Update!

Another update on the whole weight loss surgery thing. Turns out that this year they've started new processes on how it all works. I'm not entirely certain how it all works now, but here's what I've got so far.

• I did the initial referral with my GP
• Then the follow-up 16 page health questionnaire
• I then received a letter saying I needed to attend 3 group sessions with a dietitian, after this will be one individual session. These are all compulsory.
• I then received a letter saying I need to attend a seminar on bariatric surgery (I think to discuss the different surgeries available). I'll be attending the seminar this week.
• At some stage (maybe at the seminar) my surgeon will tell me how much weight I need to lose pre-op. This is a Ministry of Health guideline and is compulsory. Once the weight is off, I'll get a surgery date BUT I have to keep the weight off or the surgery will be postponed.

Other interesting things I've learned along the way is that both caffeine and soft drinks will be essentially banned for life. The caffeine makes your stomach more acidic which increases the risk of an ulcer. The soft drink is quite gassy (the carbonation) and seeing as a post-op stomach is so small, there is nowhere for the gas to go. The result? Soft drink shooting out your nose like a fountain. Super classy.

At this point (bearing in mind that I haven't been to the seminar yet or seen the surgeon) I'm leaning towards a duodenal switch procedure rather than the gastric bypass. The weight lost is of a higher percentage (and I do have a LOT to lose), the success rates of "curing" things like sleep apnoea and diabetes is around 99%, and the DS procedure keeps your pyloric valve intact which means no dumping syndrome (like you get with the bypass) and can tolerate a wider range of foods.  It does mean I'd need more vitamins than I would if I had the bypass but that seems reasonable to me.

As for Herman, he came back.... and left again. Still no contact from the private clinic to get that fixed up but I'd rather leave it until a bit after the weight loss surgery anyway.