PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Portland policewoman Christina Nelson couldn't control her weight, but didn't want to tell her fellow officers about planned surgery to help fix it.

"Out of embarrassment, I kept it quiet," she said. It may cost Nelson her job.

The Police Bureau contends she was untruthful when an employee assistance program staffer asked her about it. Nelson said she was traveling to Texas for gallbladder surgery.

On that basis a special Police Bureau emergency fund awarded Nelson $1,000 to help with costs. The fund is supported by members' contributions, and a supervisor recommended Nelson apply for the money.

Chief Rosie Sizer has recommended firing Nelson for untruthfulness about her medical condition.

Nelson, however, never signed the form for the $1,000 she received, and the fund doesn't ask specifics about medical conditions, The Oregonian newspaper reported.

"We can't direct them to tell us about a medical condition, nor would we," said Cmdr. Dave Benson, who heads the committee that oversees the fund.

Police investigated possible fraud, but the Multnomah County district attorney's office declined to prosecute because Nelson didn't sign any paper making a false statement and the fund likely would have paid anyway.

Nelson, 38, worked as a Portland school police officer for 8 1/2 years before the unit merged with Portland police in 2001. Two years ago she talked to a fellow officer about weight-loss surgery.

She then weighed 238 pounds. Diets and work with a personal trainer didn't help.

Nelson says she learned about a "lap band" procedure from a fellow officer, who also wanted to lose weight. Nelson says her health care provider wouldn't cover it so both found a doctor in Mexico, where the surgery was cheaper.

The surgery places a silicone belt around the top of the stomach, helping the patient control hunger and feel full.

She and another officer flew to Monterrey, Mexico, in August 2006 and returned a few days later.

But complications developed. Tufts of her hair were falling out. She couldn't hold down food or liquids. She lost nearly 60 pounds in less than a month.

Tests here showed she would have to have the lap band removed or she could die.

She burned through vacation and sick time. Her doctor suggested she return and he'd remove the band at no extra cost. She did, returning two weeks later, when she got the money from the fund.

At a sergeant's suggestion she had also contacted an officer who handled donations of sick or vacation time from colleagues and told him the truth. He said he would keep it confidential, and she got 30 extra hours of leave.

She provided medical certification for the lap band surgery when seeking family medical leave.

A complaint by an officer who knew the real reason sparked the criminal investigation. Prosecutor Chuck French found no criminal wrongdoing, but Nelson agreed to repay the $1,000.

In March Sizer sent Nelson a letter proposing her termination, citing a truthfulness directive. Mayor Tom Potter signed it.

Sizer wrote that Nelson could have given the correct reason and asked that the information be kept confidential.

Union representatives could not persuade Sizer. Nelson says she's awaiting her final termination letter.

"I didn't deliberately lie to get the money. I didn't even know about the fund," Nelson said.

"I didn't want them to think any less of me or think I couldn't control my eating, and I didn't want to be made fun of. That played a big role," she said.

"Nothing stays confidential there."

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)