Ara Keshishian Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS, FASMBS

I first saw Dr. K at the support group meeting and was very impressed with his attitude and knowledge, although he did seem a bit disorganized at first.I had my consult with him on 9/22/03 and found him to be very nice, kind and caring.

The program at Central Valley Bariatrics is very structured and totally emphasizes aftercare...they know it is critical to a patient's success with this surgery.

The risks of surgery are explained in detail and for me, do not exceed my risks of staying morbidly obese.

I think Dr. K has both excellent surgical competence and bedside manner.

I loved Dr. K(keshishian) from the first hello. He is very intelligent and his eyes show it. He was very intrested in me as a person. He is a very calm person even in the face of hysterical crying...LOL. He calmly told me my leak would heal and it did just as he said. When he pulled my drains which were very painful from being in a longer than average time, he took a gauze and blotted my tears and told me that i must be feeling better because I had on mascara....He also has a very teasing dry sense of humor. When i asked if it hurt, he smiled and said it hasn't hurt me yet...LOL. His office staff are very sweet. Dee asked us if we wanted to come to her house for Christmas(When we were stuck inca with the complications) We declined but it was extremely nice of her to offer. Aftercare is very much emphasised. Labs are routine. There is a day of teaching pre op where you are instructed in all things pre and post op and allowed to ask questions before you ever see the doc. He is a 10 in my book. When I developed the leak. The office had him on the phone(at 9pm) within minutes.

My first impression of Dr. K was great he was really friendly and listen to what I had to say and how I was feeling. The wait was long in the office but then again good things come to those who wait and I am really glad that I found him. The office staff was excellent and very helpfull. Dr. K answered all of my questions and my husbands questions and there was no doubt in my mind that he was the man for the job and not to mention his tract record with this type of surgery it is outstanding. After my surgery Dr. K visited often on his rounds and was always bright and cheerfull which is what you need after a surgery of this sort is some positiveness. I will and have recommmended Dr. K to anyone and everyone who asks or is thinking of having this surgery. There are no words that can express how this man has changed my life. Thank you Dr. K!

9/12/03
Will consult with Dr. Keshishian about DS surgery instead of RNY.
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6/4/03 Previous surgeon.
Dr. Jenkins was very informative. Stessed the danger of surgery and how the results depended on changed eating habits. I have to have a dietary consultation, mental health evaluation, cardiology consult, pulmonary consultation, and lose 15 pounds before he will schedule me for surgery. He has done 50 of these surgeries. It is not the major part of his practice as a surgeon.
Emphasizes aftercare. Will follow you for the rest of your life. So far his staff is pleasant. The staff is following through with setting up all the appointments with the specialist that Dr. Jenkins wants you to see before the surgery. Very supportive of the DS surgery after determining that because of stomach polyps a RNY was not good a choice. Cares that the patient does what is right for them.

My first impression of Dr. Keshishian was that he was nice, but quiet. He really didn't have that much to say outside of the fact that I was a good candidate and my BMI put me in a higher risk category!
During my surgical stay, I found him to be very busy but conscientious. From how well I did post-op, I would say he is an excellent surgeon! His office is very busy and while I was there they were having a lot of problems in the scheduling department. People were showing up and the office was saying they had no appointment. Needless to say the overall impression was chaotic! Dr. K and Dr. Z were both very professional though, once I had my appointment. I have no complaints.

Dr. Keshishian:
1st impression--Knows his stuff! Has passion for his work and patients.

impression over time-- Only got better. He really cares for and gets to know his patients on their level.

office staff-- Extremely helpful & caring. Went out of their way helping make an extremely frustrating experience with Dr. Rabkin in SF(1st surgeon that I'd done all preliminary work with but ran into major problems with his office staff, taking months without answers in regard to insurance approval or return calls) become a reality in a very short time frame.

least liked-- location of his practice and Hospital.

Dr. Keshishian has the most friendly, personal bedside manner of ANY doctor I have ever been in contact with in my entire life!!

emphasis on aftercare--Extremely high. Central Valley Bariatrics has a very thorough in depth aftercare program that includes the first 2 years postop in overall package. Also has the BEST support group program in the world for WLS!!! At all support group meetings that I have attended there has always been at least one of the surgeons and one of their nurses running the meetings and they always have some type of presentation in regard to WLS.

addressing risks of surgery--Very up front honest and tells it like it is!

better? surgical competence or bedside manner?--no question surgical competence is #1. However, when you add the BEST bedside manner I have ever had from any doctor throughout my life & combine that with highly educated knowledgable competent surgeons, add their caring knowledgable office staff, give them their own bariatric wing at the hospital with their hand picked nurses working that wing, you have in my opinion THE BEST BARIATRIC PROGRAM IN THE WORLD!!!

First impression was he is young! He is very nice and included my husband in our conversation. Impression has not changed yet, he is wonderful and has done things out of the ordinary for any doctor I have ever known to accomodate my situation both medically and financially. Their staff is superior. They are helping me get a support group together in my town because as of now I would have to drive 2-5 hours for each meeting. There is nothing negative I can say about this office at all. They even will encourage their patients to talk to more than one surgeon to make sure you are making the right choices. Aftercare is critical and they will not accept patients who don't take this seriously and agree to their aftercare program. The support they offer is unbelievable. The risks are all discussed both verbally and in their packet of information they give to you. This office and surgeon are a 10+ and I hope to somehow have something to offer them once I am recovered and well. I will owe them so much.

I had my first visit with Dr. K to revise a failed VBG done in Iowa City on Feb of 1998. Dr. K was very informative and nice to talk with. He takes time to explain things and I wished I had met him before I made the mistake of having a VBG done.

Let me tell you something about this wonderful doctor. Extremely caring and "hands-on" about his patients. He goes OUT OF HIS WAY to ensure the very best for not only his current patients but the patients who are in their very beginning stages of surgery. He just cares. His staff cares. I have yet to have the actual surgery with him (surgery date on 8/13/03) but I have researched him for over a year and a half and I know I am in good hands. His aftercare program is very detailed and very MANDATORY. He explains the risks of surgery and the surgery itself in great detail. He even makes himself easily available via email or by telephone. He also spreads himself out by driving himself hours and hours away to different cities and state to perform his consultation appointments. He does this moresoe for the convenience of us...HIS PATIENTS. Now this is a doctor who has his patient's interest at best! You know he is most definately one of God's creatures. I love him!

I have finally met Dr. K! He is very thorough, detail oriented, and very precise. All qualities I want in a surgeon. He was in a little bit of a hurry, but still answered all my questions. He said I am the perfect candidate for doing the DS lap. He is still training on the lap procedure, and I said I wanted to volunteer to do it that way. He makes sure you understand the risks of the procedure, and the aftercare that is required. All of the pre-op and post-op work that is required is very demanding, and his program clearly states that this procedure is only meant for people who are serious and committed to weight loss and a healthy life-style. If the requirements were any less, I would not go through with it. His staff is great in that they are all on your side, and are constantly striving to accomodate you. Dr. K said he's done 480 DS procedures. That number differs a little bit from what's posted on some of the chat boards by patients, but it's plenty of experience for me. I feel completely confident in his abilities, and would not hesitate to put my life in his hands.