Guillermo Alvarez Bariatric Surgeon MD

I had my surgery with Dr. Alvarez on November 7, 2013. I am a nurse so I had done my research. From my first contact with Susan to being dropped back off in San Antonio with Rosie, the experience more than exceeded all my expectations. The packet that Susan sent was invaluable. It tells you EVERYTHING that will happen step by step and it was right on the money. On the day of the surgery, there were 3 of us scheduled. We were picked up by Rosie and taken across the border (literally 2 miles) to Dr. Alvarez' office. We each met with him privately, weighted and did a photo, then had a chest X-ray and labs and were put in our private rooms. Let me say that the hospital is small and dated but CLEAN and I MEAN CLEAN. Believe me I was looking and you could EAT off the floors. I was last because I wanted to observe the flow of things. About an hour after the first gentleman went Dr. Alvarez came and spoke to the family letting them know all went well. Then the next lady went and the same thing. Then it was my turn, I was put onto the stretcher and as I was being rolled into the OR I was given a little sedation and that was it. Next thing I know, I was back in my bed in my room and it was over. My husband told me Dr. Alvarez told him I did fine but had a hiatal hernia that required repair so he did it. I was up within 2h to the restroom and walking around in my room that evening. The nurses gave all the appropriate meds for pain, nausea on time without asking. The next day was spent walking and taking ice chips. We were allowed to walk outside and it was lovely weather. During the surgery day, I saw Dr. Alvarez twice in the evening and Dr. Rosales, his associate twice as well. The next day, again both came by numerous times to check on me. That evening I was given discharge instructions and a packet with my receipt of payment for tax purposes and a copy of my operative report to give my physician's back home. Also included was a nice pillow for the ride home and a card to use at restaurants that asked that you are allowed to order a small portion because of your surgery. I have already used this although I confess I never thought I would. (of course the waitress wanted to know all about my surgery as she herself was quite obese) The discharge was the next morning and we were on our way back to San Antonio.

If I had to pinpoint one outstanding thing about the experience, I think it would be the kindness and compassion of all the people I came in contact with in Mexico. As an American, I know there is a lot judgment about WLS and as a nurse I know the general opinion is that it's viewed as "cheating or taking the easy way out". I never felt judged while I was in Mexico. From Rosie our driver, Susan the surgery coordinator, all the staff nurses and Dr. Alvarez and Dr. Rosales......NO ONE made me feel "guilty" that I couldn't loose the weight. Instead I felt that everyone there was encouraging me on my journey to obtain my weight loss goal. I will be forever grateful for the respect and dignity that was shown to me while under the care of these people.

Someone in the previous reviewed said it and it is true....DO NOT be taken in by the cheaper bargains in Mexico. Dr. Alvarez IS THE ONE hands down for WLS in Mexico. I am still in contact with Dr. Alvarez. I have had a few questions and all I have to do is email him and he answers me quickly. I have received 3 emails from him regarding my diet stages and even got an email from Susan following up with me to be sure I was doing well. It's not just.....do the surgery and that's it. I believe Dr. Alvarez genuinely cares about your follow up and success. His post op complication rates are well below US standards AND they are posted on his website for all to view. That data would be more than enough to choose him. If you are considering WLS please check out Endobariatrics and Dr. Guillermo Alvarez.

Dr. Alvarez is an Amazing person and a great doctor! His entire staff was extremely attentive and polite, great experience, On November 4, 2013, I had the Gastric Sleeve procedure with Dr. Alvarez, and it has been an amazing journey. As of today, December 2, 2013, I have lost 30lbs, and feel great. I did a lot of research prior to my surgery, and found that Dr. Alvarez was highly recommended by many patients, including on of my close friends. Like most, my only reservation at the time was having the surgery in Mexico. Everything worked out perfect, from pick up at the hotel in Eagle Pass, to a short drive to Dr. Alvarez' office and hospital, it was flawless! Rosie, Dr. Alvarez' driver was great, crossing the border was a breeze and before I knew it, I was in Dr. Alvarez' office and greeted by Dr. A, and staff as soon as I walked in. Amazing experience! Thank you Dr. Alvarez!

I had the Gastric sleeve procedure done October 17, 2013 by Dr. Guillermo Alvarez. I have lost 24 lbs. in one month. From the moment we met his driver that picked us up at the hotel in San Antonio, I was amazed at the friendly, courteous and organized professionalism of his entire staff. Every step along the way, we were the center of their attention. Both Dr. Alvarez and his partner came and checked on me several times a day while in the hospital. An interpreter was provided for us to make sure we got the attention and answers to any questions. They even saw to my husbands needs as he accompanied me on the trip.
I highly recommend Dr. Alvarez to anyone considering the Gastric sleeve procedure. Any apprehensions we had about having this procedure done outside the United States was completely erased shortly into our trip. I have never received that much attention during a hospital stay here in the states. And the attention still hasn't stopped since we got home. I hear from Dr. Alvarez often. Every time I need to ask him a question he responds quickly to my emails.
My only regret is that I didn't have this procedure done sooner.

Hello everyone, I am a patient of Dr. Alvarez and I just had my VSG surgery October 12, 2013. I don't have enough words to describe my wonderful journey and the experience I had in Piedra Negras, Mexico. It was great! From the first time my husband and I arrived in San Antonio, Texas and through all the journey coming back. Dr. Alvarez and his staff are professionals and they really care about their patients. They explain everything and they make your stay there unforgettable. What can I say? If you follow the book that you receive from Dr. Alvarez you will have no complications and no pain whatsoever. The liquid diet is very important and gives enough time to your body to heal. I have lost 28 pounds in 5 weeks and I am very excited. My clothes fit well and I receive a lot of compliments already. The only regret I have is that I did not do this sooner. I definitely recommend this to everyone interested in changing their life!

I had the Gastric sleeve done in June of 2013 by Dr. Guillermo Alvarez. I loved him from the start, him and his staff were amazing. I was took better care of with them then I have been in the U.S. hospitals. They are always there to make sure you are okay and everything is being took care of. I would tell anyone that is questioning to go to him to go. This is something that I would not think twice about doing again. He sends you home with everything you needs and keeps up with you after your back home. I have e-mailed him and I always get a e-mail back. Overall I would give him and his staff a 10 :)

My fiance and I went to Dr Alvarez for our VSG surgery and are very pleased with our decision. I first contacted his office via email. Susan was very prompt in responding to the email & provided answers to all of our questions. Susan was great walking us through each step required to get us to surgery date.

We flew to San Antonio a day before required & relaxed at La Quinta Inn (the post-op hotel). Our room was very nice & comfortable. The next day Rosy picked us & took us to Eagle Pass. Rosy was very friendly & professional. For those of you who are back seat drivers, sit back & relax; she's an excellent driver & drives the speed limit. She got us over the border both times without any hassles.
On Monday morning when Rosy took us to the hospital, we were greeted at the door by Dr. Alvarez. He made us feel comfortable with his kind & sincere approach. We went into his office and reviewed our health histories with him. His associate Dr Garza weighed us and took our pre-op picture. Dr. Garza then took us to our hospital room to drop off our bags and then to get our chest X-ray & pre-op blood work. After that we went back to our rooms to change into the hospital gowns and off to surgery we went.
Dr. Alvarez is very skilled and I would not hesitate to recommend him to anyone wanting to have VSG. I'm an operating room nurse, my insurance pays for this surgery, but I still chose to go to Mexico to have Dr Alvarez perform our surgeries. I'm impressed with his low complication rates and the number of bariatric surgeries he's performed. I know if we had our surgeries at that hospital I work at, we would have been on the OR table a minimum of two hours. My surgery took 25 minutes and my fiance's was around 35 minutes. Our incisions look like a plastic surgeon closed them. We have had no complications & our recovery has been very routine.
We are also impressed by the number of times Dr Alvarez and his associate physicians checked in on us. That doesn't happen in the U.S. The evening before we got discharged we were shown aftercare videos and were able to ask any questions we had. We got folders with all our surgery information in it, Rx pain meds and an acid reduction med. We got a copy of Dr. Alvarez's book.
Dr Alvarez emails us prior to the start of each diet phase change. We are able to contact him with any questions we have.

The hospital is not new & modern so if that's what is important to you, you'll be disappointed. However, it's clean, quiet, & staffed with nurses who are there for your needs and not to do required paperwork. If we needed pain medication, they came right back with it. We never had to wait.
I found it funny that as patients we didn't have any patient ID bands or anything that designated us as patients (except our hospital gowns and our slow walking in the halls). Most of the nurses don't speak English, but it really was not much of an issue. It gave us a chance to brush up on our rusty Spanish.
Dr. Alvarez has a young lady named Andrea on his staff. She came to check on us a couple of times. She speaks fluent English and is very sweet. She offered to go out to get my mom something for dinner.
Dr. Alvarez really has a great group of people on staff. It was a pleasure meeting all of them. We actually plan on going down just to visit at some point.

Good luck to everyone getting or considering surgery. You can't go wrong with choosing Dr. Alvarez as your VSG surgeon. He's fantastic.

It was unbelievable how organized they were , how quickly everything went and how wonderful everyone was from Rosie the driver to all the Nurses. Dr Alvarez was amazing as were the other drs that assisted him. They made sure I was comfortable the entire time . They don't mess around and make you wait for anything . I arrived and spoke with dr Alvarez and immediately had my blood work and X-rays done and surgery immediately after that! It was all so quick! Dr Alvarez and Susan have answered every email I have made to them so quickly and made my post surgery time so much better! They are all amazing and I would and have recommended Dr Alvarez to everyone.

Great Experience with no complications. The office and medical staff did a great job and Dr. Alvarez goes above and beyond with his care. My wife was with me and the staff escorted her to local restaurants. The area is safe and the people are very pleasant. I would highly recommend Dr. Alvarez!

I felt very comfortable and safe the entire time I left San Antonio with Rosie until I was released 2 days later to drive home. Dr Alvarez and his staff were very kind and professional- the rooms were clean and comfortable. I'm a nurse, so I checked it all out! I have nothing negative to say. Susan has answered every email (and they are many!) in a timely manner and has been so kind and helpful as she is a VSG patient herself. I would recommend Dr. Alvarez to my loved ones, I have that much confidence in him. I have had minimal pain - I awoke from surgery and had none! My tiny incisions have healed beautifully and I'm feeling great! If you have any doubts or fears, I can say from experience that going to Piedras Negras, Mexico to have Dr. Guillermo Alvarez perform Bariatric surgery is very safe and a great experience!!! Can't say enough about how great it was!!!

I can understand the hesitation of going out of country for VSG surgery because of preconceived or unfounded notions. My experience with Dr. Guillermo Alvarez has been astonishing and so unlike my experiences with physicians and surgeons stateside.

First, the personal contact with Dr. Alvarez's staff from my initial inquiry has been amazing, consistent, personable and highly informative. The incredible patient education via You-Tube made all the difference for me and elevated my comfort level. His personal Q&A as well as the testimony of his patients put all my fears at ease. His attentive care for you is reflected in every detail of your encounter from the moment you are picked up at the hotel to the moment you are returned following surgery and recovery.

The morning of surgery was very tranquil with meeting and conferring with Dr. Alvarez as soon as we arrived at the medical center, his staff assistants were very friendly, respectful and informative with any questions or concerns. Lab work and ex-ray were done with great skill and promptness, no waiting. The rooms are immaculate and comfortable.

Having both Dr. Alavarez and Dr. Rosales visit several times following surgery and the following day was a bonus as I experienced their sincere concern and availability to me as their patient. The nursing staff is optimal and compassionately attentive, making sure that I was comfortable and in no pain.

The discharge patient education was excellent and a real confidence-builder as I felt better equipped to continue my journey to good health and well-being with my new tool: a gastric sleeve. Dr. Alvarez's post-op follow-up has been very good and always encouraging.

Today is the fourth week since my surgery, I have lost 35 lbs. since surgery for a total of 108 lbs. since the pre-op diet. I can't argue with success! So, I wholeheartedly recommend and encourage anyone who has been struggling with obesity, particularly morbid obesity (as myself) to seek out and trust Dr. Guillermo Alvarez. You shall not regret it and be grateful to yourself for finally taking that step to your own wellness and optimal health with the aid of the skill and talent of Dr. Alvarez and his entire staff. Thank you, Dr. Alvarez!