For the protection of our patients, the staff will wear mask in the office.
For Telehealth follow-up and new consultations please contact us Here
1-818-812-7222 Office Hours: Monday and Wednesay 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
10 Congress St., Suite #405
Pasadena, CA 91105

Category: GRDS

Review & Update Giveaway!

August 31, 2016 6:27 pm

Keshishian Giveaway Ticket

The Prize winners are Jo and Kimberly!  Congratulations ladies and enjoy the Obesity Help National Conference!  Thank you to all that participated in the Giveaway!

We are holding a review and update giveaway for two different prizes! Thank you for your

participation!

One Prize and One Grand Prize

Prize: two tickets to Obestiy Help National Conference Sept. 30-Oct 1, 2016

Grand Prize: two tickets to Obesity Help National Conference and one night
hotel stay October 1, 2016

Conference: 11999 Harbor Boulevard Garden Grove, California 92840 Event link here

Hotel Prize: SHERATON GARDEN GROVE – ANAHEIM SOUTH HOTEL
12221 Harbor Boulevard
Garden Grove, California

Official Rules:

How to Enter and eligibility: All entrants and winners must be 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. Up to 5 entries per person.

  1. Write a review of Dr. Ara Keshishian on one or all of the sites below or do an update on your profile on Obesity Help between now and Sept. 8, 2016 at 5:00 PM

2. Take a screen shot of the review or update with your username and date.

3. E-mail the screenshot to contact@dssurgery.com with your contact information (name, phone number, e-mail, and mailing address )

4. Entries must be a verifiable patient of Dr. Ara Keshishian in Glendale, CA.

Promotion Timing:

The Review & Update Giveaway begins September 1, 2016 and ends September 8, 2016 at 5:00pm PST

How Winners are Chosen:

Winners will be chosen by random draw.  Odds of winning vary upon the number of entries received for the giveaway.

Winner Notification and the Claiming of Prizes:

Winners will be notified via the email provided at time of entry and also published on our blog comments www.dssurgery.com/blog and on our FaceBook page. The winner will have 72 hours to respond to the winning notification email or the prize will be forfeited.  The prizes have no cash value. The prizes are non-transferable and must be accepted as awarded. No changes may be made to the prizes. There is no cash value for the prizes.

General Conditions:

By entering the Giveaway, entrants agree to abide by and be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are final and binding in all matters relating to the Giveaway, and release and hold harmless Sponsor and its affiliates, directors, officers, employees and assigns from and against any liability, claims, lawsuits, judgments, losses, damages of any kind, injuries, death, property damage, costs and expenses, arising from, resulting from or in connection with the Giveaway, the participation in the Giveaway, or the receipt, possession, use or misuse of any prize. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, inaccurate, stolen, delayed, misdirected, undelivered or illegible entries or for lost or stolen entry boxes or other errors or difficulties of any kind whether human, mechanical, electronic, typographical, printing or otherwise relating to or in connection with the Giveaway, including, without limitation, errors or difficulties which may occur in connection with the administration of the Giveaway, the processing of entries, the announcement of the prizes, or in any Giveaway-related materials. Sponsor is not responsible for technical, hardware, software or telephone malfunctions of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, or failed, incorrect, incomplete, inaccurate, garbled or delayed electronic communications caused by the user or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Giveaway. Persons who tamper with or abuse any aspect of the Giveaway or who are in violation of these Official Rules, as solely determined by Sponsor, will be disqualified and all associated entries will be void. The Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Giveaway if, in Sponsor’s opinion, it is not capable of running as planned, including, but not limited to, due to tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical or phone line failures or any other problems beyond the control of the Sponsor, and select the winners for affected drawing(s) from among all eligible entries timely received for such affected drawing(s) prior to cancellation.

Ulcer and Stricture

August 29, 2016 5:21 am

A patient was referred to us for second opinion who was experiencing nausea, vomiting, GERD.  The patient had Duodenal Switch procedure many years ago but more recently had developed significant nausea, worsening reflux and solid intolerance. The patient had an endoscopy a few months ago and was only found to have a stricture within the Duodenum, no definitive treatment was offered at the time to the patient. On second examination of this patient with a second EGD the result was development of diffuse Duodenal ulcers  and stricture.

First EGD of Duodenal Stricture
First EGD of Duodenal Stricture
Second EGD with Duodenal Stricture and Ulceration
Second EGD with Duodenal Stricture and Ulceration

Note that these images are nearly identical positioning showing the stricture at 9 position. The image on the right also shows patchy ulcers.

Any changes in GERD, nausea, vomiting, gastric pain or discomfort after weight loss surgery should always be evaluated, treated, and followed. In a previous blog, the effects of GERD have been described.

Duodenal Switch

August 24, 2016 5:45 am

Buyer Beware ! There are a lot of look alike and counterfeit “Duodenal Switch” procedure being performed. A recent online chat discussion clearly demonstrates the point that just because a patient is told that they had the duodenal switch operation this is not necessarily the case.

In our practice, we always warn our patients of not comparing notes and their outcome to others. I perform the Duodenal Switch procedure  the way it was described by Dr. Hess, making the common and alimentary lengths as a percentage of the total length of small bowel. This is why our patient population has very little nutritional, and gastrointestinal issues compared to others. Unfortunately when a patient is given a disproportionately long Common channel and/or Alimentary channel the patient will have inadequate weight loss. Alternatively, when patients are  given a shorter alimentary channel in proportion to the total bowel length, significant nutritional deficiencies can arise. In a shorter alimentary channel situation patients have to consume higher doses of vitamins and nutrients to keep their laboratory values normal.

I have repeatedly raised the issues to clearly distinguish the single anastomosis procedures from Duodenal Switch operation.

One of the unfortunate problems is the lack of clear guidance given to the patients. It is not uncommon, when I do second opinion consultation with patient who were given generic gastric bypass post op protocol and instructions after their duodenal switch operation. This clearly shows lack of fundamental understanding of the practice performing these procedures and it is carried onto the patient.

 

Fluids and Electrolytes After Weight Loss Surgery

January 29, 2016 7:06 am

Fluids and Electrolytes after weight loss surgery are an important part of recovery and lifestyle after undergoing a weight loss surgical procedure. Potassium is an important electrolyte found in higher concentrations within the fluid of the cells. It is important in muscle contraction, heart rhythm, nerve function and co-enzyme function.

Fluids and Electrolytes

The following webinar (link) discusses the balance of fluids and electrolytes with particular attention to post weight loss surgery concerns. Deficiencies can cause heart arrhythmias, muscle weakness and cramping, intestinal paralysis, and neurological deficits.

Screen-Shot-2016-01-28-at-12.31

The Daily Recommended Amount for Potassium is  4,700mg

Here is a list of Lower-carb potassium sources: This is not meant to be in inclusive list.  There are many higher carb sources of potassium also.

  • Beet Greens- 1/2C 655 mg
  • Trout 3oz – 375 mg
  • Salmon  719 mg per average filet
  • Halibut or Yellowfin Tuna 3oz – 500mg
  • Clams 3oz- 534 mg
  • Avocados 1 whole- 974 mg
  • Squash 1C- 325mg
  • Broccoli 1 cup 475m
  • Watermelon Radish 3 oz – 233mg
  • Sweet Potatoes- one potato 694mg
  • Yogurt 1C – 579mg
  • Tomato paste 1/4C – 342 mg
  • Whole milk 1C – 366 mg
  • Chicken breast meat 1 cup chopped – 358 mg
  • Cauliflower 1 cup raw– 303 mg
  • Peanut butter 2 T – 208 mg
  • Asparagus spears 6 – 194 m
  • Daikon Radish – 3″ – 280 mg
  • Nuts  100-300 mg per 30g / 1 oz serving, depending on the type
  • Dark leafy greens  160 mg per cup of raw, 840 mg per cooked
  • Kohlrabi 3oz- 98mg
  • Mushrooms 1 C- 273 mg
  • Spinach – 1 cup 167 mg Potassium
  • Walnuts 2 oz-250 mg