Guillermo Alvarez Bariatric Surgeon MD

My surgery was 9/17/2019. Dr. Alvarez, his medical team, and the Endobariatric facility were all amazing! If any of my friends or family are interested in the sleeve procedure in the future, Dr. A will be the surgeon I recommend. I sound a little redundant but "AMAZING" is the most appropriate word I can come up with for my experience at Endobariatrics under the care of Dr. Alvarez.

My life has and continues to change for the better, Thank You Dr. A!

JoAnne

Choosing Dr. Alvarez and the Endobariatric Clinic to perform my gastric sleeve was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Weight has been an obstacle in my life for the past 30 years and has stopped me from living the kind of life that I have wanted. After hearing about the experience a friend of mine had with Dr. A, I quickly decided to take control of my weight and my life and within 6 weeks had the procedure completed. Every aspect of this experience has more than exceeded my expectations. The pre-surgery materials were extremely helpful, the surgery and stay at the clinic was outstanding and the results post-surgery have changed my life. I have lost 87 lbs since having the surgery 5 months ago. I am way more active and able to participate in activities I was either scared to try or just physically couldn't and I see a lot more potential for the future. I would recommend Dr. Alvarez and his team to anyone who wants to take control of their weight goals! So far so good and I anticipate continued benefits in the future as my journey has just begun.

AWESOME comes to mind when I think of Dr. A and his team.. Love everything about the place and people that changed my life.

I can’t say enough wonderful things about Dr. Alvarez and his team. I experienced the best care and knowledge and the cleanest facility I have ever been in for any of my surgeries In the USA. Everyone was so generous, caring and kind. Dr. Alvarez and his team exceeded my expectations. I would recommend Dr. Alvarez for your gastric sleeve surgery. Hands-down the best surgeon ever! Mary B-WI

My wife is a NURSE and DID NOT WANT ME TO GO TO MEXICO!

Health care people have heard (and sometimes seen) patients who have had disastrous results so they extrapolate it to anything and everything (guess why we don't have a trampolines, motorcycles or Tide pods...) So I had to fight her on going but took her with when I was sleeved by Dr. Alvarez 10/10/19. She was ready to pounce on anything and everything they might do wrong. I thought that was kinda funny since I am worth more to her dead than alive alas, that's why I brought her.

Here are two observations from an American Nurse.
1. You can do a blood draw from an IV, thus only "sticking" a patient once instead of twice. (I did not know this)
2. In the US they use a double identifier when giving pain meds. (i.e they verbally ask your info, then they scan your wrist band as the second identifier and they don't do that here) I thought this was nit picky since all of us got the same pain killers but ok, point taken. If those were the only two egregious sins, I was in great hands!

Results?
My wife the nurse, who was so against going to Mexico just set an appointment to be sleeved by Dr. Alvarez on March 6th!

My advice.
To say that she was impressed is putting it mildly. The hospital is spotless, the Surgery Room is immaculate, and the surgery only lasts 25 minutes. Dr. A only does 4 surgeries a day (my wife was REALLY impressed with this fact) and he "rounds" every day with his 2 Jr. Dr's, the nurses AND the Anesthesiologist!

I was patient number 16,590. The dude knows his craft. I think my wife found out that the last patient to have complications was over 7 years ago.

I'm 10 weeks out and have lost 56 lbs.

If an American Nurse with unbelievably high standards is willing to have her own surgery done here, you know the reviews don't lie and the experience is Top Shelf.

Had surgery on September 16, 2019. This was one of the most positive things I had ever done. There was not one negative thing about this experience. Dr. Alvarez, and his staff were most nurturing. I had surgery on monday morning and Monday afternoon I was up and walking around. No pain - just a little tenderness. I followed all instruction pre and post surgery. Never had any problems. Started at 199 pounds - (5'3") and currently today (January 2, 2020) I am 145 and losing. Everyone notices and gives me great compliments. People always ask for the information concerning Dr. Alvarez which I have to distribute. I was in size 16 and currently in a "loose" size 8. This "tool" is remarkable and just what I needed. If anyone is thinking of this, please investigate and research Dr. Alvarez and his facility. It is the best!!!!

Dr. Alverez and his staff made me feel like I am a part of their family of paitients that have had this life changing procedure as it has been that for me. There is the cliche that, "A closed mouth does not get fed", and Dr. Alvarez made sure that we were nurtured and prepared to go on with our lives and take those baby steps to learn how to eat again but in a much healthier state then just eating and feeding our issues (that have nothing to do with hunger), but they just show up there with our food choices. I assume it is because we can control what we eat and we don't hurt others just ourselves in the long run. I would recommend Dr. Alvarez and his staff for the gratitude that I have for all of their support and hard work in helpimg me and others find a reason to be alive healthy with self care for chosing to get our weight back in a better place because we love ourselves enough to do it and without judgement. Namaste

After researching gastric sleeve surgeons, I chose Dr. A. I chose Dr. A because you can not find any bad reviews about him or his medical staff. I am so glad I chose Dr. A because you will not get the care anywhere else that you receive from Dr. A and his Endo team. Starting with Rosy, everyone we encountered was very professional and made you feel like family. My husband accompanied me to Mexico and he was taken care of as good as I was. I would recommend Dr. A to anyone looking to have gastric sleeve surgery, the facility is top notch and you would not find another doctor or staff that is so caring about their patients. Thank you Dr. A!!

Roller Coaster dieting my entire life, my world revolved around food. I once starved myself until my toenails fell off (in high school.) Still, I was not morbidly obese and could not be considered for surgery or programs via traditional US healthcare services in spite of the fact I could comfortably say I’ve failed every diet out there. At 30 BMI, I contacted Dr. A, filled out paperwork and he accepted me. I chickened out and a year later I’d gained/lost/gained more weight. I felt so badly about myself, I’d become almost a total recluse. After contacting Susan and getting the ????????, I was on a plane within a couple of weeks. I went alone but I never felt uncomfortable. In fact, I’ve NEVER felt better cared for anywhere. 24/7 I had a personal nurse at my disposal and several doctors including Dr. A checking on me.
My journey with weight loss has been mostly easy apart from some reflux and getting my brain to register the size difference of my stomach. In the beginning, I would forget to wait before drinking water after eating...Especially important for me, apparently. Certain foods, I am just beginning to be able to handle as well. Overall, I’ve never been happier with the decision, the doctor, the hospital and even the process.
If you are considering this surgery, don’t even bother with American hospitals and stupid insurance that requires you to continue to fail. Let Dr. Alvarez show you the compassion and skill you deserve. Love and good luck!

I had been thin for most of my life, but after I turned 40 I started gaining weight up to a point I was 168 lbs, with a 5' 3" frame. I was not morbidly obese, and my BMI was 29, so I was not really really fat, but I felt very bad with myself. It goes without saying that I tried every diet, every magic product, every device to lose weight and nothing worked. I was really frustrated and I felt very bad with myself. For years I avoided pictures taken of me.
I had heard about the vertical sleeve gastrectomy performed in Mexico through a friend and I looked it up. It was in Tijuana but they only allowed people with a BMI of 30 or more.
I tried it again and Dr. Alvarez website came up. There I had to fill out and application but also explain why I wanted the surgery. Even though my BMI was 29, Doctor Alvarez took his time to read through my application and consider it. When I got the approval for the surgery from him, I was beyond myself happy. It took me sometime to convince my husband that I was going to go to Piedras Negras, Mexico to have this surgery, but he finally was OK with it. I live in Arizona, I flew into San Antonio where I was picked up by Rosy, along other people, she drove us, we crossed the border uneventfully and we finally arrived to Dr. Alvarez's clinic, which was very impressive. The first night, that was a Sunday, we stayed at the hotel floor that is located at the clinic. I went by myself but all the other people went with someone. The hotel has accommodations for a companion and so do the hospital rooms. Next day, Monday, first thing in the morning we went down to have the pre-ops and then off to surgery. Everyone was super professional and kind. A young male nurse came and told me he was going to put something in my IV to relax me and I don't remember anything until I woke up in the post-surgery area. I felt perfectly fine. Dr. Alvarez called my husband to tell him everything went fine. All that day, Tuesday, I spent in the hospital room with an excellent 24 hours medical care. Dr. Alvarez and his medical staff came to visit and check on me several times. I was released on Wednesday. Rosy drove us back to San Antonio and I flew back to Arizona. I had to follow the post-surgery diet to "the T", and took the medicines Dr. Alvarez gave us for after the surgery, but I felt fine. Best thing is that I immediately started losing weight, which had not happened to me in a long time. The first week I lost 5.5 pounds and the 1st month I lost 15 pounds. 6 months later I lost 48.5 pounds and I could not be happier. I am now 119 pounds. I live in the US but I am from Mexico. My family and friends had not seen me since I had visited Mexico in June. I didn't tell anyone that I had done the surgery. I came to visit Mexico in December and everyone was incredible surprised with the way I looked. Everyone said that I look much younger and beautiful. I am incredibly happy with the results of the surgery and with how incredibly easy it was to lose all that weight that I had accumulated during more than 10 years. I just wish I had done the surgery earlier, but I am glad I did it all.
Dr. Alvarez is one of the best bariatric surgeons in the world. His clinic and his technology are state of the art and the fact that he is located in Piedras Negras, Mexico, a relatively small border town, shouldn't put you off. You would be lucky to be operated by Dr. Alvarez. He is not only the best surgeon you can meet, but he is also compassionate, easy going and down to the earth. His clinic, as I said before, has all the safety, security and advanced technology that any patient can wish for.
I was gladly surprised when I learned that Dr. Alvarez operates on kids 11 years old (I believe) and older. I think this is a great thing to do because many kids suffer a lot when they are overweight. This is another sign of his compassion, since not many surgeons dare to operate kids.
I highly recommend Dr. Alvarez. If you make the decision to have the vertical sleeve surgery, that decision will change your life for the best. Good luck!

Sincerely,

Claudia Salgado McDonald