I haven't posted here but...
I too hadn't posted here before I got my date. I guess the excitement brings people like us out of the woodwork.
Mine date, 8-2-04, is just one day before your's. My journey has taken 11 months and I feel sort of numb now that I am close to being an official looser.
I wish you well with your surgery and hope that you have a speedy and uneventful recovery.
Mary-Rose