I'll probably not get this finished by the time the taxi arrives to take us to the airport so I'll get the bones of it written now and complete it tomorrow in the comfort of my own office. My wife, Kathy, has had all her final checks done and the drain removed from her stomach plus she has even managed to get showered. Dr Ali Solmaz came early to check on her, then returned to say "Goodbye" and wish her well, he also wants to Kathy to keep in touch and send updated pictures to show her progress. He is such a lovely person, very professional, very considerate and is happy to sit and explain away any worries you might have.

Dr Ali Solmaz, Kathy, R. İrem Uysal, Nutritionist, and team member. Camlıca Erdem HospitalDr Ali Solmaz, Kathy, R. İrem Uysal, Nutritionist, and team member. Camlıca Erdem Hospital It's our last day in Turkey and as I look out of our hospital window I can see the rain falling on the busy traffic below. The taxi is booked for 2 pm to take us to Terminal One of Istanbul's impressive airport. We’ve been handed all the post-op medications and instructions on when to administer them, plus a letter to cover us through the airports, as they include liquids over and above the 100ml limit. I took the precaution last night to amend our flight booking to include hold luggage to save any issues, only to then receive an email about an hour ago from Lufthansa to say that due to the flight being fully booked, we can hand all our hand luggage in for FREE! Bugger!

#newlifenewme My wife, Kathy Mark#newlifenewme Overall, the Erdem Hospital group has been a positive one especially from my side of things as I wasn't the one going through the surgery. My wife on reflection has also nothing but positive things to say as the team that has supported her throughout her operation have been fantastic. We're now looking ahead to a new beginning.

I can already tell you that Kathy is not a fan of the chicken broth that has been brought in to her or the protein shakes she needs to drink or even the thought of having to give up Diet Coke (because of the fizz). The most she has taken of the protein shake has probably been about 4 sips and is insisting on only taking it when she gets home with the alternative option of lactose-free milk, instead of the water solution I made up for her today.

The Turkish government has also just announced that from March onwards, visitors from within the EU (including the UK) will no longer have to apply for a Visa (£27/$35) so long as you have at least 6 months remaining on your passport at the time of your arrival! That's great news, well, not for us as we'd already paid for two of them before we got here. Let's face it after January 1st of 2021 UK citizens are going to find it a lot harder to travel around Europe now that we've voted to leave the EU (I didn't).

This isn't the end of these blogs concerning Kathy's weight loss journey, just a pause for now until you can see the transition occurring in her figure.

Normal service will resume on other topics such as band write-ups and technology reviews (I can't wait to tell you about the DJI Osmo Mobile 3 I've been using to film this week, great bit of kit!).

Remember, if you're considering booking with the same Hospital that my wife has undergone her surgery, I would point you in the direction of this information request form, and the hospital will get in touch with you directly.

Thank you for following me on this journey as I've watched my wife go through something which most people would keep very private. We're not those people, we're more sharers and carers so hopefully, someone out there who is considering going through with this type of surgery will know all the facts and take some hints and tips away from it. So, until next time, have a great day!