Guillermo Alvarez Bariatric Surgeon MD

Hi! Just wanted to give you some advice if you are researching and wanting to have the Gastric Sleeve procedure. I had my procedure on March 9, 2013. It has been 3 weeks and I have already lost 40 pounds! I feel great!!
I would highly recommend Dr.Alvarez to anyone seeking to have the procedure. My experience with Dr.Alvarez and his staff has been, by far, the best medical experience I have had.
Dr.Alvarez gives you all the information that you need and answers any questions that you may have. I was fully informed of the procedure and what the expect, before I had it done.
Being that Dr.Alvarez is in Mexico, some people are scared or skeptical about it. It is completely safe. The hotel stay in Eagle Pass is safe as well. Crossing back and forth to Mexico was easy and pleasant. Dr.Alvarez has a charter van, his personal driver, pick you up and take you back to Eagle Pass when you are discharged. The medical staff in Mexico are the sweetest and caring people.
After the procedure, Dr.Alvarez will personally send you emails and stays in touch, so you are able to ask him questions or address any concerns you have. I appreciate having a doctor that I can personally communicate with!!
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND DR.ALVAREZ TO ANYONE SEEKING TO HAVE WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY!!
Good Luck and I wish you the best!!!

My overall experience was very positive. Everything went smoothly and I am now in my fourth week post-op. I would recommend Dr. Alvarez and his team to anyone seeking weight loss surgery because they are very attentive,answer all your questions and concerns both before surgery and after, and are highly qualified.

I had my sleeve done by Dr. G. Alvarez in Nov 2012. I know I should have written this a while ago, but life catches up with you. But I am doing this now.
Dr. Alvarez is the most wonderful Doctor you will ever meet. I picked him for various reasons, but I guess it was just how nice he seemed to be on his YouTube videos. He actually cares about his patients and how they are doing. From first contact until I arrived in Piedras Negros for my surgery, everyone was great. The hardest part was waiting for my surgery day to arrive.
I know the thought of having surgery in a foreign country is a daunting thing, but with Dr. Alvarez and his staff, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. They are all wonderful and professional and put you at ease from the moment you meet them. As a Respiratory Therapist of over 20 years experience, I know the healthcare system inside and out. Believe me when I tell you that you have nothing to fear having Dr. Alvarez as your surgeon. Kind, compassionate, professional and above all , caring. I have never met such a caring. professional Doctor as him, and I have met a lot of doctors over the years. The staff in the hospital are great. Even though most of them speak Spanish, (and I don't) Dr. Alvarez has assistants in the hospital all the time to interpret, should you need it. The hospital is clean and nice. And the staff are great. All in all, I can recommend them to you.
Just make sure you follow the pre-op and post-op diets. This is something you have to do. Yes, it is boring but you do it because it will help you. And that is the reason you are doing this, right!?!? Exactly!!
So, if you are thinking about doing this, just sign up and get it done. You will never regret it.

Take care. David

I highly recommend having the VSG surgery with Dr. Alvarez. I know it’s in Mexico and it’s scary, but I think the professionalism and the amount of experience that Dr. Alvarez surpasses most surgeons in the US. I did some research and no one around where I lived (around NYC area) has been performing VSG for the past 8 years and done close to 4,000 surgeries. Below are some other important factors why I chose Dr. Alvarez.

• Dr. Alvarez only does 2 to 3 surgeries a day. He doesn’t overwhelm himself with too many patients. This means he’s well rested to provide full attention to my surgery.

• I’ve read and you tubed many reviews and many are for Dr. Alvarez. And the amazing thing is that every review always states that Dr. Alvarez and his team is excellent. After getting the surgery, I also agree with the rest of the reviews.

• I know it’s also scary not to have the surgeon around to do post checkup. However, after getting the surgery, I just have to follow the diet plan and I’m fine. I even cheated on my diet plan at times and causing my stomach to stretch/hurt a bit… but it’s nothing serious that I have to go to a doctor. I figure if there were emergency, I know I can just step into the hospital emergency room and I’m sure the hospital will find someone to help me.

• Many US doctors does other type of surgeries like the band and bypass. This dilutes the doctors experience in doing the VSG procedure. Out of the close to 4,000 procedures that Dr. Alvarez did, only about 10 leaks and no deaths. This statistics is much better than the US doctors.

• I’m sure many of you that will go with Dr. Alvarez are busy professionals or business owners (I’m one too) and I know I didn’t want to bother with hassle (pre-checkup, visiting doctor multiple times, coordinate with health insurance, etc). For Dr. Alvarez, I only paid the fee and having to find my own air fair. Then I don’t have to worry about the rest. Dr. Alvarez’s team takes care of the rest.

BTW, after you’re discharged, you’ll be in the hotel around the San Antonio airport by noon with the rest of day doing nothing. I actually grabbed a cab and went to downtown San Antonio. I highly recommend giving a call to Andy (210.364.1939) asking Andy for the cab ride. The cab ride is normal charge like any other cab, but Andy is very courteous and most importantly, on time.

Jerry

I had my VSG procedure on 2-14-13. I had a wonderful experience, and I would not hesitate to do it again. Dr. Alvarez and his associate, Dr. Rosales, were extremely kind, compassionate, and very professional. I was very well taken care of by Dr. Alvarez and his entire team of doctors, nurses and staff. Jessica was very sweet and helpful, and Susan, the patient coordinator, helped me with every single step of the way. I still contact her if I have any more questions.

Dr. Alvarez's bedside manner is unlike that of any doctor I have ever experienced here in the US. He never makes you feel like he's in a rush or preoccupied--when he is with you, he is focused on you, and only you. US doctors could learn from his standards of patient care.

Regarding being in Mexico...My husband and I never felt unsafe or threatened while we were there, as a matter of fact, my husband walked around the neighborhoods to get dinner on both nights we were there.

If you are seriously thinking about VSG, and don't want to pay the price of a new car for it, I encourage you to contact Susan, and get more information. Dr. Alvarez is awesome--you will see!

Dr. Alvarez and his staff are the best. The Hospital is excellent and the staff are very professional and knowledgeable. Going to Dr. Alvarez for my Gastric Sleeve was the best decision I've made. I highly recommend him.

Hi my name is Kathy I have struggled with my weight my entire life I am 26 years old and decided to go and get the gastric sleeve with Dr. Guillermo Alvarez (: I had a lot of thinking to do and he is by far the best Dr. My mom decided to travel with me so I wouldn't travel alone we were worried to travel into Mexico especially my mother but I hear here recommend it to everyone now (: ! The stay at the holiday in was so nice and relaxing she and I loved it & enjoyed their breakfast lol ! Then in the morning you get picked up by your driver rosy in a nice big van and crossed over in less that 10 min we were at the hospital ! Very easy and safe !!! That's when we got to meet the other patients getting sleeved and the amazing Dr. Guillermo Alvarez he then explains everything and makes sure to answer any questions that you have and introduces you to your nurse Jessica who is the nicest and most helpful ever ! and then you get all your tests done and if everything comes out good your good to go ! And get SLEEVED (: but I would totally say its safe to stay in eagle pass TX and cross over to Piedras Negras !!! I'm just 1 month and a couple days and already lost 26.2lbs and feel great !!

Positive review for Dr. Alvarez and his staff;
I started seriously considering weight loss surgery around Christmas of 2012 and started doing some research online. It did not take long to find Endobariatric.com and review many very positive things about Dr. Alvarez and his staff. I was impressed with the personal nature of the facility and it felt they genuinely cared for each patient. Once I started communications with Susan, I was made to feel very safe and decided to go ahead with the procedure.

I was required to do 30 days of pre-op liquid diet, which was very difficult but after the first few days it became very easy, cravings were still there but I was not feeling like I was starving anymore. I lost approximately 27-28lbs prior to arriving in Texas.

I was a bit apprehensive about that part of Texas but it all turned out fine. Eagle Pass, there is not much to do but maybe go to the Casino. If you can spend a day walking around downtown San Antonio, it is worth it, although they seem to be grilling Steak everywhere, which was heartwrenching..lol.

The next morning Rosy picked us up and it was a short easy trip right across the border, which I never left the hospital until going back to San Antonio. My sister went to lunch nearby with Jessica, who is very sweet and helpful. All the staff was very attentive and very nice and polite. I have not spent much time in hospitals but of what I have, this was far nicer treatment.

I went to sleep seconds after transferring from my hospital bed to the gurney and I woke up later in my bed, asking when I was going to have my surgery. To my surprise, it had already happened. The recovery was better than I expected and they give you all the medication you need to make your recovery comfortable.

You receive all the documentation of the do’s & don’ts, post-op and Dr. Alvarez & staff are very quick about returning correspondence for any questions and concerns you might have. Even though I am thousands of miles away I feel good knowing that I can pick up the phone or get a quick response via email. It is easier to get a question answered than if I were to call my local Dr. who is only a couple miles away.

I started my pre-op diet 1/7/13 and had my surgery on 2/4/13 and as of today, approximately 63 days into this adventure, 36 days post-op, I am down just under 60LBS with a goal of being down approximately 120lbs by the end of summer. Thanks to Dr. Alvarez I am completely secure that I now have the tools to succeed and continue living healthy.

I highly recommend this to anyone who has spent too much time in frustration over the ups & downs of dieting and feeling like things have gotten out of control. This is an excellent way to put your life back into your hands. I only wish I could have done this 10 years ago.
Kurt G.

I love Dr. A! He is amazing. The surgery only took 30 minutes and they take such good care of you. I would recommend this to ANYONE who needs to lose more than 40 pounds.

My mother-in-law had her surgery a year before I went and had mine, and I am so thankful for choosing Dr. Alvarez. We were picked up in Eagle Pass, and the lady that picked us up to go to Mexico was so nice. Crossing the border to Mexico was a piece of cake and when we arrived at the hospital everyone was so nice. We met Dr. Alvarez the moment we came in the hospital and he was very personable and he introduced us to his entire staff. He was in our rooms 2-3 times a day checking on us.
You get one one on one attention the entire time you are in the hospital.The hospital room is extra nice and so was the operating room, but the rest of the hospital looked like a small rural hospital, even though they were making updates while we were there.
You cannot get this type of care anywhere but here. I recommend this doctor to anyone who is looking into bariatric surgery, nor would I go to anyone else. Please do not let going to Mexico scare you, the doctors and staff here are amazing and you will not have one regret on the experience. I would do it all over again.
Do your research Dr. Alvarez is the best and his care staff are amazing.