At 850 pounds, woman has gastric bypass

An 850-pound Texas woman who underwent gastric bypass surgery in Houston is thought to be the largest woman to undergo the procedure.

"I feel like I've been run over by a truck," Renee Williams, 29, told the Houston Chronicle the day after her surgery. "But it's worth it if I can get my independence back, take my kids to the park, just be able to get around on my own."

Her surgeon at Renaissance Hospital, Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, told the Chronicle that Williams should lose 60 pounds in the 90 days after surgery. He said she may weigh 200 pounds in two years.

Williams said she's been heavy since childhood. In 2005, she was hit by a drunken driver in an accident that left her unable to walk because her leg was crushed. She spent the next three years in bed and gained 450 pounds.

"I didn't realize I was gaining weight as fast as I was," Williams told the Chronicle. "It was a great shock when the hospital, which had to order a larger scale, determined how much I'd gained."

Copyright 2007 by United Press International