alert icon Important Updates + Notice of Vendor Data Event

Coming to a Cleveland Clinic location?
Hillcrest Cancer Center check-in changes
Cole Eye entrance closing
Visitation, mask requirements and COVID-19 information

Notice of Intelligent Business Solutions data event
Learn more

Nurse Gets Second Chance at Life After Bariatric Surgery

“I was really thin my whole life until I was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome,” says mother, wife and nurse Shelley Reading. “It wasn’t until my late 20s that I started packing on the weight — it was a combination of the disease and what I chose to eat. As a nurse, I knew it wasn’t healthy, but I tried everything and couldn’t lose the weight.”

“At my heaviest, I weighed 275 pounds and I’m only five feet tall,” says Shelley. “My life consisted of sitting on a couch, watching TV and watching the world go by. I could barely walk, couldn’t play with my kids or enjoy my husband. I couldn’t go from the car to the grocery story without leaning on a buggy.”

When Shelley learned she was diabetic, she knew high blood pressure, cholesterol and other health problems could follow, and that her life could very well be shortened. She didn’t want her children to grow up motherless as the result of something she knew she could prevent.

“I tried to lose weight on my own. And I had two other surgeries before I came to Cleveland Clinic, but nothing worked. I came to Cleveland Clinic because I wanted the biggest and the best,” says Shelley. Cleveland Clinic is the top-rated hospital in Ohio and a leader in bariatric surgery.

“I was only in the hospital for a day, then went home, and it was wonderful. I could just tell that my new life began. I sat down and looked out the window, and instead of feeling like I was going to watch the world go by, I knew I was going to be able to move again and be part of it.”

According to Shelley, the surgeon's goal was not to whisk her into surgery and hope she’d lose weight. Rather, he wanted her to understand that her weight loss journey would require lifestyle changes — that she’d have to eat and live differently to ensure she’d not only lose weight but be a healthier version of herself after surgery.

The average bariatric procedure is now considered as safe as gallbladder, appendix or hysterectomy surgery and 85 to 90 percent of our bariatric surgery patients lose most of their excess weight and keep it off long-term.

There is a tremendous amount of education involved with bariatric surgery. Shelley spent time with a variety of caregivers — a nutritionist taught her how to eat properly; a psychologist helped her address the underlying issues that led to her weight gain; an exercise physiologist educated her on how to exercise to help keep weight off; medical doctors verified that she was healthy enough for surgery; and the surgeon ensured that she fully understood the surgical procedure.

The purpose of bariatric surgery is to reduce life-threatening obesity and related illness. The process of adjusting to the lifestyle changes that accompany bariatric surgery can be challenging, but we have a fantastic team to support patients before and after surgery.

 “When the day for surgery arrived, I was terrified and wanted to back out. But my husband reminded me that I’d been waiting years for this,” says Shelley. “I was only in the hospital for a day, then went home, and it was wonderful. I could just tell that my new life began. I sat down and looked out the window, and instead of feeling like I was going to watch the world go by, I knew I was going to be able to move again and be part of it.”

Following surgery, Shelley experienced something she never had before — a feeling that she just didn’t want to eat anymore. And 18 months after surgery, she’s lost 120 pounds.

Related Institutes: Digestive Disease & Surgery Institute
Patient Stories

Patient Stories

Andrea Castellanos with her two sons and her husband.

Young Mother Travels 1,400 Miles for Robotic Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital

Mar 16, 2023

“Dr. Pieretti took the time to explain how the robotic surgery would work and how quick my recovery would be with this technology. That made me happy because I wanted to get back to my regular life fast.”
Read Story
Carmen with his wife and two daughters before his cancer treatment.

Young Father With Advanced Colorectal Cancer Urges Others to Act on Health Concerns

Mar 14, 2023

“If you notice any change with your body, get it checked out regardless of how insignificant you think it might be. If something hadn't made me go to a doctor, I might not be here today.”
Read Story
Corbin and his mom playing.

Boy Born With Permanent Hearing Loss Now Thriving With Cochlear Implants

Mar 3, 2023

“From being born essentially deaf, to now singing lullabies. It blows my mind. Corbin is not just meeting developmental milestones, he’s surpassing them.”
Read Story
Back to Top