Endohospital Bariatric Center

So far I feel very confident with the doctor and his staff. The comforting words and encouragement from Susan are really taking the edge off of the upcoming procedure. It will be done in less than 2 weeks.

My Surgeon is HEAVEN SENT!?!?!?!? Dr. Alvarez and his staff are wonderful people who go out of their way to make sure that each patient is comfortable. From Susan the patient coordinator, Rosie the driver to Cynthia the day nurse, they are all wonderful people. If anyone had concerns about anything I will tell them to fret not becuase they are in safe hands. There is nothing negative that I can say about this doctor and his staff. Even my father who is very old school had a great time and he was very pleased with the whole experience. My only regret about my whole experience is that I wish that I had the surgery performed ten years ago. I enjoyed my experience so much that I am planning to go back to see Dr. Alvarez for my fills, I am planning them as mini vacations.

Dr. Alvarez was the best doctor I've ever had! I couldn't believe it in the US when your in the hospital you might see your doctor twice a day, but while I was in the hospital Dr. Alvarez an his partner would come check on me atleast 8 or 9 times a day even in the middle of the night I was shocked how awesome I was treated! If anyone is looking to have weight loss surgery please look into Dr. Alvarez it's the best thing I ever did he stays in contact with you long after surgery it's like finding a new family his staff is there to help you every step of the way! I wish I could have Dr. Alvarez for my family doctor I've never found a doctor with a heart as big as his, you can tell he really cares about his patients long after your surgery!

My story begins at 110 pounds. I was a very small child and teenager. Never understood how people could gain so much weight. At 3 months pregnant with my first child, the doctor weighed me in at 112 and told me I must gain weight. Well, I did gain and gain and gain. At delivery I was 186. I lost part of that and was never happy with myself from that moment on. I know weight shouldn’t determine a persons happiness but it did for me. I felt fat and out of control. That lead to more weight gain for me. Then a second child added a few more. Before I knew it I was over 220 and stopped caring about myself. I started feeling run down all the time and went to the doctor for it about 2 years ago. They ran a few test and told me to loose weight and I would feel better, as if I didn’t already know that. Six months later I was feeling even worse and back to another doctor and was told the same thing but this time they gave me little blue pills to help me with weight lose. Those lasted almost the whole month but I never refilled them as I didn’t loose any weight. I was good at waiting for them to wear off and then eating all my food in the evening. rnrnWhile cooking dinner one day I turned around quickly to go from the stove to the sink and nearly passed out on my face. I did manage to catch myself and went down to my knees. Finally I decided there is more wrong with me then being over weight. Again, back to a different doctor I went. This time the doctor ran all kinds of test. He left me in the room waiting on some of the results. He came in with a diabetic machine and stuck my finger and the number was 548 that morning. He said that confirmed what my A1C said. My A1C was 14.9. I believe normal is from around 5 to 8. I do know he said mine was extremely high. Immediately he gave me a shot of insulin and sent me home with medication for it and a tester kit. I went back every week for a month. Every time he added another drug and sometime increased what I was already taking. We couldn’t get me below a 250 even with 3 different drugs a day and 3 of each of them. My PCP finally told me I should consider this new surgery that he honestly didn’t know a lot about but had seen it on Dateline and Good Morning America. He said it intrigued him because it made claims of putting diabetes in remission and he speciality in medical school was diabetes. He said without me doing something at this point I would need a pump. rnrnI went to a weight lose center here in my state and did many expensive visits and testing that they required. I finally told them I have to do something now and can no longer wait. I did not want a pump. They kept making me promises of scheduling my surgery but every time I went in there would be another excuse as to why they wouldn’t do it. My PCP had ran and reviewed all my test and said there was no reason for me not to have surgery. He even called that doctor himself and got nowhere with him. rnrnI met a friend at this WLC one day and she was having similar issues with this clinic. She told me about the OH board and about a Dr. Alvarez in Mexico. I thought, ok like that is just what I need. I have enough problems and do not need to go to another country. I really don’t have to tell you what I thought surgery in Mexico would be like. I mean, aren’t they way behind the USA in medical stuff? How wrong I was. I did not even give it another thought but I did come home and join the OH Board. I went back to the WLC again and this time the nurse assured me they would set a date. Got in the room and a date was set for 2 weeks and she gave me the stuff to bathe with the day of surgery and then the doctor came in and said My A1C was at 9 still and he would not do it. I don’t think I have ever cried so hard. You see, by this point I was loosing vision, numbing in feet and the doctor said my liver was showing damage too. By this point I was scared to death for myself. This was the day I came home and logged on the internet at OH.com and decided I would do my research. I bet I read 100 plus post by Dr. A patients. I also read what OH board under his name and the testimonies there. I read his credentials and anything I could find. I called the girl I had met and told her I was going to call Susan and speak with her to see if Dr. A would do my surgery. I told Susan my story and she said she would call Dr. A and then let me know. She emailed me back in just what seemed only a few minutes and said Dr. A said to come to Mexico and he would do the surgery for me. Again, I cried and called my friend and told her I was calling Susan back to schedule. I did and my new friend also called and Susan scheduled her for the same day so we could do this ride together. I am so lucky because I have 2 sleeve sisters from the same date and love them both.rnrnMy surgery with Dr. A was on June 2nd 2008. I was the first one of the 3 that morning. When we arrived, Dr. A met us at the door and carried my bags for me. My first thought was where is the dirt ceilings. This looks pretty much like the older hospitals in my town. Actually it was way better and cleaner. He took me first to his office and left the others including my DH in the waiting room. I was so glad about that. I didn’t want my DH to worry and didn’t tell him ALL the risks, just the ones I felt he needed to know. Maybe that was wrong but I knew the other risk of not having it done could be way worse. I wanted this decision to be all mine from day one and it was. Dr. A spent time looking over my medical records that he asked me to bring. He questioned me on some of it and then told me this was going to change it all for me and that soon I would be better. rnrnI went for more testing that Dr. A needed that morning which included blood work and x-rays. Nothing different there. Same prick I was use to here and they used the same equipment you would see in the US. It was an older hospital, but no different then the older ones here. Although some of the staff didn’t speak English it didn’t matter. The nurse that took me to do the test did all the speaking and stayed with me the whole time so she could tell them what I said. She spoke perfect English and from what I heard she spoke perfect Spanish too. Lol. I never once felt alone due to the language barrier. They made sure of that. In my room I was given my gown to change into and it wasn’t long before the nurse set my IV and put something in it so I can’t tell you what went on after that. rnrnI woke up in the worse pain than I have ever had in my life. I had 2 c-sections, a tummy tuck and a hysterectomy and yet this was the worse. Like I was going to explode if I didn’t burp soon and I couldn’t. My DH said the nurses called Dr. A all night when I would wake up in such pain and he had them give me something to make me sleep and pain drugs. I really don’t remember that first day or night but I do remember waking up a couple of times in severe pain. The next morning Dr. A came in first thing to check on me and said no more sleeping drugs and now he wanted me up and walking and that would help. At first I thought he was crazy but my DH is one to follow instructions so up I was and boy did that help a lot. Meanwhile the nurses were checking my blood very often and giving me insulin shots for my diabetes. My surgery was on a Monday morning and I do remember part of Tuesday and thinking this might kill me. I never was hungry though or thirsty. I just wanted to sleep it all off. My DH said I was up all Tuesday night telling him to take me walking again. I don’t remember doing that much walking but he said I put some miles down that hall way. Guess that was all that was really helping me get relief. My best memory started about 3 am on Wednesday morning when the nurse who didn’t speak English came in and stuck me again. She looked at me and said “no insin, no insin” I spelled it like she said it but I knew exactly what she was saying. My sugar was finally normal. I never expected it to happen so soon. After all, even Dr. A said it may take a few weeks to come down enough. On Wednesday morning Dr. A came in and said I could stay in the hospital another day or so if I wanted to. By this time I had so much energy I just wanted to leave and start my new life. He gave us jello and juice that morning and I know I did a leak test because I remember doing it and him telling me I had a lot of swelling but don’t even remember what day we did this. I think it was Tuesday evening. I also remember getting ice chips and my friend was enjoying it but I still didn’t want anything but I tried and did my best with it. The jello on Wednesday morning was good and so was the juice but I was able to only do a tiny bit of either. I was stuck again to test sugar after the jello which wasn’t sugar free and the juice and still the numbers were good. rnrnWe left the hospital on Wednesday and was taken back to San Antonio. I wanted to go shopping and did for a little while but my DH was worn out by this point. I did a lot of walking at the hotel that day and sat by the pool sipping cranberry juice and water and watched people swim. When I got back home, I spent the next month cleaning my house like never before. I had been so sick feeling for so long and had skipped spring cleaning for 2 years. I also enjoyed cooking again for my family. I couldn’t eat it but I had no problems cooking it. I finally felt in control of food. It no longer controlled me. I know others have lose of energy but not for me. Of course, I was so fatigued for so long that I felt good being off of all my meds.rnrnI am now 7 ½ months out and have gone from a size 16/18 to a size 4/6. Had to start wearing belts with my size 5’s. I still see my PCP but only every 3 months. He is very amazed at my progress. I went last week for all my post op blood work you do at 6 months out. I was a month late but no biggy there. Everything was great and the A1C was normal. My cholesterol was high but after speaking to Susan yesterday, she said this is normal for that to spike up until a year out so I will let my PCP know and we will let it go until that point. My PCP did tell me that even skinny people can have high cholesterol. Can you believe he called me skinny. He also told me not to loose anymore weight. I am down to about 138 now and perfectly normal bmi. My PCP said to learn to maintain now. He said I have room with my BMI to loose a little or gain a little and still be normal. I think he said it was 22 now. rnrnI sat here on the OH board a couple of weeks ago waiting for midnight. The old year out and the new one in. Then for a split second I started thinking about what kind of diet I would attempt to commit to for the first 2 weeks of the year. Then it dawned on me that I no longer had to include weight as a new years resolution. That brought tears to my eyes. rnrnI am 5’6” in height and now weigh approximately 138. Many tell me there is no way I could weigh that much. My goal was originally 125ish but now that I am wearing a belt with my size 5’s and it is hard to find pants much smaller, I am going to try to maintain as my doctor advised. My mom, kids and DH are telling me I am getting too thin. Being that I am in my 40’s now and not a teenager, this weight suits me fine. I am still a diabetic and always will be according to my PCP but he said I am living proof that type 2 diabetes can be controlled with proper diet and exercise. I say it can be with proper diet. I live on a farm in the middle of no where so exercise is hard as there is no time or place without driving 30 miles one way. I do however feed a lot of animals a day and ride horses so I am not totally stationary either. rnrnI have a son that is 23 years old. He was very athletic in high school and now has a sit down job all day. He is 5’11” and around 400 pounds. He has finally decided to have wls and have the vertical sleeve as well. My DH and I are trying to raise the money now and planning on having Dr. A do it in June and perhaps the same day as my surgery date was last year. I worry so much about him as he is my son and will eventually have the same issues that I have had. No mother could adore and love her child anymore then I do mine but I trust Dr. A so much and even knowing the risk am 100% behind his decision and know that with God using Dr. A hands my son will be fine. It will be hard to watch him those first few days but I also know he is strong and will do great. rnrnI know you have heard this many times from others but I will say it once more for anyone wondering about surgery and what it can do for you. It is not the easy way out by any means but my only regret is fighting my weight for 20 years. I love myself again and feel confidence that I have missed for a long time. God has truly Blessed me with a wonderful husband, great kids, a loving supporting family and great health. I thank them all for that and I thank Dr. A, Susan and all the staff for what they have given back to me. My life!! rnrn

I knew of 5 other friends who had seen Dr. Alverez for their weight loss surgery, and each of them gave rave reviews about what a wonderful doctor he was and what a great experience it was having him do their surgeries. The second I met Dr. Alvarez, I had to agree. He was such a warm and friendly man who showed he truly cared about me and my needs. The more I got to know him, the more I really liked him. His personal office was very modern and professional, and the hospital was older yet very clean. He currently is building a brand new hospital which I'm sure will be state of the art. You will first meet Rosie who will pick you up and take you everywhere you need to be. It's like having your personal driver who is so nice and a lot of fun. Then on your surgery day, you meet Dr. Alvarez, Dr. Rosales, and Christina (your personal nurse) who all go over any questions or concerns you have before the surgery. (And yes, they all speak perfect English). Christina personally makes sure you get all your lab and x-rays necessary and then gets you settled in your room while you wait for your surgery. BTW, the rooms all have couches for your spouse or friend to sleep on as well as T.V.s, phones and computers. Within no time, your surgery is done and all you have to do is recover. I was up and walking in just a few hours after my surgery. (The more you walk, the faster you recover). I didn't have any pain what-so-ever. The doctors, nurses, and medical assistants are contantly checking in on you to see if you need anything at all. You are on an IV drip to stay hydrated since you can't have anything to eat or drink for at least 24 hours after the surgery. After that you get ice chips and in 48 hours, you get clear liquids. I had my surgery on Saturday morning and was more than ready to go home by Monday morning. I couldn't believe how good I felt so soon after the surgery. We even went walking around the Riverwalk when we got back to San Antonio. I was a little weaker than normal, but otherwise, I felt normal. All in all, it was a good experience. Dr. Alvarez is a WONDERFUL man - so kind and compassionate. I have recommended him to a few other friends who will be seeing him this Spring for their surgeries.rnrnThe biggest things I would recommend to anyone having the surgery is to make sure you follow the post-surgery diet. Clear liquids for 1 week, then solid liquids for 2 more weeks. Three weeks is not that long to sacrific \"real\" food in order to prevent damaging your sutures. Oh, and bring a book or your laptop to the hospital. It gets boring the second day.rnrnI lost 20 pounds in 2 weeks and feel great! My friends and family say I look happier and it's because I know I'm on my way to a better life, and better body, and a better me. Thank you very much Dr. Alvarez!

Since it is common on this forum to report about one’s band surgery experience, I am eager to share mine. After as extensive research as possible, I chose Dr. Guillermo Alvarez in Piedras Negras, Mexico, across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas, about 150 miles southwest of San Antonio.rnrnMy husband, who is actually a physician himself, and I could find nothing but excellent recommendations for Dr. Alvarez. We had the usual initial sense of uneasiness about leaving the country for the procedure but were able to overcome this. We just could not see spending $7-10K extra to have the surgery at home in Texas. So off we drove to the border for what turned out to be a very positive experience.rnrnDr. Alvarez and his staff could not have been better. They took care of everything and made us feel at home with the entire venture. And while there was a slight language barrier, both his hospital staff and I were able to communicate easily. rnrnThe lap-band surgery itself is not a highly complicated procedure, and Dr. Alvarez has done over 1000 bands. For this reason, my typically skeptical physician husband was comfortable with my choosing him, understanding that most US surgeons don’t have nearly that much experience.rnrnThere were no unexpected surprises. All costs for the entire experience were included in the stated fee for the procedure. We knew that the hospital was old before we went, but it was very clean and all personnel were professional, courteous, and caring. My hospital room had not only TV but was newly remodeled with a broadband internet computer and a telephone for calls back to the US. We could not have been treated nicer.rnrnThe surgery took only about 20 minutes, and I left to return to Texas the next day after a night of observation in the hospital. No problems, whatsoever. Upon dismissal from the hospital, Dr. Alvarez brought together his patients to detail how to take care of our incisions, and eating restrictions for the first few weeks. rnrnSurgery was just over a month ago, and I return for my first fill this weekend. I have lost 15 pounds already and have had no significant recovery issues.rnrnI know that there are no doubt a number of great places to consider for lap-band surgery in Mexico, but I feel that I could not have chosen better than Dr. Alvarez. He is not only a capable surgeon but an all-round great guy. He exudes empathy and professionalism, and has put together a very nice package for anyone considering going to Mexico.rnrnI know that I read everything I could find on the internet before making my decision and that posts like this meant a lot to me. At this point in my journey, I remain very pleased with my decisions first to go to Mexico and second to choose Dr. Alvarez. rnrnI hope anyone reading this will do as much research as as they can before making your decision. Take the time to speak to some of Dr. Alvarez’s lap-band patients and you will immediately find out that he is a wonderful doctor. rnrnI hope this information is helpful.rnrndkoakiern

My experience with Dr. A was very positive. He made me feel comfortable right away. The hospital is a little weird, but very clean and they took good care of me. There was an english speaking assistant on duty round the clock. Aside from the anesthesia the first day, I've had no problems. I ran a slight fever the first night back in San Antonio which is normal come to find out. Susan called me that night to check on me and Dr. A returned my call as well. The doctors checked on my several times a day, and explained everything before I left. I would highly recommend Dr. A to anyone.

I was most concerned with competence & experience when it came to a VSG, price was secondary. With Dr. A I seemingly got the best of both worlds. There is a ton of information on OH and the forums, not to mention the rest of the web; after spending the better part of 3-4 days reading & researching the choice seemed clear to me. Aside from one grumpy patient who did a lap-band revision, NOBODY has a single negative thing to say about Dr. A. That is why I chose him. Were there things I would have liked to have improved? Sure. The hospital isn't state of the art (i.e. brand new & shiny), and I didn't get one of the upgraded suites. I wasn't thrilled with Rosy texting while driving us down & back from San Antonio (which IMHO is extremely dangerous). However in the big scheme of things like the size of my room were really, really unimportant. Would I have liked to have been able to goto a hospital tied to a hotel on the Pacific? Sure, but in my research the quality of the Dr. just wasn't the same. NOTHING beats experience. Overall the care was great---anytime there was any discomfort from gas/pain/etc the nurses were happy to give you more medication. Use the translation sheet they give you---it helps the nurses identify which medication to give you. I spent 1/2 the first night walking---at least 20-25 minutes out of every hour up & about---and it helped much more than the GasX strips did. Was I totally pain free? No--I just had major surgery (including my gallbladder out), and I had some serious (or so I thought) gas/burping/pressure that walking helped alleviate. I threw up some blood---that happens. I couldn't drink anything more than a few drops of water/melting ice for the first 48 hours after my surgery. I was up & walking all the time. But at 48 hours, at the airport in San Antonio, I was able to down a small Starbucks iced tea inside of an hour & from then on it was easy breezy.rnrnNow I'm almost 5 weeks out since my sleeve. I've lost 54lbs, 35 since the surgery. I have absolutely zero hunger pains---by far the best part of the sleeve. I'm doing things I haven't done in years (last week 4x hikes + 1 day of snowboarding). If anything I have to force myself to get enough calories to be able to train (hike, ride bike, swim) at the effort I want. I'm doing about 2 hours of moderate ++ exercise everyday & the weight is falling off----and unlike previous diets I have zero fear that it will come back. I'm down 3 pant sizes already---probably closer to 4 as my xtra fat pants were tight on me when I started this. I'm almost 50% of the way to my goal & have zero---absolutely zero regrets (except not have been able to do this 10-15 years prior).rnrnYes, it requires a lifestyle adjustment---I am drinking 2 protein shakes a day, and eating a salad + fish at night, as well as some type of protein bar (or two) instead of Whoppers/Double 1/4 pounders, however because I'm not hungry all the time my inclination to go thru the drive-thru is gone. I am still eating a desert at night---a few bites of chocolate or ice-cream, but with the exercise I'm doing I'm not worrying about the extra 100-300 calories per day, + I believe it is helping me fool my body into not thinking it is on a diet. The scars are small, and within a year (using Maderma) they should be pretty much gone.rnrnIf you are considering doing this surgery you need to go into it with the mindset that for the first 6 months to a year all of your focus is going to be on eating right & working out. Us guys have it much, much easier than the women---the weight seems to fall off of us. You will need to walk/workout at least an hour a day, 5x a week for you to achieve substantial rapid weight loss. You will need to modify your diet, drastically, to accomplish your weight loss goals. The sleeve is not a cure-all; it is an incredibly powerful tool that coupled with some willpower & a commitment to 6-12 months of eating right & exercising, will get you to where you want to be. I am speaking for myself, but my experience with Dr. A was fantastic---I had my concerns & reservations when I showed up for my surgery (on all of 2 weeks notice) & his manner, confidence, and personality (combined with his reputation) alleviated all of them. I have zero regrets & recommend anyone considering VSG to SERIOUSLY consider the extra effort it takes to make it to Piedras for the surgery.

First off, Dr Alvarez is a hottie. As a kid I always thought Rick Ricardo was THE MAN. rnBut that is where the similarities end. rnDr Alvarez is a professional in all his words and actions. Very caring and gentle. I loved having him and his associate come to check on me in their suits and tie. A definite improvement over the white trench coats the states doctors use. rnrnLoved his pick of staff, all had good personalities, were knowledgeable, spoke good English. The nursing staff, while not good at English were sweet and we got through the language barrier with some pantomime gestures on my part. You do get a translation sheet, but I'm bad about loosing stuff. I'll definitely not win at charades!rnrnIf I had to choose something I didn't like about him? I'll get back to you on that one when I find something. rnrnAnyone thinking about going to Mexico for surgery, do your homework on choosing your doctor. Dr Alvarez is loved by us that have used him. The hospital is a short ride across the border and there was no wait in line at the check point. The hospital reminded me of an ole country clinic I used to go to when I lived in Oklahoma. Clean and functional. You got good strait forward medical care.rnrnIn my research I did notice that Piedras Negras was NOT one of the towns that had border problems. That relieved my mind on that issue. rnrnTheir after care program, they give you detailed instructions. A good thing for me, for I have gone back and re read them many times. And if you have any needs they are just a phone call away or you can shoot them an e-mail. Susan keeps in touch by e-mail checking on me. I have so little problems, don't have much to report except weight loss. But that isn't a problem :) rnrnSurgery risks are part of the getting yourself educated process. Watching the video of the operation gives one a pretty good visual of what is going to happen. I'd like to see more of the instrumentation but that is just my technical side. With any procedure of this type, there are risks but I think they are minimal as compared to where we are headed with all this extra \"fluff\". AND following your doctor's detailed instructions, to the letter, is imperative to correct healing and having success with our weight loss journey. rnrnRating Dr Alvarez is easy, a ten in my book. When its time for plastic surgery I'm calling him for his opinion on who I should contact. rnrnIn my case, Dr Alvarez's surgical competence was perfecto. I had minimal bruising, came though the procedure in good form. The incisions were small and are healing well. rnrnThe first day I only felt like getting up for a short trip to the bathroom. The second day, I was up and walking about every hour and a half with three trips walking up and down the hall. I think this helped me to make my trip home uneventful. rnrnMy barium procedure, where we checked for leaks was very interesting. I could see the outline of my new stomach and my new bling that I can't show anyone. Drinking the barium and watching it go down ~~ Yay! rnNO leaksrnrnThe ONLY negative thing I have to say......rnI wish my bathroom would have had a better shower head. The water pressure was good at the sink but the shower was less than stellar. So if you plan on showering, make sure you request a room with a good working shower!!rnrnRemember, these are my experiences, to do your research and don't hesitate to choose Dr Alvarez!!rnrn

I could not have been happier with my choice of Dr. Alverez as my surgeon! My wife used him for her VSG and was very impressed. I was interested in the same surgery to help lessen the negative affects diabetes and some other issues were having on my life related to my weight. I really enjoyed having a surgeon that I could have a conversation with and not be talked at. From the moment I contacted his office I was treated in a warm and professional manner. When I chose Dr. Alverez I knew I was getting a highly competent doctor, I did not know that I was joining a family. From the moment Rosie picks you up and you meet the Doctor and the rest of his staff you know that you are being treated by people who care about you. All your questions will be answered, there will be no false expectations, and your aftercare will be laid out for you. The hospital is a safe, clean environment. Overall I would rate my experience above the care I have received in many facilities in the states. Also it has been just over a month since my operation and I have lost 50 pounds, and already seeing improvements with my diabetes, high blood pressure, and the sleep apnea is gone.