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Jazmin Johnson and UAMS surgeon Lexie Vaughn, MD
| March 27, 2026 | Jazmin Samone Johnson, a married mother of four, was diagnosed in 2016 with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal disorder that causes irregular periods, excessive hair growth, acne, and weight gain.
As she struggled to manage her symptoms, she became increasingly anxious and depressed and was eventually diagnosed with chronic high blood pressure and severe obesity.
Then in 2023, he was referred to Lakshmi P. Menon, MD, an endocrinologist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) who prescribed monthly Trulicity injections to manage his obesity while reducing his risk of heart attack and stroke.
After months of injections, Johnson lost 21 pounds.
“I felt amazing, watching the scale go down, and the weight slowly melted away,” she said recently, noting that her weight dropped from 259.5 pounds to 238.5 pounds.
“Unfortunately, it ended because my insurance denied coverage for the injections,” she said. “My weight quickly returned to 260, and it was the biggest I had ever been. Although I restarted every diet and exercise plan I could find, depression crept back and caused me to have an unhealthy relationship with food.
It wasn’t until August 14, 2025, when Johnson underwent bariatric surgery at the hands of Lexie Vaughn, MD, a surgeon at the UAMS Health Medical Weight Management and Surgery Clinic, that she found relief. She lost 15 pounds immediately, and 40 pounds in total in the first six months after surgery, with continued weight loss expected over the next six to 12 months.
UAMS offers three types of bariatric procedures: sleeve gastrectomy, which Johnson performs, as well as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and Single Anastomosis Duodeno-Ileal Bypass (SADI). A sleeve gastrectomy removes about 80% of the stomach, thereby limiting the amount of food a patient can eat before they are full. The gastric bypass and SADI use a combination of restrictions, such as sleeves, in addition to bypassing part of the intestine, reducing the absorption of nutrients and caloric.
“I’m now in a better head space mentally,” said Johnson recently. “My confidence is at an all-time high. Being able to walk miles without stopping to catch my breath, fit into smaller clothes, and develop a healthier relationship with food has been a major game changer for me.”
Now 35, he said, “I go to the gym three to four times a week and encourage my family to join me so we can all live a good, healthy lifestyle. I no longer crave fast food or fried food. I enjoy watching my stomach go down slowly but surely.”
Vaughn praised Johnson’s dedication to her new lifestyle, saying that bariatric surgery patients’ diet and lifestyle modifications are key to long-term success.
“Bariatric surgery is one of the tools we have to treat obesity and the health problems associated with it,” said Vaughn, “but bariatric surgery is actually the most effective in terms of the amount of weight a patient can lose, as well as the most durable, meaning durable, of all the options.
Bariatric surgery allows patients to lose 60% to 80% of their excess body weight. Vaughn says weight loss usually occurs within 12 to 18 months after surgery.
Johnson, a former UAMS employee who is now a data analyst at another central Arkansas hospital, said her stomach is now “literally the size of a banana,” which helps her not overeat.
“I chose bariatric surgery to be a healthier version of myself and to be older for my children” – now 4, 9, 13 and 16 – she said. “Before the operation, I would think about who would take care of them when I left. Trying to lose weight and develop a healthier lifestyle was a big struggle before, and giving up was always easy because I didn’t hold myself accountable. This operation has changed my life completely.”
“I chose UAMS to go through my procedure because of the great relationship I have with my doctor, who also works at UAMS,” added Johnson. “The love and care I receive as a patient at UAMS has always been a wonderful experience. From doctors to nurses, I have always received quality patient care. So, choosing UAMS for bariatric surgery was a snap. And for sure, I have no regrets.”
Vaughn said he met with Johnson several times at the clinic before the day of surgery, and Johnson also met with several of the clinic’s nurse practitioners, physician assistants, dietitians and psychologists, to make sure he was ready for the surgery and to continue his journey afterward.
“It’s a multidisciplinary approach, and we take each patient through the whole process,” Vaughn said.
“Bariatric surgery and weight loss in general are truly life-changing, because obesity has to do with so much more than physical appearance and numbers on a scale,” Vaughn said. “It can have a huge impact on the patient’s overall health, and therefore can be related to many different health problems and have a serious impact on the way the patient feels on certain days.
“With weight loss comes improvement in all of those things,” Vaughn continued. “Patients can get off the medication that they have been using for a long time. They can see the cure or the remission of the disease that they are looking for treatment, and they can generally feel better, have more energy, sleep better, and see their aches and pains disappear. The overall quality of life improves significantly.”
To be eligible for bariatric surgery, patients must be considered obese, which means having a body mass index (BMI) above 40, or a BMI above 35 with obesity-related health problems such as high blood pressure, sleep apnea, fatty liver or Type 2 diabetes.
“Any patient who meets those criteria is eligible to see a bariatric surgeon to discuss surgery as a possibility,” Vaughn says. “The patient goes through a very long process to be optimized for the operation, because it is like a lifelong journey for this patient, and it takes a lot of effort on the part of the patient to do all the hard work. It is a joint discussion between the surgeon and the patient to determine if it is the right way for the patient. The day of surgery is the easiest part, because there is the easiest part in the front. The end, then a ton of work for the rest of your life after surgery”.
Johnson said her entire weight loss experience at UAMS “was the most amazing experience I’ve ever had in a hospital. From start to finish, everyone came and checked on me and made sure I was okay.
He is also part of a pre-op bariatric support group, followed by a post-op bariatric support group that meets monthly at UAMS. She said the forum allows participants to share their frustrations when they think their weight loss journey is stuck and get the encouragement they need from each other.
“My pre-op care was amazing,” Johnson said. “Having doctors and nurses who show they care about you and your goals, people who are willing to spend the time they need to listen to my medical concerns and quickly provide informative information.
“My post-op care was nothing short of pure awesomeness,” she added. “Dr. Vaughn’s team did an amazing job from start to finish. They made sure I felt seen and heard.
The UAMS Health Medical and Surgical Weight Management Clinic located at the UAMS Outpatient Center on the Little Rock campus.
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