RoachBug

This is one of my favorite recipes and can be tweaked to your taste. If you are willing to try something a bit on the different side, give it a try (I think you will like it). The main ingredient in the dish is fish and shrimp which are cooked via the acidic juice of lemons and limes. I entered all of the ingredients into the recipe app in MyFitnessPal, the nutritional list is posted at the bottom. It's definately a low carb / high Protein meal. Ceviche • 32 oz Tilapia Fillets • 12 oz Shrimp (de-viened, shelled, tail off) • 1 bunch Cilantro (finely chopped) • 1 cucumber (peeled and cubed) • 4 tomatoes (diced) • 2 Jalepeno (finely chopped) more or less to taste • 0.25 cup(s), Extra Virgin Olive Oil • 3 Lemons • 3 Limes • 1 large Red Onion (finely chopped) • 1 teaspoon = 2 cloves, Garlic, Minced * Cubed the Tilapia fillets and shrimp into small pieces and place into a glass bowl or pan. Slice the Lemons and Limes in half and remove the seeds. Squeeze the juice from the lemons/limes over the Tilapia/Shrimp mixture. Stir to coat all and press down to submerged as much as possible in the juice. Cover the bowl tightly and place in the refrigerator. * The acid from the lemons/limes will cook the fish/shrimp in approximately 45min. I myself let the fish/shrimp cook in the juice for approximately 3 to 4 hours, stirring frequently to assure everything is evenly cooked. *After the fish/shrimp is cooked via the acidic juice, drain (leaving approximately 1/3cup of juice in the bowl along with the fish/shrimp). Combine the rest of the ingrediants together, stir thoroughly, and salt to taste. The Cerviche can be eaten at this point, though I prefer to place it in a air tight container and chill first. Cerviche is typically eaten with chips, on salads, as a side or as a main dish. I personally like it as its' own dish. It's a low calorie/low carb high protien meal. Nutrition Facts Servings 10.0 Serving Size 1 cup Amount Per Serving: calories 257 % Daily Value * Total Fat 10 g 15 % Saturated Fat 2 g 9 % Monounsaturated Fat 5 g Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g Trans Fat 0 g Cholesterol 120 mg 40 % Sodium 427 mg 18 % Potassium 289 mg 8 % Total Carbohydrate 11 g 4 % Dietary Fiber 2 g 8 % Sugars 4 g Protein 31 g 62 % Vitamin A 14 % Vitamin C 53 % Calcium 5 % Iron 13 % * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs.

Just got my surgery date this morning, for May 25th. Pre-Op low carb/high protein diet starts on the 18th (though I have been following it already).

Had my pre-op meeting today with the surgeon and dietician. I have a surgery date of May 25th, a week and a half away (woot!). The doc said that generally his patients stay in the hospital for 1 or 2 days, depending on how things are going and their ability to get up and around and Water intake. He said with my heart meds and insulin, he would be more comfortable planning on a 3 day stay. He said that should give us enough time to figure out the initial new dosages for my medications. He stressed that as the weight comes off, the meds will continue to need adjusting. He said that while this is being done, I should plan on seeing him on a regular basis post op. The dietician went over my pre-op liquid(ish) diet. It really did not seem as bad as I thought it was going to be, not to much different than what I have been doing of late. Low carb, high Protein, and liquids (1200 calories/ 120 grams protein/ 75 grams carbohydrates/ 48-64oz water). She said that normally she recommends 5 high protein Meal Replacement shakes throughout the day to supplement the one small meal (Lean Cuisine frozen dinner or salad) to achieve the protein requirements. The shakes would normally not count towards the water goals. Due to concerns with the water intake and the heart, she said that I could replace 1 of the shakes with a Protein Bar and also go for the lower end on the water requirement. I will need to follow the diet plan the week prior to surgery. I asked if it was allowed to substitute items in place of the shakes/Lean Cuisine, as long as I stayed within guidelines. I have a Ceviche recipe that I love, that will give me a good chunk of the daily protein. Best part is it is low in both carbs/calories. She is not a fan of seafood but said that would be perfectly fine.

Met with my surgeon at OSU (Dr. Needleman) this morning, as well as the dietician. I go in for pre op meeting and bloodwork with the anesthesiologist on the 18th. Surgery is scheduled for May 25th! Hard to believe after all this time, it's actually only a week and a half to D-day. Excited and nervous at the same time.

Srry, I guess BP does not like links in the posts. If you want the recipe, give me a holler and I can post it.

Heard someone mention Ceviche the other day. I haven't made it in quite a while and I got a craving. Did some checking first and realized it's a great high Protein / low carb dish. For a 1cup serving, it has 31g Protein, 11g Carbs, and 257 calories. Cerviche is a dish made around the world, with slightly different ingredients. White fish, shrimp, and other seafood is cooked by citric acid from lemons and limes, and then combined with other vegetables. It can be used as a topping to chips, salads, or eaten alone as a side dish or main meal. Made with hot peppers, it has a nice spicy bite. I will link the recipe below, it can also be found on MyFitnessPal under Roachs' Ceviche. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/view/264996842770173

Just had a new tatt done this evening! That being said, I will give you a little bit of background. I am a retired Deputy Sheriff (retired early due to heart problems). I was extremely bored at home and wanted to try and keep busy. I went back to college again for Computer Networking (not as fun the second time around). It kept me occupied for a couple of years. I always enjoyed art and tattoos, so I was lucky enough to pick up an aprenticeship with a local tattoo artist. We became good friends and a couple years latter opened up our own shop. We have both moved on since then but I still appreciate a good piece of art, wether on myself or another. As for wether or not you should get a tattoo at this point, I would say that it mainly depends on where you are getting it. A tattoo on the wrist/forearm/top of the foot (which definately does not feel good), would be fine in my opinion. If you were planning on a chest, stomache, or even upper arm tattoo, I would suggest waiting. If you were planning on a tattoo on a area that you carry a lot of extra weight, you have to realize that though the tatt itself will be fine, it's placement can change with dramatic weight loss. Talk to your artist and let him know that you are getting ready to have weight loss surgery. A good artist will point you in the right direction, after all you as the client will be a living billboard for his/her artwork. The tattoo I had done tonight (The Beatles), is on the side of my forearm. This would be the first I have gotten in the last couple years, they still hurt!

The Water thing is definitely a concern. In the classes, on here, and even with the doctors at the bariatric center, they keep stressing the importance of water. I asked about this, being that I had been told to limit my water intake due to the excess Fluid surrounding the heart (hence the diuretics Lasix/Metoprolol/Amiridarone..last two also fall into the category). We will be discussing things in more detail at the Pre-Op but the bariatric doctors have not seemed concerned, they are aware of the situation and reasoning behind the surgery. As for my HFS, I think he is going with the need outways the risk. I will let you know more after the Pre-Op on the 13th.

I feel for you. I have my pre-op next week and hopefully my surgery date shortly after. I am unfortunately in the same boat as you, congestive heart failure here. I am on quite a few heart meds but assume that I will be finding a way to keep up with them after surgery. My Heart Failure Specialist is the one that suggested bariatric surgery, as a means to drop the extra weight to help bump me up on the transplant list.

I met with the endocrinologist at OSU (Dr. O'Donnel). He reviewed my blood glucose logs from the past month and said everything was in the normal range. He said after surgery I would likely be off the insulin and oral meds all together, which was good news. I then had another round of blood work. Today I received a message via MyChart. My A1C had dropped from 10.1 to 7.3. The fructosomine test (shows a more current reading than the A1C) hadn't came back from the lab yet but he said that it would be even lower. He said that he had passed on his approval to move ahead with surgery. I received a call from the case manager a short time latter. She said everything was good to go and she had passed on the information to my surgeon. She said I should be getting a call this week to schedule my Pre Admission testing and surgery date. I am definitely psyched that everything is finally going forward instead of two steps back!

Just waiting on my surgery date here ( everything taken care of and insurance already approved), hopefully it will be soon. Live in Marion, Ohio and going thru Ohio State (Morehouse).

Bah! You are being way to hard on yourself! You look cute as a button in your fur ushanka hat ( think that is what they are called).

I will refrain from making any snide comments on title.... I will refrain from making any snide comments on title.... Lol!

Dr. Noria, Ohio State University (Morehouse)

Nothing for you to worry about! You will be given the MMPI 2 (Minneapolis Multi Phase Personality Inventory test), then have a sit down with the Psychiatrist. Took the same test prior to the Police Academy and then again before being hired as a Deputy (many years ago). From what I remembered, seems like it has not changed a great deal. What stuck in my mind is how they would ask the same question repeatedly, just worded slightly different.

Central Ohio (OSU Morehouse)

Grats! Looking great!

Well according to the BMI charts I should be around 150-160. I have problems even thinking about being that weight! I actually have three goals that I have set for myself. First goal would be 220lbs., which is what my Heart Failure Specialist set as the weight that will move me up on the list for transplant. Second goal would be 200lbs., which is about where I was when I was in college and went through the Police Academy. Lastly would be 175lbs., which was about where I was when I was in High School. Good Lord, about 105lbs. seems like a lot to loose but I am determined!

I was sort of surprised today when I looked at my mail. I received my approval letter from Medical Mutual. Being that I was told a couple of weeks ago that I would need to get my A1c down to 8 or below prior to surgery, I assumed that the paperwork would not be submitted until after. I started on insulin the day after the conversation with the doc and since then the blood glucose readings have gone down to a normal range. She said that the tests that they used to use prior to the current A1c, gave a more current score verses than the one that is now used (which scores over the past 3 months). I go back on the 27th of this month for the test, crossing my fingers that my score is within range. In the meantime I have been attempting to cut out all sugar and as much carbs as possible. I guess I will see how it goes!

My general doc did a complete workup about a month ago. When I went for my final weigh-in, he said that the A1C was at 10. So I have started on insulin, hopefully between the diet and insulin it will get me down to where I need to be. He said that he has had a few other patients who have had bariatric surgery and that this was the first time he had heard of this requirement. BTW: I apologize for the wall of text above. Was just a frustrating day.

So, today was my last Wellness class (all pre requirements met)... Well last week I was zapped by the ICD twice, at which time the doc doubled my dosage of Coreg to help the AFIB which set off the Pacemaker/Defibulator. This morning I was awoken by what I thought was my alarm but turned out to be the warning tune of the ICD. I send in a reading and wait for a response from the Pacemaker Clinic. While waiting to hear back, I receive a call from the bariatric coordinator, whom informs me that upon reviewing my labs (from December), I was Vitamin D deficient and My A1C level was at 10. She advised that I would need to have the A1C brought down to at least 8 before proceeding with the sleeve, which knocks me back another 2-3 months. Not a happy camper. Shortly after taking this call, I received the return call from the Pacemaker Clinic (also at OSU). I was asked to come in for a in-house reading and adjustment, being that they were not quite sure what the warning was for. Since I had already planned to be down at OSU for my last class, I went down a couple hours early to check in with the clinic. Just after registering, I broke out in a cold sweat, got tunnel vision, and felt like I was going to pass out. I had thought my blood sugar bottomed out, which has happened before. In the clinic they tested me and glucose was only slightly high, so they checked my BP which turned out to be 51/40 ( which explains the near passing out thing). Meanwhile the tech was also checking the ICD. I was told that the warning which woke me up was the "Low Battery" warning. I am constantly paced, so instead of the 5-7 years between replacement, I have averaged about 5 years. My current ICD which will have to be replaced is just shy of 3 years old! I was in the ER for about 8 hours before my blood pressure improved to 90/60 (which is just slightly lower than norm). The dosage increase had bottomed out the BP, which explains why I had been feeling so crappy the last couple days. I was feeling better and did not want to spend the night at the hospital, so I was eventually released. Now while waiting for my A1C to drop to the required level for surgery, I get to have the ICD replaced, and can not take my last Wellness class until this time next month....BAH! I just do not understand why the coordinator waited 3 months to tell me that the A1C reading was too high (which I agree it is), which throws me back an additional 3 months. Besides needing to loose weight to move up on the transplant list, the surgery was also a means to help control the diabetes. Has anyone else had their surgery postponed until A1C was at a certain level?

Anyone whom has had rotator cuff surgery can definitely tell you it is no joke. By far the most painful and slowest in terms of recovery of any surgery I have had. It took me about a year before it felt healed and doubt it will ever feel totally recovered. Scary thing is that the surgeon said, it is a surgery that often needs to be repeated down the road. Most of my damage was caused from arthritis. Bursa was detached, bicep was torn and detached, and the arthritis was scraped off. It's something that is always on the mind when working out.

Just picked up a Garmin VivoSmart, had planned on the FibitHR but had a change of heart. Really liked that the VivoSmart is Water proof and had a couple more features to boot. That being said.. Is it wrong when you are 1200 steps short of your goal, to let the chihuahua pup wear a nifty new collar for a bit?

I was directed towards bariatric surgery by my Heart Failure Specialist, as a means to drop weight and improve eligibility for transplant (which in my case is definitely in my future). Over the past 10 years I have had 2 heart attacks, 11 stents, a pacemaker/defibulator, and several caths. Though I do not think a cardiologist would deny your surgery (for the obvious benefits), I would not think that the surgery would be something that he would rush into clearing prior to establishing that you could handle the surgery and recovery first (which could take some time). I wish the best for you and hope the clearance comes in a timely manner. I will be finishing up my pre-op requirements at the end of March and hope to have surgery soon after.

The surgery was first suggested to me by my Heart Failure Specialist, as a means of getting my weight down to help "move up" on the list for transplant. When I spoke with my PCP, I was pleasantly surprised when he was also on board with the decision. I have not gone around telling everyone about my plans at this point (waiting on the surgery date, hopefully sometime in April). I have however spoken with a few friends, whom have also had bariatric surgery. With the exception of one, all have been supportive and offered help with anything needed. For me, it's a personal decision and frankly no one else's business. I am sure closer to surgery I will share the news with some more family and friends but I will cross that bridge when the time comes.