LEWISTON – Tracie Dubois turned 35 on Friday, celebrating in a hospital bed at Central Maine Medical Center.

Son Adam gave her a birthday card thanking her for 13 awesome years as his mom. It made her cry, which, she found out, hurts – at least for now.

After a long, long wait, she had gastric bypass surgery five days ago.

Her left shoulder was inexplicably sore and that arm swollen, but she wasn’t in pain, yet. A continuous epidural had taken off the edge. Tracie said she peeked at the scar along her belly. It wasn’t as long as she’d imagined.

Last month five of her girlfriends threw a “Tracie’s last hurrah” in Old Orchard Beach. Breaking a pre-surgery diet, she ate french fries, and later watched as they danced.

“I love to dance,” she said.

But there would have been too many people looking.

Tracie’s weight affects a lot. Fun time. Family time. Wardrobe -“I could buy pink and girlie colors, but it would make me stand out too much and I already do.” Mindset.

Over the last four years she gained 110 pounds. She hopes to lose more than that by surgically shrinking her stomach. For the next two weeks it’s liquid only. After that, if everything goes smoothly, a lifetime of tiny meals.

So this week her husband, Travis, got the kids ready for the first day of school and visited her at night.

In three months, it’s his turn.

He’s going in for surgery on Dec. 7, timed around her recovery and the Lewiston Maineiacs’ hockey schedule.

He figures he should only miss one game.

“Three months, it’s just perfect timing,” said Tracie. “I won’t have to watch him eat for very long.”

She got four hours of sleep the night before surgery. She was wheeled away for prep by 7 a.m. that morning. Her neighbor, anesthesiologist John Crispin, “definitely put my mind at ease,” Tracie said. Instead of counting backward, he told her to think happy thoughts.

Dr. Gregory D’Augustine performed the surgery. When he came out to the waiting room to tell Travis it was over at 10:30, “he really didn’t have much to say, it went so well,” Travis said.

She was set to leave the hospital Saturday.

Tracie said she’s started scrapbooking and plans to do a sort of picture diary: how she’s doing after one month, two months.

Her nephew is getting married Oct. 15 in Virginia and she’ll fly down with her mother. She hasn’t been on a plane since going to Las Vegas, an uncomfortable flight for the couple.

She’d like to lose 30 pounds by the wedding.

“I’m not expecting miracles. Hopefully I feel a little differently about myself by then,” Tracie said.

At the same time, she’s a little nervous about results. Everyone’s expecting big changes, she’s expecting big changes. What if it doesn’t happen?