Before I leave the consultation rooms, they give me a pre-op diet regime. Some shakes, chicken and herb soup sachets. That is what you are allowed to eat with at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables. You can also eat as much steamed veg and fruit as you want. I get home and have a discussion with Stu about all of this. They also gave me a list of operation dates. The op only gets done in Manchester. They apparently have a state of the art theatre and the surgeon doing the procedure is based there. He is in a league of his own, so I hear. He does not use staples but hand sow. There will only be 5 little incisions as this is a laparoscopic procedure the same as when you go for a hernia operation.  The problem starts with finding a date that is suitable. We are so busy the next six weeks and then I have to meet the future in-laws. I do not want to just have had surgery when I meet them. So September and October is out. November is too long to wait – I’ll change my mind. So all that is left is July and August. The date in July is only 10 days away – not enough time to everything organised and things at school settled. So we choose the 16th August 2008. A week after we go to see Stu’s sister in Scotland. I speak to the surgeon about flying to Spain on the 22nd August as we have booked paid for this trip ages ago. He says it is ok. I am just not allowed to carry luggage and I have to get an seatbelt extender to make sure that there no pressure on the cuts or my stomach. I am still in two minds about this operation. I need to talk to someone who has had the exact same operation done. I mention this to Cheryl when I speak to her and she says she is sure she can arrange it for me. She phones back within minutes with a name and a contact number. The girl has had her op on the 18th April. She is about my age and we even weigh almost the same I think.  I phone her immediately. She is very friendly and open and honest. It is soooooooo good to speak to someone who is going through and has gone through what I have gone through. She explains a bit about the operation. About the importance she thinks of having someone there with you. She tells me about the glass of wine she has had – no really bad side effects expect that she got tipsy from it, also about the Hagen Daz ice cream she has had and how shit that made her feel. She also tells me about her social life. Going out for tapas and drinks. She is leading a near normal life. She is obviously still adjusting to the new way of eating. But she is not sorry for one moment to have the procedure done. She has given me some valuable advice and her email address. Maybe something she will regret is I start emailing her!!! So I speak to Cheryl, I will be admitted to hospital on the evening of the 15th. My op in on the 16th.  Paid the £1000-00 deposit. Stu is going with me. As I have a private room they will place a bed for him there. Lovely!!! Not so sure how he feels about this mini brake in hospital really. But he is so supportive and just keeps on saying it is all right. He does not mind coming with me. I think he will take grate care of me! He is an amazing human being! It has been very difficult to try and tell people about this operation. People are so quick to judge you, even if they do not know you. I had a conversation with someone recently, about a judgment made about me from some one I have never met and lives half way around the world from here. It was hurtful and it broke my heart, I am a nice warm hearted person with loads of friends and an amasing boyfriend. People who do not know me should not have the ability to make me feel this bad about myself. While I was writing this entry for my blog. I pictured meeting this guy, very post surgery and wondering how I will react to him. Knowing that I was judged and found to ‘heavy’. Perhaps I should inform him of my judgement of him after this. As lovely as I am, just as big a b$%ch I can be, what a pity that he will not to get to know the nice part of me (I say that now, but will probably be my lovely hospitable self, well mannered like my parents thought me) This page has now up to date info from my journey up to now. Lots to come I’m sure.