Are all those reviews REAL? Dr...
I am from Mexico. Born and raised there. I still have family in Mexico that i visit once a year. even being from the country that i went to for surgery- i was skeptical. like yourself i was iffy abt the great reviews and most of all, abt the safety in an unknown town. i had heard and read of all the chaos going on w the border towns.
i went to dr alvarez with some serious doubt. til this day, i dont know how i had the guts to go a complete stranger for this surgery. The only thing that alleviated my doubts was the reviews from soo many people and the plethora of information and videos online.
i am ever SO SO GLAD i went with him. all the reviews are right! not only is he a super sweet guy, he truly cares for your well being and will make sure that you and your family feel safe, comfortable and informed. you will not regret making the trip to piedras negras. the scariest part of the trip was driving across the border and seeing the Mexican military in their hummers with machine guns. the town is clean and colorful. i didn't see a single beggar or hobo anywhere.
the hospital is clean, comfortable and quiet. a little outdated if you ask me, but still great. i am so happy with their services that i will be making the trip again with my husband and sister of February. they will also be getting the VSG.
please feel free to msg me with any questions..
i went to dr alvarez with some serious doubt. til this day, i dont know how i had the guts to go a complete stranger for this surgery. The only thing that alleviated my doubts was the reviews from soo many people and the plethora of information and videos online.
i am ever SO SO GLAD i went with him. all the reviews are right! not only is he a super sweet guy, he truly cares for your well being and will make sure that you and your family feel safe, comfortable and informed. you will not regret making the trip to piedras negras. the scariest part of the trip was driving across the border and seeing the Mexican military in their hummers with machine guns. the town is clean and colorful. i didn't see a single beggar or hobo anywhere.
the hospital is clean, comfortable and quiet. a little outdated if you ask me, but still great. i am so happy with their services that i will be making the trip again with my husband and sister of February. they will also be getting the VSG.
please feel free to msg me with any questions..
Believe the reviews. Dr. Alvarez and his staff are amazing.
I am the world's biggest skeptic. Prior to coming on OH and doing my research, I was the LAST person to ever consider going to Mexico for surgery. It was also a really big deal for me to have surgery by a doctor I had never met, in a hospital I had never seen, be put to sleep by an anesthesiologist I didn't know and in a country where I didn't speak the language.
I have been to Mexico in the border towns along the Texas border several times many years ago. Believe me, I was not impressed by what I had seen so I had a lot of very negative impressions to overcome.
I have been a nurse for 30 years and have had 8 prior surgeries (6 of them abdominal and two of those laprascopic). This surgery was the best I had ever had. Best recovery, least pain and the FIRST time without a post op infection.
I too was afraid of:
1. Post op complications and not having follow-up. Dr. Alvarez will treat any post op complications that occur in the hospital at no extra charge. Since I was a self pay, I knew that I took the chance of not having insurance coverage anyway if I had a post op complication here in the states. However, no matter where I had my surgery, more than likely someone other than the bariatric surgeon would have to treat the problem and I felt confident about the docs here at home. Plus, I got my PCP on board before I went.
2. Crossing the border/danger in Mexico. I couldn't find any reports of problems in Piedras Negras or Eagle Pass. Also, Dr. A's driver, Rosie, was great. She transported us across the border and back. FYI--Dr. Alvarez lives within about 2 blocks of the hospital and his mother and aunt live in the two houses next to his. If it was a dangerous, drug infested area, I don't think he would live there with his family. My husband and my sleeve sister's husband went out and walked around a few block area near the hospital to go to the grocery and restaurants. My husband is not widely traveled and usually is pretty skittish about venturing out. He said he never felt unsafe because it was such a family oriented area.
3. Detractors--I found two vocal people that hadn't liked Dr. A. One had a leak and one was just whiney because she wasn't getting what I felt was a lot of "hand-holding-you-poor-helpless-baby" kind of follow-up care. The one with the leak was not the most compliant of patients from what I could tell and was also a revision from a lap band done by another surgeon. Revisions are much more likely to have complications that virgin sleeves.
4. Quality of medical care: Honestly, you don't get a lot of follow-up care unless you seek it out. Dr. Alvarez and his team are very accessible and responsive if you call or email, even post-op. However, once your surgery is over and the immediate post op phase is over, technically, they are done. It is only because he is such a good doc and has such a good team that you get the post op availability. Also, if you follow his post op plan to the letter, you will do great. He gives very detailed info for you to follow and utilizing OH helps a lot.
The facility is old looking and in some ways it's like going back to a 1950's or 1960s hospital in the US. However, when i looked around at the actual equipment, it was all up to date (IV pumps, x-ray machines, monitors, etc.)
Also, at night, some of the nurses only speak Spanish but they do great at anticipating your needs. The English speaking liason for Dr. A's practice was there about 20 hours out of 24 when I was there and I never had a problem. My husband nor I speak one word of Spanish.
I am the world's biggest skeptic. Prior to coming on OH and doing my research, I was the LAST person to ever consider going to Mexico for surgery. It was also a really big deal for me to have surgery by a doctor I had never met, in a hospital I had never seen, be put to sleep by an anesthesiologist I didn't know and in a country where I didn't speak the language.
I have been to Mexico in the border towns along the Texas border several times many years ago. Believe me, I was not impressed by what I had seen so I had a lot of very negative impressions to overcome.
I have been a nurse for 30 years and have had 8 prior surgeries (6 of them abdominal and two of those laprascopic). This surgery was the best I had ever had. Best recovery, least pain and the FIRST time without a post op infection.
I too was afraid of:
1. Post op complications and not having follow-up. Dr. Alvarez will treat any post op complications that occur in the hospital at no extra charge. Since I was a self pay, I knew that I took the chance of not having insurance coverage anyway if I had a post op complication here in the states. However, no matter where I had my surgery, more than likely someone other than the bariatric surgeon would have to treat the problem and I felt confident about the docs here at home. Plus, I got my PCP on board before I went.
2. Crossing the border/danger in Mexico. I couldn't find any reports of problems in Piedras Negras or Eagle Pass. Also, Dr. A's driver, Rosie, was great. She transported us across the border and back. FYI--Dr. Alvarez lives within about 2 blocks of the hospital and his mother and aunt live in the two houses next to his. If it was a dangerous, drug infested area, I don't think he would live there with his family. My husband and my sleeve sister's husband went out and walked around a few block area near the hospital to go to the grocery and restaurants. My husband is not widely traveled and usually is pretty skittish about venturing out. He said he never felt unsafe because it was such a family oriented area.
3. Detractors--I found two vocal people that hadn't liked Dr. A. One had a leak and one was just whiney because she wasn't getting what I felt was a lot of "hand-holding-you-poor-helpless-baby" kind of follow-up care. The one with the leak was not the most compliant of patients from what I could tell and was also a revision from a lap band done by another surgeon. Revisions are much more likely to have complications that virgin sleeves.
4. Quality of medical care: Honestly, you don't get a lot of follow-up care unless you seek it out. Dr. Alvarez and his team are very accessible and responsive if you call or email, even post-op. However, once your surgery is over and the immediate post op phase is over, technically, they are done. It is only because he is such a good doc and has such a good team that you get the post op availability. Also, if you follow his post op plan to the letter, you will do great. He gives very detailed info for you to follow and utilizing OH helps a lot.
The facility is old looking and in some ways it's like going back to a 1950's or 1960s hospital in the US. However, when i looked around at the actual equipment, it was all up to date (IV pumps, x-ray machines, monitors, etc.)
Also, at night, some of the nurses only speak Spanish but they do great at anticipating your needs. The English speaking liason for Dr. A's practice was there about 20 hours out of 24 when I was there and I never had a problem. My husband nor I speak one word of Spanish.
Never, never, never give up!...though she be but little, she is FIERCE...
A Midsummer Night's Dream
You can find ours on the first page-- Nancy B and Wesley B.
I've heard nothing but good things about both Dr's Alvarez and Dr. Aceves. They are the only two doctors in Mexico with impeccable reputations.
I went to Mexicali (Dr. Aceves). Border crossing wasn't a problem at all. Tests are done right after surgery to ensure there are no leaks so you shouldn't have a problem when you're at home.
I agree with Lina. I've never heard a single negative thing about Dr. Aceves or Alvarez. Both of them have a consistently sparkling reputation. You really can't go wrong with either of them.
Highest weight: 277 Starting Weight: 250 Surgery Weight: 241 Current Weight: 130
Goal Reached in 10.5 months :)
He does send a personal email about a month out and ask that you write a review here but he doesn't ask that it be positive, offer any reward or anything like that. So yes, he does have a lot of reviews because he solicits them but they (and mine) are real. I was more than happy to do so.
if you haven't figured out not only is he a great surgeon but he's a hell of a marketer. From his youtube channel to facebook, twitter and all these reviews help his rank on Google and search engines. He's really done his research...and I think he does it all himself and doesn't even hire some company to do it for him.
if you haven't figured out not only is he a great surgeon but he's a hell of a marketer. From his youtube channel to facebook, twitter and all these reviews help his rank on Google and search engines. He's really done his research...and I think he does it all himself and doesn't even hire some company to do it for him.
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