one point I did try to make a lifestyle change to lose weight. I read a book by a physician about weight loss; respected what he said and tried to commit to his recommendations," said Roger. "I ate salmon twice a day, eliminated most carbs, exercised a lot and lost about 25 pounds."

But Roger soon learned this lifestyle change was not sustainable and he slowly returned to his old eating habits. "Like most plans you hear about, first you lose weight, and then you gain it back plus some. That's exactly what happened to me," he said.

After that Roger's weight kept gradually creeping up until he eventually reached 350 pounds in 2022. "It became so frustrating. I was struggling not to gain more weight, but my pant size kept going up until it couldn't go up anymore," said Roger.

Roger mentioned his concerns to his primary care doctor who told him about Northwest Health's Bariatric Surgery and Medical Weight Loss Program. He referred him to one of the program's obesity management physicians and with their support and guidance, Roger lost 15 pounds to prepare for his bariatric surgery. He underwent a vertical sleeve gastrectomy performed by bariatric surgeon Dr. Andrew Martin in February 2023. At his one year post-surgery appointment, Roger had lost 112 pounds.

"Before my weight loss I had knee pain, and now that's gone. I also had developed sleep apnea due to my weight and had been sleeping with a CPAP mask for the past 10 years. Four months after the surgery, I was able to stop wearing the mask," said Roger.

Jessica S.
Age: 36
Weight loss: 150 pounds
Occupation: Teacher's aide

I struggled with weight my entire life. I remember always being the "bigger girl" when growing up. Then, in 2018, after my third child's birth, I experienced severe postpartum depression, and that's when I reached my heaviest weight.

I was stress-eating to cope, and it was a vicious cycle. It seemed the heavier I got, the more depressed I became, and the more I ate. Finally, I realized my life had to change if I wanted to be around for my three girls. That's when I decided to seek medical weight loss help and met with Dr. Vinay Tumuluri, one of the Northwest Health physicians specializing in weight loss. With his support and guidance, I initially lost 40 pounds to prepare for my gastric bypass surgery. I underwent bariatric surgery in December 2021, and as of September 2022, I have lost 150 pounds.

Today, I feel so much better. I actually like walking and climbing up the stairs - something I never thought I'd hear myself say. And since having the surgery, my girls are pretty proud of me too. They really enjoy that I can do more with them and be a bigger part of their lives.

My advice for someone considering weight loss surgery is to do your research. There are many surgical options, so talk to your physician to fully understand everything and learn which type of surgery will be best for you. That's what I did, and thanks to Dr. Tumuluri, his staff, and my bariatric surgeons Drs. Conn and Martin, I'm now happier and healthier for my girls.