Guillermo Alvarez Bariatric Surgeon MD

My first impression of Dr. Alvarez was how friendly he was and what a clear English accent he has. He made us all feel very welcome and relaxed, and during the personal consult I felt that if I had 3 hours worth of questions to ask he would have sat there for 3 hours and answered them all to my satisfaction. rnrnHis office is very modern and beautiful. The hospital is old but very sanitary and well maintained. It reminds me of a cleaner version of a VA hospital. I love everyone on his staff, including the nurses that I couldn't understand a word of what they said. I didn't have any trouble with communication. They all seem to understand pain & nausea in English. And they are so efficient at checking in that it was almost too much:) Rosy is also an excellent tour guide. rnrnThere is nothing I don't like about Dr. Alvarez. I felt very calm and taken care of with him. He has a sweet, caring nature. It's almost as if he's a big brother trying to help his sibling get a better, healthy life. rnrnHe was very thorough with the aftercare instructions. What has impressed me the most is that he provided me with his personal email and phone number to contact him anytime I need to or just wish to update him. I've been gone from Mexico for 5 days and we've corresponded at least once a day just so he can stay informed with how I'm feeling, etc. rnrnOverall, on a scale of 1 to 10, he is off the chart. That is typically cliche, but it's the truth. I had a lot of fear before going to Mexico but as soon as I had my consult with him I knew I couldn't be in more capable hands than his. His surgical competence is outstanding, but his bedside manner can't be beat.rnrnOne other thing I'd like to mention is my husband's experience with Dr. A. My mother traveled with me as my husband is in the US Army stationed in Korea. I didn't talk to him for a day or so after surgery because I was so tired. When I finally did speak to him he mentioned Dr. Alvarez calling him. I didn't know what he meant, and he explained that while I was in recovery, Dr. A went to my room to tell my mother how I was doing. Then he called my husband so he could speak to him as well. That is my favorite thing about Dr. Alvarez. He has unending compassion for his patients and their families as well.

Dr. Alvarez is fantastic. The first time I met him all my jitters and nervousness about surgery went away! His office staff could not be anymore helpfull and or kind! They always jump to answer your questions and make sure you are fully prepared for whats to come next. I have yet to find anything about my experience to complain about. Dr. A and his staff even made the travel portion of my experience pleasant and stress free! rnrnDr. A covered all of the details so that I could understand them and covered all the concerns of my husbands as well. I would recommend him to anyone and have to many already! rnrnThe only thing I can say Ias a down side to my experience is that I wish I was able to see Dr. A for my after surgical care (band fills etc...). If he were closer I would rather have him care for me following surgery...but sense he is not his staff helped me find a very convenient alternate doctor. As I said before his staff has always been right there to help me with what ever I need!rnrnThere is no doubt in my mind that I made the right decision. Dr, Alvarez and his staff is one of the best things that has happened in my life!

Everyone treated me with the upmost respect and care during this BIG decision. If I needed anything or had a question about any step, then the staff was there to help. I highly recommend Dr. Guillermo Alvarez and his facility to help any family member or friend.

Ihad a Inamed band originally placed by Dr. Jose Rodriquez. Dr. Rod was a very good surgeon and I was very happy with my services. rnrnHowever, I went to a fill doctor here in the stated by the name of Dr. Maese and he got my band too tight causing me to throw up and damage my stomach.rnrnI went to Dr. ALVAREZ in Piedras Negras, Mexico for band revision on Monday, July 21, 2008. My neice had previsously had lap band with Dr. Alvarez. I was so impressed with Dr. Alvarez. His staff all speak english and were very professional. The hospital was as nice and well equipped as any I have been in here in the states. Dr. Alvarez was extremely accomodating as I drove to Mexico alone and needed to park my vehicle somewhere while in the hospital. He even asked me to e-mail him as soon as I got home to make sure I made it okay. My revision surgery went so well. I didn't even need to take any pain medication. rnrnI am so impressed and happy with Dr. Alvarez I would be honored to recommend him to anyone considering bariatric surgery.

7/5/08-Update!rnrnThanks to the \"A\" team, I was successfully sleeved. Dr. A was highly committed to making sure that my surgery be successful.rnrnAs a former lap bander, I had a tremendous amount of remaining scar tissue, which made the operation extra difficult. Dr. A is tremendously skillful and he dedicated additional time to remove the damaged tissue.rnrnThere are many people in the states who arernhesitant to have surgery outside the U.S. I understand; my family was uneasy when I first visited Dr. A in February. What I have discovered is that the U.S. may be familiar, but it doesn't guarantee that a doctor is competent, or kind, or committed to improving your life.rnrnMy biggest wish is that I could have Dr. A as my permanent Dr. He has set the bar for how to respect and partner with a patient!rnrnRating: scale of 1-10, a 20!rnrnrnrnrnrnrnrnrnrnrnrnrnrnrnrnYes, I know. rnrnAnother Dr. A fan. rnrnWords do not adequately describe my medical and personal experiences with Dr. A and his incredible team. As the daughter of a biochemist and a pharmacist, I am very astute from a medical perspective. I review the medical journals on a regular basis. I look for every possible scenario and study every possible outcome. A medical geek.rnrnDr. A and his team treated me as if I were the only person in the universe. God has truly gifted this Dr. with a rare mixture of surgical competence, compassion, charm, and love for others. I was afforded a level of dignity as a human being that NO OTHER MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL has ever offered me, in the U.S. and otherwise.rnrnI will return to get my sleeve with Dr. A on 7/5/08. I cannot wait to see mi familia again!rnrnrnrn

Extremely user-friendly for both patient & accompanying family member/friend.rnThe only down-side was that the private bathroom attached to the patient room was not air conditioned & prohibitively hot. All other aspects of the surgery & overall experience were faultless.

7/16/08 - I adore Dr. Alvarez - everything went so smoothly. He was so great to work with and Susan, the patient coordinator, made everything so easy from start to finish. Everyone associated with Dr. A - including Rosy, Alberto, Dr. Gabriel, Christina and all the nurses were wonderful.

I had VSG surgery with Dr. Alvarez on July 7, 2008. What an awesome experience. Dr. Alvarez and his staff are all very caring and attentive. The surgery itself was a breeze. I can't believe how good I have felt since the moment I woke up from surgery. Absolutely NO pain in the incision sites, no muscle pain and no nausea. His aftercare program is pretty straight forward and all spelled out for you. Any questions along the way and he has an awesome surgical coordinator an email away -- even weekends! His surgical competence and beside manner are exceptional. I would highly recommned Dr. Alvarez.

Dr. Alvarez is wonderful! He was very genuine and kind. The support staff (Rosy and Susan) were wonderful, as well. The anesthesiologist (Dr. Salinas, I think) was also an expert!!!rnrnDr. Alvarez has a great bedside manner, but he also made you feel quite confident in his skills. He met personally with you in his office prior to surgery and answered all of my questions. He showed me pictures and went through the process step by step. rnrn

My VSG surgery was June 24,2008. My first impression of Dr. Alvarez was good. He shook my hand, smiling, warm welcome. He was a great mixture of caring and professional. My impression of him did change over time. I could tell that Dr. A. loves what he does. Always asking how I felt and he took the time to listen if my answer got lengthy and cofusing. It is a difficult time when I was feeling confused and wondering what the heck I had just done, and I was feeling things in my body that I had never felt before. I have had doctors ask me questions and I could tell they were half listening or worse yet not even looking at me when I answered. Dr. A truly has his patients best interest at heart. He never made me feel like I was silly with my questions. His staff was wonderful too! They were very knowledgable about nutrition as well as general health questions about the procedure I had just had. They were not only caring for me during surgery, they were treating me like a friend. Dr. A and his staff prepared me with all the medicine and directions I would need for my after care. They had prepared a personlize box complete with all the medicine I would need, and it came with a sit down instruction class with Dr. A and his staff, I have known exacally what to do at home, it has been so reasuring! Dr A. did a great job making me aware of the \"not so fun\" details of the surgery. Risks are not easy to hear when you are looking surgery straight in the face, however Dr. A. and his staff had a way of giving the good and bad in way that is not upsetting but informative about the details you cannot ignore. I cannot give Dr. Alvarez a high enough rating.....he was excellent! I have made the comment to my family that Dr. Alvarez had never been obease,has probably never worried about if the chair at his childs choir concert will hold him...however he is the one who is changing lives of people who do have this worry everyday. He his truly making miricales happen in the lives of people who thought there was not hope for their life altering obesity. Just the squeez of my hand or the pat on the back is what takes Dr. Alvarez up and beyond the call of duty, him and his staff care about each patient and each life they have in their hands. He will always be my hero!!