Guillermo Alvarez Bariatric Surgeon MD

Dr. A
First things first.. Thank you for giving me back my life. To be totally honest I had a huge problem with the thought of weight lost surgery, it just was not a option, especially in a hospital in Mexico.
My wife did all the leg work on research and information we needed so if the experience went according to the text books I can not say, but what I can say is that it was the easiest procedure that I have ever had to endure. You and your staff are very professional and it show's, starting with the ride from San Antonio and back, your staff were in control and all I had to do was get comfortable and enjoy the ride.
I appreciate your devotion and desire to become and expert in your field because by doing so you have given me a chance to turn around the life that was literally slipping away from me.

I believe that your comment to me after the procedure that this decision "would save my life" is the most intense statement I have every heard.

I am your typical American man I never go to the doctor for anything my wife is my doctor. So having the VSG done is totally out of character... But if I would have known that I would feel this good and that I was that in that bad of shape, I would I have met you ten years ago. Tell your staff "Thank you for taking care of me and my wife". I would do it again without a doubt.

So if your a doubter like I was and you are telling yourself this is not for you.. Give it up!! this is exactly what the doctor ordered and Dr. A and his crew are some very special and talented people that will make you feel like you were at home.


Once again Thank You! I will never forget that you saved me from myself.


Wesley B.

Ps. My wife did not write this.. It is for real.

I chose to go to Dr. Alvarez because I was a self-pay patient, since my insurance has an exclusion for weight loss surgery. I was never terribly nervous about going to Mexico for the surgery, I guess since I had heard good reviews of the experience from people in my community and also OH members. Of course, I did my research. I didn't want to just go to Mexico to get a "bargain price" surgery. I mean, this is your body....you don't want to choose a doctor simply because he has the cheapest price. The number of successful surgeries Dr. Alvarez has performed made the decision for me. I could have had surgery here in Louisiana for just a couple thousand more, but do those doctors have as much experience as Dr. A?

Everything went smoothly, from the time we were picked up in San Antonio before surgery, to the time we were dropped off after surgery.

Rosy (his driver) is very nice. Taking a 2 hour trip with someone you've just met can be a little uncomfortable, but she is very friendly and I felt at ease right away.

Dr. Alvarez and Dr. Gabe, both, have great "bedside manners". I know that surgical skill is probably more important, but as a patient feeling vulnerable, you want to feel like your doctor(s) understand you and care how you're feeling.

Dr. A's day nurse (Cristina) and night nurse (Jessica) are available to you nearly around the clock. Both are a big help, should you need anything.

While all of Dr. A's staff speak English fluently, the nurses at the hospital do not. This was never a problem, though. They do know the words for the meds they're administering (i.e. pain, acid, nausea, etc.) and were on time, everytime, for all the medications. I NEVER had to call for anything.

The hospital is an older building, but very clean. It appears that the room I was in had been recently remodeled. It had a nice roomy tile shower (with a seat) and huge towels!

You're sent home with a bag that includes the meds you will need (pain & PPI), surgery report, receipt for taxes, his book and a few other goodies.

Last, but certainly not least, his patient coordinator Susan. We've never met, only spoke on the phone once, the rest of the time our correspondence has been by email. I feel like she is an old friend. She has patiently answered every single question I've had. I told her the other day that she is awesome, and she is! :)

Aftercare.....it's certainly not non-existant, although you should follow up with your PCP. BUT, Dr. A and Susan, both, are available should you have any questions. And believe me, I had questions. As an example, I started to develop blisters under the steri-strips that covered my incisions. Susan was very quick to respond to my emails and let me know that I had an allergy to the adhesive.

I honestly don't have any negatives to report. I would gladly recommend Dr. Alvarez and his staff to ANY family members or friends that were interested in weight loss surgery.

Dr. A!!!

Well today is Day 8! I start phase 2 tomorrow and I CANNOT WAIT!! I am doing very well. Today was my first day back to work and I did not have any problems. My energy levels are good. I did get a hunger pang and to be honest it scared me a little. The protein bullets and benefiber helps, A LOT!!!

I just wanted to take a few moments to tell you how much that I appreciated my time in Piedras Negras! I didn't get to see the town but I received something (or lost something rather ) that will be with me for the rest of my life. I know that I received a service in which I paid for, but THANK YOU for your passion and committment. You and Dr. Gab ROCK

#1 - Susan has been great . I was hoping to meet her, but found out that she works from her home in California (oh my!). She is always so friendly and helpful. She made our trip seamless! She was there to provide any and all info and answer all my silly questions... We had some funny email moments!!

#2 - Rosy - Our chaffeur - she was great, as well! We didn't talk a lot but when we did we laughed and carried on. She has a great personality and is an asset to your team. (Ask her about that pour plastic planter at the convenience store...)

#3 - Jessica Mangarro - What a true blessing this young lady was to me and to my husband. She truly went above and beyond. She does not need to be taken for granted. I hope that she is greatly rewarded as an outstanding member of your team. For someone, like myself, I speak very little spanish. She shadowed the nurses and was constantly communicating with Curtis and I telling us everything they were doing and would be doing. She is priceless. She accompanied Curtis to the cafeteria for lunch on Monday and then on Tuesday she accompanied he and another gentleman (his wife had VSG on Tuesday) to a restaurant and helped them navigate and talk to the locals. Curtis was so grateful - he would have NEVER be able to enjoy your city had she not been there to help him. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

#4 - Christina - This young lady is energetic and excited. She made me feel very comfortable.

Dr. A - I had a great experience and will recommend you to anyone that I can! Thanks for accepting my FB request. I hope that we will become great friends. I hope that someday you can meet my kiddos and that I will get to see you again - I didn't get to take my "before" picture with you. So hopefully I can see you again, someday and take an after picture.

Sincerely,
Sandra Williams

"Never regret something that once made you smile."

My surgery was Aug, 22, 2011, I have lost a total of 61 pounds since my journey began 1 month prior to surgery! I reserched this Doctor and the place a few months before I decided to do it.. I had several conversations with Susan the nurse/cordinator who helpped me plan everything and always answered any questions I had! Don't get me wrong I was scared to death of the surgery and going to Mexcico, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. Rosie picked my daughter and myself up and made us feel very comfortable on the ride from and too the airport, she answered questions we had and became a new friend.. We just fell in love with her! From the moment we met Dr. Alvarez and his staff we were treated like family, not patient/doctor, they went out of thier way to make sure we had everything we needed and were comfortable! Dr. Alvarez bedside manner is above any kind of treatment I have ever recieved here in the states! I went to sleep and woke up and surgery was done and I have had no pain and no side affects, I just eat far less than I used to and I am losing weight and happy and grateful I made the choice to have this done! I have nothing negitive to say about Dr. Alvarez or his staff or the Hospital in Mexcico, it was very clean by the way.... If you are thinking about doing this then I highly recomend Dr. Alvarez, he is so wonderful, he goes out of his way and really cares about you while your there and afterwards! I got a copy of his book and I wish I would have got it before surgery, very informative! Good Luck on your Journey

I am thrilled with my results. I had my surgery on the 15th of August 2011 with Dr. Alvarez in mexico it is now 8 weeks later and I have lost 39lbs so far! my overall experience was a very good one,I would highly recommend him! There is no problem crossing the border its very safe. I am a mother of a 7 year old and my mother traveled with me as my guest, I would never have gone if I wasn't 100% confident of our safety!!! right from the start everything was arranged for us, and all questions were answered without hesitation,or delay! the staff from Susan who coordinates your trip to Rosy their driver to nurses that tend to you, are all very professional. I am very happy that I had VSG and I truly LOVE my SLEEVE!!!
Thank-you Dr. Alvarez :)
Genny from Montreal,Canada

It took me over a year and a half of research before I selected a surgeon and decided to have the gastric sleeve performed. I am 100% certain that I chose the right doctor and procedure. Dr. Alavarez and his staff are amazing. From first contacting his office to post surgery questions they have been more than I could ever expect. So here is my experience from pre-op diet to 2 months post op:
I had to do a 7 day liquid diet prior to my surgery. I am not going to lie; day’s 1-3 sucked. But, by day 5 it was no big deal. I will admit there was a point for a few hours on day 3 were I thought about throwing the towel in, but thankfully I didn’t. This part of the whole process is as bad as it gets. It’s all uphill from there. On Monday, August 15, 2011, I arrived in Eagle Pass. I was met at a local hotel by Rosie (she is awesome). Within 10 minutes we were at Dr. Alvarez’s office in Mexico. I was very nervous, but after meeting Dr. Alvarez and his staff I felt at ease. After my consultation with Dr. A I was taken to have blood drawn, x-rays taken and meet the anesthesiologist. Afterwards I was taken to my private room the change and get ready for surgery. About an hour later I was given and IV and before I knew it I was waking up from surgery. As soon as I woke up I got up out of bed and walked up and down the hallway. I went back to bed and slept most of the rest of the day. Dr. A personally came and checked on me 6 times that day. The first night I was in and out of sleep but in no pain what so ever, I just felt a little groggy from the anesthesia and pain meds. The next morning I was awaken by Dr. A and his staff. Around noon we went and did my leak test. Everything was perfect. It was a trip to see in real time the fluid passing through my body down to my new, much smaller, stomach. After returning to my room, I was given ice chips to suck on. I would place a new ice chip in my mouth every 3 minutes like clockwork. I also walked the halls every hour on the hour. That evening I was allowed to start drinking water. It took me almost 2 hours to finish a 500ml bottle of Fiji which I brought from home. Sip…..wait 3 minutes and repeat. Dr. A came and said goodnight after checking on me personally that day several times. I was given something to sleep at about 9pm. The next thing I knew, it was 7am and time to wake up and drink my juice. I drank as much of the juice as I could that morning, but couldn’t finish it all. I was allowed to take a shower before my discharge. After I was showered and all packed up, Dr. A. came and met with me and another person who had the procedure done the same day as I did. He gave us our discharge instructions as well as personal contact numbers and emails. Dr. A’s staff helped us downstairs and loaded us on his van which was taking us back to Eagle Pass. The return took about 30 minutes because of customs. Once we arrived back in Eagle Pass I was met by friends who drove me back home to Houston. On my way back I sent Dr. A and email and he personally responded within minutes. I do not feel I would have received this kind of service in the states. Once I arrived home I got in bed and tried to drink as much water as possible before going to sleep. The next two days I stayed in bed as much as possible and took all of my medications. By Friday evening I had discontinued my pain medication and returned to work. The next month of post op diet was quite a change for me. I had no physical hunger what so ever. However as the time went by and I felt more comfortable with my sleeve I would get head hunger from time to time. This is all psychological. It takes time for your head to realize that you do not need to eat all the time. I am 2 months post op and have gone from 260 to 206. I have only 26 more pounds to go until I hit my goal of 180. This has been the best decision I have ever made. Here are some words of advice: follow the pre and post op diet and instructions. If you follow the instructions (like I have) you will be a rock star and this will be an easy process. I hydrate, eat as instructed to do so and work out a few times a week. If you select Dr. A, read his book. Everything in there is spot on!
Concerns about Mexico: The few people I told about going to Mexico for surgery were very concerned which is reason able. First, Piedras Negras is completely safe. I had no issues while I was there and felt safe and secure the whole trip. Second, the hospital is very clean and has a very competent and friendly staff. The hospital itself is an older building. It reminds me of an older government building in the states. Although the building is old, it is extremely clean and equipped with all the latest medical equipment. The rooms are nothing special, but they are clean and comfortable. My room had a nice hospital bed, futon couch, personal tv with cable and private bathroom.
Please take your time and do your research to find out which procedure is best for you and to select the right surgeon. For me it was the gastric sleeve and Dr. Guillermo Alvarez. I hope this helps you and I wish you the best of luck on your journey. It’s an amazing ride!

Hola, mi nombre es Pedro Rodríguez, tengo 36 años y me realice la operacion de Manga Gastrica. Ahora tengo casi 2 meses de operacion y mi peso es de 131.900 kg. cuando el dia 1 de Agosto antes de la dieta inicial estaba en 158.000 kg. Esta etapa que considero corta ha sido increible porque me han sucedido cambios maravillosos en la salud desde pequeños como dejar de roncar, tener sueño durante el dia, hasta los mas mas significativos como la normalizacion de la presion arterial. Todavia falta mucho, pero para el corto tiempo el avance me parece bastante, he bajado 2 tallas y eso me ha permitido mejorar la autoestima y las ganas de salir adelante.
Estare platicando lo que suceda en el tiempo venidero porque tengo la firme creencia que lo bueno apenas empieza !!

¡Hola! Tengo 26 años. Yo siempre fui muy feliz ya que el estar gordita nunca fue una preocupación para mi, pero dentro de mí había una frustración que yo no dejaba salir por que no aceptaba que estaba obesa. Solo pensaba que estaba un poco gordita. Yo era de las personas que nunca me subía a las basculas, hice miles de dietas, conocí muchisimos productos que dicen que te adelgazan con gotitas y chochitos pero te quitan la tortilla, el pan, el arroz y todo lo bueno de la vida.

Me recomendaron la cirugia de la manga gastrica, me decidí y fui con el Dr. Alvarez. Pesaba 87.2 Kg. y mi estatura es de 1.64 cm. Dejé de fumar y me dieron una dieta a base de liquidos, la cual respete.

Me opere el dia 16 de septiembre de 2011, al dia de hoy tengo un peso de 79.5 Kg, y solamente tengo 3 semanas de operada, estoy emocionada al ver los cambios que he tenido en estos dias ....

Mayra Núñez

I am a nurse and was very skeptical of having surgery in Mexico. I did lots of research on Dr.A and also had a friend who recommended him.I honestly could'nt find 1 negative thing about him. From the very beginning talking to Susan to gettting on plane to come home, everything went very well. Dr. A and his associates have the best bedside manners, not something I can say I see in the US. Either Dr.A or his associate came by atleast twice a day to visit. I was very pleased with how he and his colleagues handle themselves and the nurses as well. I felt very confident in the care that I recieved and would 100% recommend him.

I heard about Dr. Alvarez from a friend in my hometown. I discovered that there were several people in my local area that had used Dr. Alvarez and I asked their opinions as well. Not one had anything negative to say about their experience. This made me suspicious, of course, so I sought out more information to find the flaw which I knew had to exist. I found nothing negative about Dr. Alvarez and his staff.

I was self-pay so I scheduled my surgery and had it done on August 1, 2011. I must say I have never had a medical procedure that was so well organized and efficient. Nothing went amiss and I had very little discomfort.

One of the unique things I found about Dr. Alvarez is his personal involvement with his patients. He remembered every patient from my home town and even kept in touch with many of them since their surgeries. I never found him to "repeat" himself as if all of his information was rehearsed so I knew I wasn't just a name on a chart or the next one in line. I never felt the assembly line feeling you sometimes get with very busy physicians or practices.

While I was there, a patient next door to me had an emergency situation (a blood clot) that was dealt with very efficiently and quickly. She actually had the blood clot for several months but never had it treated, and Dr. Alvarez and his peers took care of her with such intensiveness. Her mother is a nurse and was with her. They were both convinced that if they had not used Dr. Alvarez that the results of the blood clot would have been fatal.

I had searched in both Memphis and Little Rock for a surgeon, but none had the amount of experience with the gastric sleeve that Dr. Alvarez had. I am so pleased with my choice and feel blessed to have found him. I would recommend him without reservation to anyone wanting to change their life with WLS.