Guillermo Alvarez Bariatric Surgeon MD

In my opinion, he's the best out there! Never did I feel worried about the procedure with Dr. Alvarez or his assistant, Dr. Rosales. Both are very professional and know what they are doing. I went in, had the VSG, and to date have had no pain or problems what so ever!

On January 7, 2010, I had a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy with Dr. Guillermo Alvarez in Pierra Negras, Mexico. rnrnOne year ago I heard that someone had go to MEXICO to have wls...all I could think of was...ARE THEY CRAZY???? I envisioned dark allies, sub-standard care and all kinds of crazy stuff. After seeing the great result of this surgery on this person, I decided to pursue some type of weightloss surgery in my hometown. I am after all and American, and we are snobs concerning our medical care. After all, no one can do it as good as we can right?? So decided to start the process with my insurance company. Well they immediately said “NO”. They really didn’t care if I had high blood pressure and high cholesterol and joint problems that were so bad, that some days I could hardly walk. rnrnSo, one desperate day, I started searching for self-pay options. This led me to Mexico. I first decided on the type of surgery that I wanted. I knew that I didn’t want the lapband. After doing research, I found that too many of those people had to go back into the hospital, years later, and have them removed for one reason or the other. I don’t want another surgery...unless, of course, it is a tummy tuck!! I didn’t want the Gastric bypass because I didn’t want my intestines re-routed, nor did I want to deal with the “dumping” syndrome. Not to mention that every now and then, I want to drink an alcoholic beverage--or two! So the sleeve was a good option for me. With the GSV, approximately 80% of your stomach is removed leaving you with a new tiny tummy, or sleeve. It fully functions as a stomach, so you don’t have the RNY issues, and it is very restrictive in the amount of food you can eat, therefore giving you ultimate control. rnrnAfter going over the OH boards and reading reviews, doing Google, and Bing searches, Dr. Alvarez’s name kept coming up. I read everything I could get my hands on. Mainly, I was looking for something “bad”, people who had problems, and I found nothing. So, I contacted his office and had my first encounter with the famous “Susan”. Susan is Dr. A’s patient rep and she is fabulous. She suffered though days of my endless questions, answering each one like it was my first. She is the true Jewel in Dr. A’s crown! I got email addresses from her and contacted people by email, and talked on the phone. With ever contact I became more and more certain that Dr. A was going to do my surgery. He has done over 1100 of these procedures, is board certified in the US, and has a 0% leak rate. He also mentors US surgeons on this procedure. So, I scheduled my surgery. rnrnSusan sent me a ton of information and step-by-step instructions for the pre-op diet. I knew exactly what to expect and if I had any questions I could email her...which I did...many times. Whenever I emailed her or Dr. Alvarez I usually received an answer within 2 hours..usually less. I think that Dr. A’s best friend is his blackberry, which is good for you the patient, because he really is on top of his emails. This enables you to have direct contact with him. Can you say that about your docs in the states?? I, personally, can’t.rn rnYou fly into San Antonio and then are driven to Eagle Pass, Texas . Rosie, Dr. A’s driver, makes the 2 1/2 hour drive through ranch-land Texas a joy. You spend the night in Eagle Pass at a very nice hotel...can’t remember the name, but the bed was amazing!! The next morning Rosie picks you up and drives you 10 minutes across the border to meet Dr. Alveraz and his associate Dr. Rosales. In the US we have a lot of interactions with people who are going to operate before the surgery day, so the idea of having a small meet and greet one hour before surgery is a little foreign to us. I felt totally comfortable with this as I had made it my job to email him before hand. He has a very warm and relaxed personality and, by the way, has perfect English. After our meeting we were walked across the street by Jessica, our translator, to the hospital. The hospital is an older building, don’t let that scare you. I had been told beforehand so I was ready. It was spotless, and someone was cleaning day and night. The nurses did not speak a lot of English, but you are sent with a “cheat sheet” and they try very hard to communicate with you. You also have Jessica for 12 hours a day and she was wonderful. rnrnAfter my surgery, I had no pain and no nausea. They manage both extremely well, bringing your meds promptly every 4 hours (I think). Since this is a smaller hospital, the nursing staff is not as stressed as in the US. You never have to wait for meds or help. You call them and they are there within a minute...and I mean that literally. I worried about nausea. Dr. Salinas, the anesthesiologist, has had extensive training in bariatric procedures, so there was no nausea ...and the best part, I had no sore throat!! rnrnDr. Alveraz has the best bedside manor of any surgeon I have ever had. The day of surgery he is in and out of your room all day checking on you, making sure you have everything you need. He answers all your questions and never, ever makes you feel like he is in a rush or is too important for you. He takes his time and goes over the same things over and over if you need him too. I just can’t say enough about how we were treated while we were there. rnrnI am convinced that this surgery is going to change my life. My PCP is doing my aftercare, and I have had no problems, my incisions healed great, and everything is fine. I am only 1 month out, however for the first time in my life I have control. Fat people can’t just “push back” from the table. Something in us is stronger then what we know we need to do. I thought if one more person told me that I just needed a little “self-control” I was going to blow up all over them!! With this surgery, I have control now. It’s a tool. It is not a miracle, overnight procedure. You no longer have craving or hunger issues and that is a tremendous help. rnrnI would do this again in a heartbeat, and have recommended this procedure and Dr. Alveraz to people who have asked. If you have any questions please contact me!!rnrn

Dr Alvarez and his staff where very honest, pleasant and proffessional and if you needed anything they were there for you. He has a great beside manner, and visited several times after surgery. Overall I had a great experience with him and his staff. The quality of care and confidence that him and his staff show is above and beyond. It is greater than what you are likely to find locally and many many time better than major health care providers like KAISER! I would refer anyone I knew to him and I rate him a 10 out of 10!

A year later and I'm practically at goal. The reasons I'm not are because I'm trying to conceive and eating more carbs than usual as being in ketosis is harmful to fetuses. rnrnI fully expect that either come spring (when I can walk outside without freezing to death or killing myself on ice!) or after I give birth (if/when we get pregnant) to get down to goal. I did get as close as 1.6 lbs from a normal weight, so the VSG is definitely a good thing, and I wish I could convince my mom (who is looking into WLS) to go to Dr. A! rnrnShe doesn't have the money unfortunately but if she did, she would go to see him. She's seen my pictures and heard about what a wonderful experience I had (it was more like a vacation - especially coming from cold Montreal in January to warm Mexico!) and knows that she'd have excellent care. rnrnI really can't recommend Dr. Alvarez and his whole medical team highly enough!! They were all sweet despite me not being the best patient (I'm extremely needle phobic). Dr. A's skills and bedside manor were incredible. My travel time 3 days after surgery was over 12 hours from door to door and I barely needed the painkillers. rnrnFeel free to PM me if you have questions, I was there January 30th, 2009. I know I'm supposed to say something negative to prove I'm \"legit\" but really, I can't think of anything I would change - other than an IV staying in longer than I would've liked - but I'm a needle phobe ;)rn

My sister and I went to Dr. Alvarez for our VSG's on 1/5/10. We have both done very well. Of course we were nervous but felt like we had made a great choice in a doctor. I felt that the material we received before surgery was very helpful in preparing us for our experience. Susan was also very helpful in answering any questions I had. My first impression of Dr. Alvarez was very positive. He made me feel more comfortable about the surgery and excited to see the results. His staff was very friendly as well. Both surgeons came to see us several times a day after surgery and I found that very reassuring. Any questions I have had after the surgery have been answered very quickly and I find that amazing. The only disappointing part of our stay was that my sister and I thought that we would be able to be in the same room. Her husband was able to be there while mine was not. I wanted to be close to their room rather than down the hall because I was alone. The room I was in the first night was small and to be honest, smelly. To be fair, Dr. Alvarez told me it was small before I chose it, but the smell was pretty bad. He did move me into a much nicer room the next night and that was much better. I did not even have to ask to be moved either.

Dr. A was great. He is very professional and personable, my husband and I felt very comfortable with him. It is obvious from the process that Dr. A does many proceedures per week and that experience translates into a great experience for the patient. The hospital is different than what you would see here in the US but was very clean and the nurses (although they didn't speak English) were very professional in their demeanor. Dr. A's assistant/translator was helpful with everything. Susan the patient coordinator is/was helpful throughout the process. Everything was exactly as seen on his website and stated in his communications! I had a great experience and would recommend his to everyone.

I was very impressed that he was very professional, caring and spoke perfect english. His continued support and response to any questions I have by email are usually within hours and sometimes immediate. The staff from the moment of booking through Susan to meeting Rosy (again, perfect english)who transported me Mexico to my nurse Cristina made me feel relaxed and confident in my upcoming procedure. Dr. Alvarez made sure that my wife understood the surgery and what to expect. As soon as surgery was over, he came out and told her directly that everything had went excellent. There was nothing that I did not like about the Dr. and his staff. The morning I left I was given medications to take with me and instruction on how to take them. I was given an information package on diet and exercise and what to expect during my post op diet and the next couple months. It is important that you read and follow them. As with any surgery there is risk of complications but Dr. Alvarez was confident from the beginning and told me \"you are going to do great\". Overall I rate him a 10 out of 10 and do not hesitate to recommend him to anyone I talk to about my VSG. Being confident as a Dr. is important as is bedside manner. Dr. Alvarez is exceptional at both. The only setback for us is that we do not speak spanish and at night I asked for a sleeping pill and was given a needle for pain instead. In the mornings my wife would walk to OXO which is like our 7/11 to get coffee. One morning it was quite dark and the guard unlocked the door to let her out. She was surprised to see he was still standing on the sidewalk waiting to let her back in and re-lock the door 15 minutes later. Everyone was friendly and helpful.rnrnDarrell Dyck, Elkford BCrnJanuary 31, 2010 - 12 weeks post op - rndown 69 lb and very happy.

Dr. Alvarez was just as he has been described here on OH over and over again. I was a bit afraid of going to Mexico to have surgery, but found that my fears were unfounded. Everything is taken care of for you. Nothing is left to chance. You are told exactly what to do every step of the way and you can always call Susan with any questions. Dr's Alvarez and Rosario were lovely in every way. The person who impressed me most was the anesthesiologist. I am an R.N., and he acted just like the doc's here in the states. He breezed into my room, acting all important and concerned and busy, fixed me up and then went on his way. I felt like I was rounding with the docs back home, and in my mind I just knew that these guys are the real deal, and they know what they are doing. rnDr Rosario went over the discharge instructions (done by the nurse in the states,the docs are too busy)and answered all questions. Both Dr's Alvarez and Rosario followed us out the door, loaded our luggage, put us in the van, and said,\"Make sure you call or e-mail when you get home so we know you're OK.\" Now, what doc in the States would do that?rnIf you're on the fence about surgery, hop off. I don't know about any other surgeons, but I can recommend Dr.Alvarez without reservation.

Dr. Alvarez is a really great guy. Personally, he set me at ease right away. He treats you like a person, not a number like some do in the states. His staff was efficient, and kind. There was a translator during the day, so no problems there. It would help if someone on night shift spoke english, but we were able to communicate enough to get by. I can't say enough about his surgical competence. I think the main reason I had NO problems post op was his skill. He has done MANY of these operations, and that translates into a very smooth postop experience. His bedside manner is wonderful. There is no real structured aftercare, I would advise getting your PCP on board before you go for surgery. All in all.. a great experience!!

I love Dr.A!!! I can't believe how scared I was the morning I woke up. Up until that point I really wasn't. When I walked into his office, talked to Dr A, everything bad/scared feeling was gone. He was so nice, he answered everything my husband and I could throw out at him. Next Jessica came in, she took my picutre. From that minute on, I knew she was going to take care of me. She was there to get me walking. Asking if I need anything.....and helping my husband find a snacks and food next door! I truly felt a part of Dr. A's big family. He checked on me and explained things to me every step of the way. I honsetly think anyone who wants to take this journey needs to look up Dr.A! Please feel free to ask me anything, I would love to help someone out! I would rate Dr A 10/10!!!rnAnd I would give Susan a 10/10...she is there day or night to help answer all your questions!