Guillermo Alvarez Bariatric Surgeon MD

When I decided to go for weight loss surgery, I was a little apprehensive considering I was looking at travelling to Mexico from The Bahamas. However, I must say that I could not have asked for a better experience. Dr. Alvarez and his team are the best!! I traveled by myself to Mexico for the surgery. Dr. Alvarez was kind enough to call my friend back home to inform her that everything went great with the surgery and that I was in recovery.

I felt safe in Mexico and at the hospital. The hospital is 2 minutes away from the Mexican border and very comfortable. I definitely would recommend Dr. Alvarez and his team to everyone!!!

When I decided to go for weight loss surgery, I was a little apprehensive considering I was looking at travelling to Mexico from The Bahamas. However, I must say that I could not have asked for a better experience. Dr. Alvarez and his team are the best!! I traveled by myself to Mexico for the surgery. Dr. Alvarez was kind enough to call my friend back home to inform her that everything went great with the surgery and that I was in recovery.

I felt safe in Mexico and at the hospital. The hospital is 2 minutes away from the Mexican border and very comfortable. I definitely would recommend Dr. Alvarez and his team to everyone!!!

Review: VSG surgery by Dr. Guillermo Alvarez

Isn’t it nice to go to the doctor and not be rushed, be treated in a friendly manner like an individual, like you are somebody and not just another appointment to be hurried thru an overloaded schedule? As the daughter of a surgeon, I grew up with that as the norm and never had a thought that it would ever be any other way.

Well, about a year ago I had surgery on a deviated septum and turbinates. The doctor was nice enough in his office, which was directly across from the hospital. But, he NEVER checked in on me in the hospital after doing the surgery. He didn’t even come by to be the one to discharge me! I could only wonder if this was what our medical system has become!

That happened to be on a Friday and the pain meds that were supposed to have been called in to the pharmacy by his office were not waiting there so I needed to speak to the doctor’s office. I called to ask about that and if I could take the pain killers I had at home until the prescription got filled and my husband could stop by a second time after work to pick them up. The receptionist took a message, but no one ever called me back. I got in such trouble with pain that I was literally shaking all over and it was absolutely frightening! Over the weekend I needed to talk to the doctor, too, because I felt like I was having trouble breathing so I called the answering service and left him a message. Again, I never got a return call.

This experience was unbelievable to me. I just couldn’t even imagine such medical treatment! I have had lots of surgeries and have no fear about it. I go into it without doubts because, being from a medical family, the doctors were our family friends and who were mostly on the other end of the line anytime a call came into our home. And, when I had surgery as a child, all the doctors would come in to see me and say hi, so surgeries for me were fun!

Well, several months after that nightmare, a friend urged me to explore information on the web regarding sleeve surgery. She had been investigating the various gastro surgery options for about 11 years and, for the past year, had been jumping through the required hoops to get approved by her insurance company and that approval was imminent. But, she was morbidly obese and I was borderline, so I knew a year of hoop jumping would not get the same results for me.

I may not have been morbidly obese, but I was morbidly unhappy! You see, both of my parents are extremely critical people and have been unrelenting about my weight as long as I can remember. They were so focused on my weight that I thought it was the most important thing about me and it/I was unacceptable. I often felt I didn’t even have the right to exist because of it! Even my results on a Myers/Briggs test are completely different depending on my weight being high or low.


My girlfriend had watched me lose and gain the same 50 to 60 pounds over and over. She really really wanted for the two of us to go thru the sleeve experience together and pressed me to look into this surgery. I Googled it to learn more and watched youTubes… youTubes… and more youTubes! I was now on board but realized I would have to find another way to be able to afford it, so I began to look up surgeons outside of the US where the price would be less.

That was quite an uncomfortable thought for me. This was such a personal decision that I didn’t want to confer with any of my family about it. But, with Dad being a doctor, my brother being a doctor, three of his sons being doctors, my other brother being a Phd, this former singer/dancer/actress did not want to confirm any opinions of my lesser achievements by doing something idiotic or dangerous. Although prices in Mexico were so much less than in America and I was hopeful the surgery was within reach, my priority was not finding the cheapest surgeon possible but the best!

Thankfully, I came across youTube videos of Dr. Guillermo Alvarez—so informative, so without ego, so poised and genteel, so relaxed, so genuine… I even LOVED that his speech pattern was not overly polished and without natural repeats, stammers and pauses. As a director, I ask my actors to put those imperfections into their dialogue so it won’t sound stilted. Also, Dr. Alvarez’s hands caught my attention as being particularly graceful and I LOVED that he actually performed and narrated a sleeve surgery on youTube. This was one of those times when I had no doubt, this doctor, who had patients from all over the world, was someone I felt total confidence in and I was ready!

That confidence not only came from what I saw in Dr. Alvarez. His interface nurse, Susan, who answers all questions and books the surgeries, is nothing less than a GEM! Patient, understanding, thorough, engaged, responsive, fun—there just aren’t superlatives enough and I felt like I had known her my whole life. She was also empathetic as she had had her lap band surgery changed to a sleeve by Dr. Alvarez seven years prior and knew the struggle with weight herself.

I asked Susan if I could have referrals to contact— people who might be willing to talk to me about their experience with this surgery. She quickly sent me about 8 or 10 names. I contacted them and person after person I spoke to from across the country had so much energy and enthusiasm about it they were more than happy to share all they could with me explaining how it had change their lives. Some had had the surgery as much as 6 years prior and some only 2½ months. I asked every one of them if they had any regrets and, to the person, they all said their only regret was that they didn’t have it sooner!

I had total peace about moving forward. I booked my surgery and went to Mexico without my husband. I was fine and didn’t want to interrupt his work schedule or ask him to sit around while I had surgery and was recuperating and didn’t feel I needed the hand holding to be okay. So, it was most helpful to me if my husband would remain at home and look after our four Jack Russells instead of arranging for someone else to take care of them in his absence. Susan had assured me I was going to be so pleased at the care I would receive and would be absolutely fine going thru it alone. That meant I’d be travelling to and from Mexico on my own, even after having had surgery.

And, what a pleasant surgical experience it was. Such personal attention from the doctor, with no delays and waiting, no overly busy hospital staff rushing about unable to get to me when I needed them. Dr. Alvarez said my procedure took him 20 minutes and he called back home to Virginia immediately after he was done to let David know everything went great. Nurses and doctors were in to see me regularly and I was up and walking the hall myself every ½ hour as instructed. All of the meds had been carefully organized for me to take home with me and were clearly explained upon discharge. I felt great and two days after surgery was out shopping at the Walmart and the TJMaxx across the parking lot from the hotel in San Antonio where the good doctor’s patients stay before flying home!

This was not at all how my girlfriend’s surgery had gone in the States two weeks before I went for mine. She was scheduled for surgery at 10:30 in the morning and they didn’t take her until 3:30pm. Her surgery took 2½ hours, she was in lots of pain afterwards and was extremely nauseous. The nurses were offering her gingerale even though it was clearly written on the white board in her room that she could not have any, and they apparently did not know she needed to be up and walking. She was at the hospital for several days and had a rough time of it. She’s feeling a lot better now, though, especially after having lost 90+ pounds in just 6 months and is now looking fantastic! This is, indeed, a life changing procedure and we are both thrilled and thankful to have gone through with it!

It was three years ago when another friend divulged to me she had had this surgery and said, “RUN, DO NOT WALK” to get it done. I dismissed the idea as extreme at the time then proceeded on a several year gaining spree to my highest weight ever with no control in sight! I am now 5½ months out from surgery and have done my best to follow the protocol in order to get the most out of this incredible gift. The advantage I now have is that my consumption is now so limited whereas, before, I was a bottomless pit! And, if I get to protein and produce first, as prescribed, there just is NOT room for anything else.

I am almost 5’ tall, 64 years old and have lost 51 pounds! My goal was 60 pounds, nearly 1/3 of my body weight. But, already I’m back in my size 4 jeans and doing a lot of smiling. I recently told my mother what I had done and she couldn’t stop saying how proud she is of me, which couldn’t help but make me smile, too. But, one of my most smiley moments on this journey was receiving a thank-you note from Dr. Alvarez, one of the 9 best sleeve surgeons in the world, thanking little old me for being his patient. IT JUST DOESN’T GET ANY BETTER THAN THAT!

Review: VSG surgery by Dr. Guillermo Alvarez

Isn’t it nice to go to the doctor and not be rushed, be treated in a friendly manner like an individual, like you are somebody and not just another appointment to be hurried thru an overloaded schedule? As the daughter of a surgeon, I grew up with that as the norm and never had a thought that it would ever be any other way.

Well, about a year ago I had surgery on a deviated septum and turbinates. The doctor was nice enough in his office, which was directly across from the hospital. But, he NEVER checked in on me in the hospital after doing the surgery. He didn’t even come by to be the one to discharge me! I could only wonder if this was what our medical system has become!

That happened to be on a Friday and the pain meds that were supposed to have been called in to the pharmacy by his office were not waiting there so I needed to speak to the doctor’s office. I called to ask about that and if I could take the pain killers I had at home until the prescription got filled and my husband could stop by a second time after work to pick them up. The receptionist took a message, but no one ever called me back. I got in such trouble with pain that I was literally shaking all over and it was absolutely frightening! Over the weekend I needed to talk to the doctor, too, because I felt like I was having trouble breathing so I called the answering service and left him a message. Again, I never got a return call.

This experience was unbelievable to me. I just couldn’t even imagine such medical treatment! I have had lots of surgeries and have no fear about it. I go into it without doubts because, being from a medical family, the doctors were our family friends and who were mostly on the other end of the line anytime a call came into our home. And, when I had surgery as a child, all the doctors would come in to see me and say hi, so surgeries for me were fun!

Well, several months after that nightmare, a friend urged me to explore information on the web regarding sleeve surgery. She had been investigating the various gastro surgery options for about 11 years and, for the past year, had been jumping through the required hoops to get approved by her insurance company and that approval was imminent. But, she was morbidly obese and I was borderline, so I knew a year of hoop jumping would not get the same results for me.

I may not have been morbidly obese, but I was morbidly unhappy! You see, both of my parents are extremely critical people and have been unrelenting about my weight as long as I can remember. They were so focused on my weight that I thought it was the most important thing about me and it/I was unacceptable. I often felt I didn’t even have the right to exist because of it! Even my results on a Myers/Briggs test are completely different depending on my weight being high or low.


My girlfriend had watched me lose and gain the same 50 to 60 pounds over and over. She really really wanted for the two of us to go thru the sleeve experience together and pressed me to look into this surgery. I Googled it to learn more and watched youTubes… youTubes… and more youTubes! I was now on board but realized I would have to find another way to be able to afford it, so I began to look up surgeons outside of the US where the price would be less.

That was quite an uncomfortable thought for me. This was such a personal decision that I didn’t want to confer with any of my family about it. But, with Dad being a doctor, my brother being a doctor, three of his sons being doctors, my other brother being a Phd, this former singer/dancer/actress did not want to confirm any opinions of my lesser achievements by doing something idiotic or dangerous. Although prices in Mexico were so much less than in America and I was hopeful the surgery was within reach, my priority was not finding the cheapest surgeon possible but the best!

Thankfully, I came across youTube videos of Dr. Guillermo Alvarez—so informative, so without ego, so poised and genteel, so relaxed, so genuine… I even LOVED that his speech pattern was not overly polished and without natural repeats, stammers and pauses. As a director, I ask my actors to put those imperfections into their dialogue so it won’t sound stilted. Also, Dr. Alvarez’s hands caught my attention as being particularly graceful and I LOVED that he actually performed and narrated a sleeve surgery on youTube. This was one of those times when I had no doubt, this doctor, who had patients from all over the world, was someone I felt total confidence in and I was ready!

That confidence not only came from what I saw in Dr. Alvarez. His interface nurse, Susan, who answers all questions and books the surgeries, is nothing less than a GEM! Patient, understanding, thorough, engaged, responsive, fun—there just aren’t superlatives enough and I felt like I had known her my whole life. She was also empathetic as she had had her lap band surgery changed to a sleeve by Dr. Alvarez seven years prior and knew the struggle with weight herself.

I asked Susan if I could have referrals to contact— people who might be willing to talk to me about their experience with this surgery. She quickly sent me about 8 or 10 names. I contacted them and person after person I spoke to from across the country had so much energy and enthusiasm about it they were more than happy to share all they could with me explaining how it had change their lives. Some had had the surgery as much as 6 years prior and some only 2½ months. I asked every one of them if they had any regrets and, to the person, they all said their only regret was that they didn’t have it sooner!

I had total peace about moving forward. I booked my surgery and went to Mexico without my husband. I was fine and didn’t want to interrupt his work schedule or ask him to sit around while I had surgery and was recuperating and didn’t feel I needed the hand holding to be okay. So, it was most helpful to me if my husband would remain at home and look after our four Jack Russells instead of arranging for someone else to take care of them in his absence. Susan had assured me I was going to be so pleased at the care I would receive and would be absolutely fine going thru it alone. That meant I’d be travelling to and from Mexico on my own, even after having had surgery.

And, what a pleasant surgical experience it was. Such personal attention from the doctor, with no delays and waiting, no overly busy hospital staff rushing about unable to get to me when I needed them. Dr. Alvarez said my procedure took him 20 minutes and he called back home to Virginia immediately after he was done to let David know everything went great. Nurses and doctors were in to see me regularly and I was up and walking the hall myself every ½ hour as instructed. All of the meds had been carefully organized for me to take home with me and were clearly explained upon discharge. I felt great and two days after surgery was out shopping at the Walmart and the TJMaxx across the parking lot from the hotel in San Antonio where the good doctor’s patients stay before flying home!

This was not at all how my girlfriend’s surgery had gone in the States two weeks before I went for mine. She was scheduled for surgery at 10:30 in the morning and they didn’t take her until 3:30pm. Her surgery took 2½ hours, she was in lots of pain afterwards and was extremely nauseous. The nurses were offering her gingerale even though it was clearly written on the white board in her room that she could not have any, and they apparently did not know she needed to be up and walking. She was at the hospital for several days and had a rough time of it. She’s feeling a lot better now, though, especially after having lost 90+ pounds in just 6 months and is now looking fantastic! This is, indeed, a life changing procedure and we are both thrilled and thankful to have gone through with it!

It was three years ago when another friend divulged to me she had had this surgery and said, “RUN, DO NOT WALK” to get it done. I dismissed the idea as extreme at the time then proceeded on a several year gaining spree to my highest weight ever with no control in sight! I am now 5½ months out from surgery and have done my best to follow the protocol in order to get the most out of this incredible gift. The advantage I now have is that my consumption is now so limited whereas, before, I was a bottomless pit! And, if I get to protein and produce first, as prescribed, there just is NOT room for anything else.

I am almost 5’ tall, 64 years old and have lost 51 pounds! My goal was 60 pounds, nearly 1/3 of my body weight. But, already I’m back in my size 4 jeans and doing a lot of smiling. I recently told my mother what I had done and she couldn’t stop saying how proud she is of me, which couldn’t help but make me smile, too. But, one of my most smiley moments on this journey was receiving a thank-you note from Dr. Alvarez, one of the 9 best sleeve surgeons in the world, thanking little old me for being his patient. IT JUST DOESN’T GET ANY BETTER THAN THAT!

Review: VSG surgery by Dr. Guillermo Alvarez

Isn’t it nice to go to the doctor and not be rushed, be treated in a friendly manner like an individual, like you are somebody and not just another appointment to be hurried thru an overloaded schedule? As the daughter of a surgeon, I grew up with that as the norm and never had a thought that it would ever be any other way.

Well, about a year ago I had surgery on a deviated septum and turbinates. The doctor was nice enough in his office, which was directly across from the hospital. But, he NEVER checked in on me in the hospital after doing the surgery. He didn’t even come by to be the one to discharge me! I could only wonder if this was what our medical system has become!

That happened to be on a Friday and the pain meds that were supposed to have been called in to the pharmacy by his office were not waiting there so I needed to speak to the doctor’s office. I called to ask about that and if I could take the pain killers I had at home until the prescription got filled and my husband could stop by a second time after work to pick them up. The receptionist took a message, but no one ever called me back. I got in such trouble with pain that I was literally shaking all over and it was absolutely frightening! Over the weekend I needed to talk to the doctor, too, because I felt like I was having trouble breathing so I called the answering service and left him a message. Again, I never got a return call.

This experience was unbelievable to me. I just couldn’t even imagine such medical treatment! I have had lots of surgeries and have no fear about it. I go into it without doubts because, being from a medical family, the doctors were our family friends and who were mostly on the other end of the line anytime a call came into our home. And, when I had surgery as a child, all the doctors would come in to see me and say hi, so surgeries for me were fun!

Well, several months after that nightmare, a friend urged me to explore information on the web regarding sleeve surgery. She had been investigating the various gastro surgery options for about 11 years and, for the past year, had been jumping through the required hoops to get approved by her insurance company and that approval was imminent. But, she was morbidly obese and I was borderline, so I knew a year of hoop jumping would not get the same results for me.

I may not have been morbidly obese, but I was morbidly unhappy! You see, both of my parents are extremely critical people and have been unrelenting about my weight as long as I can remember. They were so focused on my weight that I thought it was the most important thing about me and it/I was unacceptable. I often felt I didn’t even have the right to exist because of it! Even my results on a Myers/Briggs test are completely different depending on my weight being high or low.


My girlfriend had watched me lose and gain the same 50 to 60 pounds over and over. She really really wanted for the two of us to go thru the sleeve experience together and pressed me to look into this surgery. I Googled it to learn more and watched youTubes… youTubes… and more youTubes! I was now on board but realized I would have to find another way to be able to afford it, so I began to look up surgeons outside of the US where the price would be less.

That was quite an uncomfortable thought for me. This was such a personal decision that I didn’t want to confer with any of my family about it. But, with Dad being a doctor, my brother being a doctor, three of his sons being doctors, my other brother being a Phd, this former singer/dancer/actress did not want to confirm any opinions of my lesser achievements by doing something idiotic or dangerous. Although prices in Mexico were so much less than in America and I was hopeful the surgery was within reach, my priority was not finding the cheapest surgeon possible but the best!

Thankfully, I came across youTube videos of Dr. Guillermo Alvarez—so informative, so without ego, so poised and genteel, so relaxed, so genuine… I even LOVED that his speech pattern was not overly polished and without natural repeats, stammers and pauses. As a director, I ask my actors to put those imperfections into their dialogue so it won’t sound stilted. Also, Dr. Alvarez’s hands caught my attention as being particularly graceful and I LOVED that he actually performed and narrated a sleeve surgery on youTube. This was one of those times when I had no doubt, this doctor, who had patients from all over the world, was someone I felt total confidence in and I was ready!

That confidence not only came from what I saw in Dr. Alvarez. His interface nurse, Susan, who answers all questions and books the surgeries, is nothing less than a GEM! Patient, understanding, thorough, engaged, responsive, fun—there just aren’t superlatives enough and I felt like I had known her my whole life. She was also empathetic as she had had her lap band surgery changed to a sleeve by Dr. Alvarez seven years prior and knew the struggle with weight herself.

I asked Susan if I could have referrals to contact— people who might be willing to talk to me about their experience with this surgery. She quickly sent me about 8 or 10 names. I contacted them and person after person I spoke to from across the country had so much energy and enthusiasm about it they were more than happy to share all they could with me explaining how it had change their lives. Some had had the surgery as much as 6 years prior and some only 2½ months. I asked every one of them if they had any regrets and, to the person, they all said their only regret was that they didn’t have it sooner!

I had total peace about moving forward. I booked my surgery and went to Mexico without my husband. I was fine and didn’t want to interrupt his work schedule or ask him to sit around while I had surgery and was recuperating and didn’t feel I needed the hand holding to be okay. So, it was most helpful to me if my husband would remain at home and look after our four Jack Russells instead of arranging for someone else to take care of them in his absence. Susan had assured me I was going to be so pleased at the care I would receive and would be absolutely fine going thru it alone. That meant I’d be travelling to and from Mexico on my own, even after having had surgery.

And, what a pleasant surgical experience it was. Such personal attention from the doctor, with no delays and waiting, no overly busy hospital staff rushing about unable to get to me when I needed them. Dr. Alvarez said my procedure took him 20 minutes and he called back home to Virginia immediately after he was done to let David know everything went great. Nurses and doctors were in to see me regularly and I was up and walking the hall myself every ½ hour as instructed. All of the meds had been carefully organized for me to take home with me and were clearly explained upon discharge. I felt great and two days after surgery was out shopping at the Walmart and the TJMaxx across the parking lot from the hotel in San Antonio where the good doctor’s patients stay before flying home!

This was not at all how my girlfriend’s surgery had gone in the States two weeks before I went for mine. She was scheduled for surgery at 10:30 in the morning and they didn’t take her until 3:30pm. Her surgery took 2½ hours, she was in lots of pain afterwards and was extremely nauseous. The nurses were offering her gingerale even though it was clearly written on the white board in her room that she could not have any, and they apparently did not know she needed to be up and walking. She was at the hospital for several days and had a rough time of it. She’s feeling a lot better now, though, especially after having lost 90+ pounds in just 6 months and is now looking fantastic! This is, indeed, a life changing procedure and we are both thrilled and thankful to have gone through with it!

It was three years ago when another friend divulged to me she had had this surgery and said, “RUN, DO NOT WALK” to get it done. I dismissed the idea as extreme at the time then proceeded on a several year gaining spree to my highest weight ever with no control in sight! I am now 5½ months out from surgery and have done my best to follow the protocol in order to get the most out of this incredible gift. The advantage I now have is that my consumption is now so limited whereas, before, I was a bottomless pit! And, if I get to protein and produce first, as prescribed, there just is NOT room for anything else.

I am almost 5’ tall, 64 years old and have lost 51 pounds! My goal was 60 pounds, nearly 1/3 of my body weight. But, already I’m back in my size 4 jeans and doing a lot of smiling. I recently told my mother what I had done and she couldn’t stop saying how proud she is of me, which couldn’t help but make me smile, too. But, one of my most smiley moments on this journey was receiving a thank-you note from Dr. Alvarez, one of the 9 best sleeve surgeons in the world, thanking little old me for being his patient. IT JUST DOESN’T GET ANY BETTER THAN THAT!

Review: VSG surgery by Dr. Guillermo Alvarez

Isn’t it nice to go to the doctor and not be rushed, be treated in a friendly manner like an individual, like you are somebody and not just another appointment to be hurried thru an overloaded schedule? As the daughter of a surgeon, I grew up with that as the norm and never had a thought that it would ever be any other way.

Well, about a year ago I had surgery on a deviated septum and turbinates. The doctor was nice enough in his office, which was directly across from the hospital. But, he NEVER checked in on me in the hospital after doing the surgery. He didn’t even come by to be the one to discharge me! I could only wonder if this was what our medical system has become!

That happened to be on a Friday and the pain meds that were supposed to have been called in to the pharmacy by his office were not waiting there so I needed to speak to the doctor’s office. I called to ask about that and if I could take the pain killers I had at home until the prescription got filled and my husband could stop by a second time after work to pick them up. The receptionist took a message, but no one ever called me back. I got in such trouble with pain that I was literally shaking all over and it was absolutely frightening! Over the weekend I needed to talk to the doctor, too, because I felt like I was having trouble breathing so I called the answering service and left him a message. Again, I never got a return call.

This experience was unbelievable to me. I just couldn’t even imagine such medical treatment! I have had lots of surgeries and have no fear about it. I go into it without doubts because, being from a medical family, the doctors were our family friends and who were mostly on the other end of the line anytime a call came into our home. And, when I had surgery as a child, all the doctors would come in to see me and say hi, so surgeries for me were fun!

Well, several months after that nightmare, a friend urged me to explore information on the web regarding sleeve surgery. She had been investigating the various gastro surgery options for about 11 years and, for the past year, had been jumping through the required hoops to get approved by her insurance company and that approval was imminent. But, she was morbidly obese and I was borderline, so I knew a year of hoop jumping would not get the same results for me.

I may not have been morbidly obese, but I was morbidly unhappy! You see, both of my parents are extremely critical people and have been unrelenting about my weight as long as I can remember. They were so focused on my weight that I thought it was the most important thing about me and it/I was unacceptable. I often felt I didn’t even have the right to exist because of it! Even my results on a Myers/Briggs test are completely different depending on my weight being high or low.


My girlfriend had watched me lose and gain the same 50 to 60 pounds over and over. She really really wanted for the two of us to go thru the sleeve experience together and pressed me to look into this surgery. I Googled it to learn more and watched youTubes… youTubes… and more youTubes! I was now on board but realized I would have to find another way to be able to afford it, so I began to look up surgeons outside of the US where the price would be less.

That was quite an uncomfortable thought for me. This was such a personal decision that I didn’t want to confer with any of my family about it. But, with Dad being a doctor, my brother being a doctor, three of his sons being doctors, my other brother being a Phd, this former singer/dancer/actress did not want to confirm any opinions of my lesser achievements by doing something idiotic or dangerous. Although prices in Mexico were so much less than in America and I was hopeful the surgery was within reach, my priority was not finding the cheapest surgeon possible but the best!

Thankfully, I came across youTube videos of Dr. Guillermo Alvarez—so informative, so without ego, so poised and genteel, so relaxed, so genuine… I even LOVED that his speech pattern was not overly polished and without natural repeats, stammers and pauses. As a director, I ask my actors to put those imperfections into their dialogue so it won’t sound stilted. Also, Dr. Alvarez’s hands caught my attention as being particularly graceful and I LOVED that he actually performed and narrated a sleeve surgery on youTube. This was one of those times when I had no doubt, this doctor, who had patients from all over the world, was someone I felt total confidence in and I was ready!

That confidence not only came from what I saw in Dr. Alvarez. His interface nurse, Susan, who answers all questions and books the surgeries, is nothing less than a GEM! Patient, understanding, thorough, engaged, responsive, fun—there just aren’t superlatives enough and I felt like I had known her my whole life. She was also empathetic as she had had her lap band surgery changed to a sleeve by Dr. Alvarez seven years prior and knew the struggle with weight herself.

I asked Susan if I could have referrals to contact— people who might be willing to talk to me about their experience with this surgery. She quickly sent me about 8 or 10 names. I contacted them and person after person I spoke to from across the country had so much energy and enthusiasm about it they were more than happy to share all they could with me explaining how it had change their lives. Some had had the surgery as much as 6 years prior and some only 2½ months. I asked every one of them if they had any regrets and, to the person, they all said their only regret was that they didn’t have it sooner!

I had total peace about moving forward. I booked my surgery and went to Mexico without my husband. I was fine and didn’t want to interrupt his work schedule or ask him to sit around while I had surgery and was recuperating and didn’t feel I needed the hand holding to be okay. So, it was most helpful to me if my husband would remain at home and look after our four Jack Russells instead of arranging for someone else to take care of them in his absence. Susan had assured me I was going to be so pleased at the care I would receive and would be absolutely fine going thru it alone. That meant I’d be travelling to and from Mexico on my own, even after having had surgery.

And, what a pleasant surgical experience it was. Such personal attention from the doctor, with no delays and waiting, no overly busy hospital staff rushing about unable to get to me when I needed them. Dr. Alvarez said my procedure took him 20 minutes and he called back home to Virginia immediately after he was done to let David know everything went great. Nurses and doctors were in to see me regularly and I was up and walking the hall myself every ½ hour as instructed. All of the meds had been carefully organized for me to take home with me and were clearly explained upon discharge. I felt great and two days after surgery was out shopping at the Walmart and the TJMaxx across the parking lot from the hotel in San Antonio where the good doctor’s patients stay before flying home!

This was not at all how my girlfriend’s surgery had gone in the States two weeks before I went for mine. She was scheduled for surgery at 10:30 in the morning and they didn’t take her until 3:30pm. Her surgery took 2½ hours, she was in lots of pain afterwards and was extremely nauseous. The nurses were offering her gingerale even though it was clearly written on the white board in her room that she could not have any, and they apparently did not know she needed to be up and walking. She was at the hospital for several days and had a rough time of it. She’s feeling a lot better now, though, especially after having lost 90+ pounds in just 6 months and is now looking fantastic! This is, indeed, a life changing procedure and we are both thrilled and thankful to have gone through with it!

It was three years ago when another friend divulged to me she had had this surgery and said, “RUN, DO NOT WALK” to get it done. I dismissed the idea as extreme at the time then proceeded on a several year gaining spree to my highest weight ever with no control in sight! I am now 5½ months out from surgery and have done my best to follow the protocol in order to get the most out of this incredible gift. The advantage I now have is that my consumption is now so limited whereas, before, I was a bottomless pit! And, if I get to protein and produce first, as prescribed, there just is NOT room for anything else.

I am almost 5’ tall, 64 years old and have lost 51 pounds! My goal was 60 pounds, nearly 1/3 of my body weight. But, already I’m back in my size 4 jeans and doing a lot of smiling. I recently told my mother what I had done and she couldn’t stop saying how proud she is of me, which couldn’t help but make me smile, too. But, one of my most smiley moments on this journey was receiving a thank-you note from Dr. Alvarez, one of the 9 best sleeve surgeons in the world, thanking little old me for being his patient. IT JUST DOESN’T GET ANY BETTER THAN THAT!

Review: VSG surgery by Dr. Guillermo Alvarez

Isn’t it nice to go to the doctor and not be rushed, be treated in a friendly manner like an individual, like you are somebody and not just another appointment to be hurried thru an overloaded schedule? As the daughter of a surgeon, I grew up with that as the norm and never had a thought that it would ever be any other way.

Well, about a year ago I had surgery on a deviated septum and turbinates. The doctor was nice enough in his office, which was directly across from the hospital. But, he NEVER checked in on me in the hospital after doing the surgery. He didn’t even come by to be the one to discharge me! I could only wonder if this was what our medical system has become!

That happened to be on a Friday and the pain meds that were supposed to have been called in to the pharmacy by his office were not waiting there so I needed to speak to the doctor’s office. I called to ask about that and if I could take the pain killers I had at home until the prescription got filled and my husband could stop by a second time after work to pick them up. The receptionist took a message, but no one ever called me back. I got in such trouble with pain that I was literally shaking all over and it was absolutely frightening! Over the weekend I needed to talk to the doctor, too, because I felt like I was having trouble breathing so I called the answering service and left him a message. Again, I never got a return call.

This experience was unbelievable to me. I just couldn’t even imagine such medical treatment! I have had lots of surgeries and have no fear about it. I go into it without doubts because, being from a medical family, the doctors were our family friends and who were mostly on the other end of the line anytime a call came into our home. And, when I had surgery as a child, all the doctors would come in to see me and say hi, so surgeries for me were fun!

Well, several months after that nightmare, a friend urged me to explore information on the web regarding sleeve surgery. She had been investigating the various gastro surgery options for about 11 years and, for the past year, had been jumping through the required hoops to get approved by her insurance company and that approval was imminent. But, she was morbidly obese and I was borderline, so I knew a year of hoop jumping would not get the same results for me.

I may not have been morbidly obese, but I was morbidly unhappy! You see, both of my parents are extremely critical people and have been unrelenting about my weight as long as I can remember. They were so focused on my weight that I thought it was the most important thing about me and it/I was unacceptable. I often felt I didn’t even have the right to exist because of it! Even my results on a Myers/Briggs test are completely different depending on my weight being high or low.


My girlfriend had watched me lose and gain the same 50 to 60 pounds over and over. She really really wanted for the two of us to go thru the sleeve experience together and pressed me to look into this surgery. I Googled it to learn more and watched youTubes… youTubes… and more youTubes! I was now on board but realized I would have to find another way to be able to afford it, so I began to look up surgeons outside of the US where the price would be less.

That was quite an uncomfortable thought for me. This was such a personal decision that I didn’t want to confer with any of my family about it. But, with Dad being a doctor, my brother being a doctor, three of his sons being doctors, my other brother being a Phd, this former singer/dancer/actress did not want to confirm any opinions of my lesser achievements by doing something idiotic or dangerous. Although prices in Mexico were so much less than in America and I was hopeful the surgery was within reach, my priority was not finding the cheapest surgeon possible but the best!

Thankfully, I came across youTube videos of Dr. Guillermo Alvarez—so informative, so without ego, so poised and genteel, so relaxed, so genuine… I even LOVED that his speech pattern was not overly polished and without natural repeats, stammers and pauses. As a director, I ask my actors to put those imperfections into their dialogue so it won’t sound stilted. Also, Dr. Alvarez’s hands caught my attention as being particularly graceful and I LOVED that he actually performed and narrated a sleeve surgery on youTube. This was one of those times when I had no doubt, this doctor, who had patients from all over the world, was someone I felt total confidence in and I was ready!

That confidence not only came from what I saw in Dr. Alvarez. His interface nurse, Susan, who answers all questions and books the surgeries, is nothing less than a GEM! Patient, understanding, thorough, engaged, responsive, fun—there just aren’t superlatives enough and I felt like I had known her my whole life. She was also empathetic as she had had her lap band surgery changed to a sleeve by Dr. Alvarez seven years prior and knew the struggle with weight herself.

I asked Susan if I could have referrals to contact— people who might be willing to talk to me about their experience with this surgery. She quickly sent me about 8 or 10 names. I contacted them and person after person I spoke to from across the country had so much energy and enthusiasm about it they were more than happy to share all they could with me explaining how it had change their lives. Some had had the surgery as much as 6 years prior and some only 2½ months. I asked every one of them if they had any regrets and, to the person, they all said their only regret was that they didn’t have it sooner!

I had total peace about moving forward. I booked my surgery and went to Mexico without my husband. I was fine and didn’t want to interrupt his work schedule or ask him to sit around while I had surgery and was recuperating and didn’t feel I needed the hand holding to be okay. So, it was most helpful to me if my husband would remain at home and look after our four Jack Russells instead of arranging for someone else to take care of them in his absence. Susan had assured me I was going to be so pleased at the care I would receive and would be absolutely fine going thru it alone. That meant I’d be travelling to and from Mexico on my own, even after having had surgery.

And, what a pleasant surgical experience it was. Such personal attention from the doctor, with no delays and waiting, no overly busy hospital staff rushing about unable to get to me when I needed them. Dr. Alvarez said my procedure took him 20 minutes and he called back home to Virginia immediately after he was done to let David know everything went great. Nurses and doctors were in to see me regularly and I was up and walking the hall myself every ½ hour as instructed. All of the meds had been carefully organized for me to take home with me and were clearly explained upon discharge. I felt great and two days after surgery was out shopping at the Walmart and the TJMaxx across the parking lot from the hotel in San Antonio where the good doctor’s patients stay before flying home!

This was not at all how my girlfriend’s surgery had gone in the States two weeks before I went for mine. She was scheduled for surgery at 10:30 in the morning and they didn’t take her until 3:30pm. Her surgery took 2½ hours, she was in lots of pain afterwards and was extremely nauseous. The nurses were offering her gingerale even though it was clearly written on the white board in her room that she could not have any, and they apparently did not know she needed to be up and walking. She was at the hospital for several days and had a rough time of it. She’s feeling a lot better now, though, especially after having lost 90+ pounds in just 6 months and is now looking fantastic! This is, indeed, a life changing procedure and we are both thrilled and thankful to have gone through with it!

It was three years ago when another friend divulged to me she had had this surgery and said, “RUN, DO NOT WALK” to get it done. I dismissed the idea as extreme at the time then proceeded on a several year gaining spree to my highest weight ever with no control in sight! I am now 5½ months out from surgery and have done my best to follow the protocol in order to get the most out of this incredible gift. The advantage I now have is that my consumption is now so limited whereas, before, I was a bottomless pit! And, if I get to protein and produce first, as prescribed, there just is NOT room for anything else.

I am almost 5’ tall, 64 years old and have lost 51 pounds! My goal was 60 pounds, nearly 1/3 of my body weight. But, already I’m back in my size 4 jeans and doing a lot of smiling. I recently told my mother what I had done and she couldn’t stop saying how proud she is of me, which couldn’t help but make me smile, too. But, one of my most smiley moments on this journey was receiving a thank-you note from Dr. Alvarez, one of the 9 best sleeve surgeons in the world, thanking little old me for being his patient. IT JUST DOESN’T GET ANY BETTER THAN THAT!