[Shawnee123]

Knew someone who had that surgery. Got in before the insurance stopped paying for it (which always makes me go back to insurance covering Viagra but not birth control but that's another rant.)

Anyway, after the surgery she couldn't afford to have all that excess skin cut off. I know she felt better in a lot of ways, but her personality changed as well. Here was a person who was very overweight all her life, gets the surgery, loses the weight, then divorces her husband (a nice guy; she regretted it terribly later) and goes on what I would call a "dating" spree that was completely unhealthy for her emotional state, IMHO. These guys she "chose" would want to date her because she looked OK (to them), but then they would embark (very quickly) on a physical relationship and she kept getting really hurt because, to be honest, many of them were repulsed by the appearance of the excess skin.

It was very sad in a lot of ways. I'm sure she felt so much better not carrying that extra 250 lbs around, but I also think she went through a lot of mental hell.

I had heard some time ago that they used to make people go through a series of psychological testing to see if they could handle such a dramatic, quick, complete and total change. I don't think she had to but I also know if she did she would have no problem answering the questions to their satisfaction...true or not.

She ended up losing her great job and moving away. Due to other stressors in our relationship I am no longer in touch. I wonder if she has overcome those issues.

Just me relaying my experience with this surgery.