Guillermo Alvarez Bariatric Surgeon MD

I did a lot of research in planning my weight loss surgery. I researched primarily lap band and gastric sleeve. I decided to go with the gastric sleeve due to the possible complications with the lap band. Once I decided on my surgery - I researched surgeons. I looked all over and decided upon Dr. Alvarez. From my first contact with him and his staff I knew I had made the right decision. I watched all the available you tube videos and not only felt prepared for the surgery but also like I knew the staff already. Everything was better than expected.

My first impression of Dr. Alvarez was that he was a genuine person and truly wanted to help me. He was caring and patient with all of our questions and I never felt rushed.

After surgery, the nursing staff and Dr. Alvarez all checked on me frequently. The care I recieved was actually better than care I have recieved in the US. The staff was attentive. The hospital environment was clean and safe.

Alot of my friends were hesitant when I told them I was going to Mexico for surgery but their fears were unfounded. The care I recieved was second to none.

I would recommend Dr. Alvarez to anyone who is looking for a caring and competent surgeon. Dr. Alvarez's care did not stop after I was discharged from the hospital. He and his staff have been available for all of my questions and they provide detailed instructions as well as access to you tube videos which explain all discharge meds and instructions again.

My friend, who just returned from Mexico after having the Gastric Sleeve suggested that I check out Dr. Alvarez's website on the internet. She was telling me what a wonderful experience she had with Dr. Alvarez and her Gastric Sleeve. I did just that and I e-mailed with many questions. My questions were answered immediately. I was so impressed with all the knowlege that Dr. Alvarez's and his staff had about the Gastric Sleeve. After discussing this information with my family I decided that I was going to have the Gastric Sleeve for ME! I contacted Susan and she got the ball rolling. All I did was get on a plane and head to Texas. Everything was so organized I could not believe it. Rosy picked us up and we headed to Eagle Pass, Texas. We had a nice hotel that she checked us in and then the next morning she picked us up and took us to Dr. Alvarez's office. OMG I was amazed by his kindness, knowledge, and information he gave to us. I have never been to a Dr that actually took you into his office and talked to you about the whole procedure in detail! His staff took us to the hospital which ajoins his office and got us checked into the room. BTW we had a suite in a private hospital! Not only did I have a bed, but my husband had a bed, couch, fridge, computer area and a large tile shower and access to a phone that all I had to do was pick up and dial the number I was calling and my family could call me anytime also. I could stay on the phone 5 minutes or an hour it did not matter. The nursing staff at the hospital helped take care of me but Dr. Alvarez has his own personal staff that stays with you the entire time. After my procedure. Dr. Alvarez, his assistance Dr. Gabe, and his staff was checking on me constant. Where I live if your are in the hospital you are lucky to get the nurse to visit with you much less see the Dr. more than once a day. Dr. Alvarez & Dr. Gab was checking on me every couple of hours besides the nurse being there. I have never had this kind of medical care in my entire life. I was up within 2 hours of my surgery and never sit back down. This has been the easiest thing I have ever done. Dr. Alvarez makes sure you are not in any pain. The next day same treatment you are up walking the halls and feeling great. Dr. Alvarez and his staff are right there to assist you in ANYTHING you may need. I was feeling so well that my husband wanted to go to eat and browse around in Mexico and Jessica,my nurse took him out and they got wonderful food and showed him some of the stores and walked all around the streets of Mexico.While they were out checking out scenery and food Dr. Alvarez came in to check on me. When I left the hospital we all took pictures and Dr.Alvarez came out to the parking lot to say good-bye and take pictures. Yes I said Dr. Alvarez! Amazing huh. How many Dr's you know can call you by your first name without looking at the chart? And I have Dr. Alvarez coming to the parking lot to say good-bye. Then Rosy takes us back to Texas and checks us into another nice hotel for the night waiting on our flight home. Crossing the border back and forth heck I didn't even know we were crossing it was so smooth. All we did was give Rosy our passports and she handled everything. The hospital was amazing and I can not begin to say enough about Dr. Alvarez and his staff. I am offically 4 weeks after surgery now and I have lost 36 lbs. Have stopped taking my Blood Pressure medication and honestly feel like a million bucks. This is the BEST thing I could have ever done for myself. Only regret I have is not having the Gastric Sleeve done by Dr. Alvarez years ago! He has changed my life. It is amazing. And yes Dr. Alvarez has e-mailed me weekly to check on me and it's not a standard letter that he sends out. He actually takes the time out of his busy schedule to send personal e-mails to his patients. He is a genuine person and a WONDERFUL Dr.

Being a RN in the states, I received a lot of "advise" from people regarding going to Dr. Alvarez in Mexico, but let me tell you....I would do it all over without hesitation. From the time I stepped off the plane in Texas, I was totally taken care of. When I met Dr. Alvarez, I had felt like I knew him forever. He is warm and compassionate and not rushed. He takes the time to find out what your concerns and questions are. I went on this jouney by myself and never once did I feel alone. He was so kind to call my husband back home and let him know the surgery went well and I was fine. Not once was I sorry about my decision. After surgery, Dr. Alvarez and his partner Dr. Rosales were in my room checking on me throughout the day. They answered all questions I had. His discharge teaching was fabulous. Even after getting home, I can speak or email Dr. Alverez anytime with concerns and he gets right back to me. I receive weekly emails from him and I keep him up to date with my progress. I thank Dr. Alvarez for giving the life I always wanted but was unable to do myself. If you are even thinking about surgery in Mexico, Dr. Alvarez is the doctor to go to. Believe me I researched this for 8 months and know I had the best of the best surgeons!

I wanted to post my thoughts on my sleeve surgery with Dr.Alvarez that I had the first part of October of this year. First of all I did much research about 2 years worth before I made my decision on the surgery and surgeon. My health insurance did not cover anything so I paid all out of pocket and it took me about 2 years to save to pay for it. I did all correspondses online with Susan his surgical coordinator. It was so easy. We flew into San Antonio Texas, got shuttled to the hotel airport and then picked up the next day by Rosie the driver. She was nice but very quiet, but that was ok, she didn't know me or my husband. We drove about 2 hours or so through Texas to get to the Mexican border town. I was nervous about crossing over into Mexico but it was nothing. Just showed our passports and that was it. We arrived at the Hospital and met with Dr.Alvarez and his assistant Dr.Gabe. They were very nice and asked if we had questions which I really didn't because I had read his reviews online and chatted about him on the Obesity help website so I felt very comfortable with him. We also met his assistant Jessica, she is such a sweet girl. I think about her from time to time. She really helped me and my husband out with the language thing since we don't speak Spanish. She got us anything we needed. We were escorted into the hospital room which was clean and spacious. The bathroom had been upgraded. The hospital itself was as I called it "vintage" but very clean and well staffed. the nurses came in and attempted to start my IV but couldn't get it, they also didn't wear gloves which I didn't like(I am allergic to latex) they did make a point of pouring alcohol on their hands at every attempt to start my IV. Eventually they gave up and called the anthestioligist in and he started it right away. The nurses came back in and told me they were going to give me dormant and that is all I remember until waking up in my room asking my husband if they were every going to take me in for surgery. He just laughed and said dear you already had it! I said no I did? yep you did. I couldn't believe how quick it was. Dr.Alvarez came in later that day to check on me as did Dr. Gabe. It seems like it all went so fast I don't remember much in the hospital but that Dr.Alvarez and Dr. Gabe came in to see me several times a day. I never had that kind of treatment after surgery in the states. Dr.Alvarez is a very kind and caring man. I would have surgery again with him in a heartbeat. I had minimal pain from the surgery but lots of gas pain. That seemed endless, it did go away after a couple of days at home. My incisions healed up very nicely with no issues. I have had episodes of buyers remorse and feeling sorry for myself but realize now that this is a new way of life for me and have wanted this for so long. It isn't easy by no means but if you do the plan and stay the course it will work. I am down 32 pounds now in about 6 weeks. I could of never done that on my own. Also if you have any question about anything with your new sleeve or surgery if you email Dr.Alvarez he is very prompt to get back with you which is something that also never happens in the states.I want to add that I have been a nurse for 17 years and have worked with many physicians and Dr. Alvarez is on the top of my list for wonderful bedside manner and competence!! If you are considering the sleeve just do it, all you have to fear is fear itself!!

I, like many of you reading this, did not originally plan to go to Mexico to have surgery. My journey started out with the knowledge that the path I was on was not helping me to be successful in losing weight and becoming healthy. I knew WLS was a good option for people like me, so I started tentatively looking into it.

Then, one late night I stumbled across a You Tube video of someone who had WLS called the Gastric Sleeve (VSG). I liked that it was a restrictive operation and not a malabsorbtive (did I spell that right?) one. I looked into surgeons here in my area (outside DC there are ALWAYS options) and checked into my insurance. The insurance is where I hit a road block. My insurance coverage was minimum, required numerous hoops to jump through (that were not covered), and was likely to not cover the VSG in particular. I could not afford to pay what amounts to 15-20K out of pocket for surgery in this area.

However the idea of having the surgery stuck in my head, so I continued to troll the internet and You Tube for videos of people who had the VSG done. In this process, a number of people had mentioned Dr. Alvarez, and I found his videos as well, offering some really helpful information on all kinds of topics about the surgery, as well as before and after. So I researched Dr. Alvarez in Mexico, and I liked his personality and his background and training. I talked to a number of former patients, and even did a background search on him. I was nothing if not complete in my research… and I honestly wonder if I would have done the same amount of research on a US doctor. What I found was expert training, excellent patient care, complete and continued subject knowledge and superior experience. Dr. Alvarez is conservative with his patient care and surgical techniques, all in an effort to create the absolute best outcome for his patients. The small hospital, though older and still being updated, was clean and the staff well trained. The location in Mexico was quiet, and really similar to other small towns around the US. His entire team was wonderful, from phone conversations with Susan, who worked with me and answered all of my questions, to Rosy his driver, his patient coordinators in the hospital who spoke English, everyone was wonderful. My hand was held the entire time, and though I had someone with me, I feel confident I could have done this on my own.

Going to Mexico is not without it's drawbacks. The biggest issue in all of this was finding aftercare in the US. However I found a nutritionist covered by my insurance, a support group for WLS patients, and my GP (who is familar with WLS patients) agreed to support my medical needs, should any arise. I advise anyone considering going to Mexico to set these things up IN ADVANCE, so you are not wondering what to do after the surgery. Many US bariatric surgeons will not support aftercare if you have the surgery done in another country.

Though I chose to go across the border because I am what amounted to a mostly self pay patient (in Mexico I can pay less than half of what it would cost me in the US just for out of pocket costs for the surgery), in the end it is less about cost, and more about the doctor you choose… and I felt confident that Dr. Alvarez was the best doctor I could have chosen. I had my surgery over a month ago, and I have had ZERO problems! Thanks Dr. A!

Dear Fellow or Prospective patients of Bariatric Surgery;
As a Physcian and a Current patient of Dr. Alvarez I was most most impressed with the Professionalism and Talents of this group.
They were organized, effecient and always there for any questions or problems that might arise with this surgery.
Intially, I was skeptical about going to Mexico but my fears were allyed by the prompt evaluation and answering of any questions and seeing all the modern technology . The Clinic reminded me of Hospitals in the 60"s with
nurses wearing caps and total silence in the Hospital. The operating room was equipped with the most up to date instrumentation. They all spoke English and if not Dr. Alvarez had an interperter available 24/7.
I had a excellent experience. I would me more than happy to answer any of your questions about my experience. I have never had a physcian round on me 3x a day, not because I to am a MD but his whole staff is efficent and competent. Usually I can have some Negative thing to say, not in this situation. I have the utmost confidence and will continue to recommend him and his staff and Clinic in Mexico as the proper place to go.
Thanks Dr, Marc A Feiner MD FACOG (Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynceology)
[email protected]

Just an update I am four months post op and I have lost 80 pounds...I have had ZERO issues and any questions that I have had Dr Alvarez and his Staff have been there to answer them. I tell everyone about my experience with Dr Alvarez and the VSG Surgery. I should have had it done years ago!

I had the surgery September 28th, Im 40 yrs old. I am a diabetic, high blood pressure, cholestorol, and I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis. My diabetic doctor told me to find some good insurance because I wouldn't be able to work again. so my wife had the surgery on April 17th with Dr Alvarez and she begged me to try it...she said she wasn't giving up because she believed the surgery would help me...So I made the appt and had the surgery as of Oct 28 (one month later) I had lost 26 lbs went down a size in my pants and I'm off all of my medicines. I was on 9 different prescriptions. I can't than Dr Alvarez and God enough. Dr Alvarez is an amazing doctor and the treatment that I rec'd was perfect. The nurses were great, I don't think Ive had that type of treatment in the United States. I would definately reccommend him to anyone. My wife and I have both had the surgery and we feel great. If you have any questions just let me know. Again Dr Alvarez is the BEST!

My experience with Dr. Alvarez has been the most wonderful and rewarding experience ever. I had my surgery a little over a year ago and I am down 130lbs. The trip was safe and the hospital staff were wonderful. My mom traveled with me and she was comfortable and impressed with the treatment I received. Dr. Alvarez and his staff are top notch and I recommend them to everyone I tell about my VSG procedure. I want to thank Dr. Alvarez and his staff again for changing my life and bringing out the me I always knew was there.

I fist heard of Doctor Alvarez through a friend who had had the surgery years before, I was intimidated by the fact that it was in Mexico and by the fact I would be so far from home and family if anything went wrong. However I knew I needed help and having had a friend go through the same process a few years prior I went for it.
Once I made my choice I was provided with a great amount of information about the surgery, about pre care, about post care and any possible risks. I was provided with pre diet information and tips about how to handle a pre liquid diet and knew exactly what I was getting into, there were no surprises.
I was given an itinerary and knew exactly what to expect I was also given contact information for my family to call to see how I was doing on the day of surgery (even though it wasn't needed as Doctor Alvarez personally called my family once I was out of surgery).
Doctor Alvarez's assistant was also available by phone or e-mail to answer any questions and being a patient of the Doctor herself she was very helpful and comforting. Susan (his assistant) personally called me through out my journey home and from time to time five months later still checks in.
My after care was monitored as well be Doctor Alvarez via e-mail or telephone I was sent diet instructions, lifting restrictions and tips and guidelines weekly and if I had questions he would personally call or e-mail me back very promptly. As much as I wanted to be successful in my journey he equally wanted that for me and set me up for that success, all the while informing me that my life would change and how to handle that change.
Living in Canada when in the hospital you may see your Doctor once or twice during your stay, Doctor Alvarez was in to see me three sometimes four times a day, and in between his visits his collegues would come see how I was doing. I was provided with an interpreter and if anything was needed it was available right away.
From the first time I e-mailed Susan, to meeting Rosie the driver of his shuttle van and then sitting across the desk from Doctor Alvarez and his colleagues I knew I made the right choice. I never once felt judged or looked down upon just supported and cared for. Now almost five month later, seventy pounds lighter and ten dress sizes smaller I would recommend him and his team to anyone I know. I am so thankful for these people coming into my life and the role they have played in my new healthy life.
Good Luck in you journey, Caroline C .