Guillermo Alvarez Bariatric Surgeon MD

After searching the internet extensively I chose Dr. Alvarez to do my surgery. I chose Dr. Alvarez for a couple of reasons:
1. He has a website that one can access with ease.
2. He facilitates a group on Facebook that is very active and supportive
3. Susan his facilitator is very good and is always there to answer questions and she is not overburdening when you are deciding which surgeon to go with.
4. Cost was very manageable and very worth it
5. I was able to get my surgery along my timeline that I wanted which was about 8 weeks away from when I confirmed.

My surgery date was August 18 and because of where I lived I had to fly to San Antonio a day early and get a hotel room on my own otherwise I would have missed the shuttle to Eagle Pass.

The day before surgery I was picked up at the hotel and taken to Eagle Pass for the night. I stayed at the Holiday Inn which was a very nice clean and quiet hotel. I walked around a fair bit and had the day to myself.

The day of surgery I was picked up at 7:30 and taken across the border to Pedgras Niegras to Dr. Alvarez's Office. there were 2 other ladies with me getting surgery this day as well. He came and spoke to us all together and gave us the schedule of surgeries for the day. I was last on the list as I had to have a band removed as well. During the time with Dr. alvarez he made me feel very comfortable and answered all of my questiosn forthright and was very pleasant. Many doctors and surgeons in Canada could take some lessons from Dr. Alvarez. He appears that he genuinely cares about your safety and health.

After the consult with Dr. Alvarez I was then taken by his assistant Jessica up to my room and given instructions on what was happening next. The room I was put in was temporary and upon the dischage of another patient I would be moved to a bigger room. Abotu a half hour or so later I was moved to the bigger room. I was then taken for blood work and an X-ray soon thereafter.

After that I was then taken back to my room and told that the nurse would come and do my IV and also the Anesthetist and Internist would also stop by to see me. The IV was startyed by the nurse. As I am a paramedic and work in the canadian Health System I found that some things are done differently in Mexico as opposed in Canada. One thing was the alcohol swabs as in Mexico they take cotton balls and soak them in rubbing alcohol. It is still safe and probably more cost effective for them to do it this way. I also noted that some of the equipment they used was not as advanced as Canada but again still effective and safe.

Then came the point where I was ready to go into the OR. Jessica and the Anethetist assistant came into the room with a gurney. He quickly checked me over again and then gave me the "Happy Juice" I was awake for maybe another minute or so and then I was out. This for me was different as other surgeries I have had they wait to put you out once you are on the OR table. Again just a different procedure and it was still safe.

The surgery I am told was abotu an hour and went well. I believe I was back in my room about 4 pm and of course quite groggy but no pain. Both Dr Alvarez and his assistant Dr. Bean were in that night and several times during my 3 days there. Again very good service from both of them. Some Canadian physcians should also learn this from Dr. Alvarez.

My pain was optimally controlled by the nurses. Anytime I pushed the buzzer they were there quickly and got me what I needed quickly. The nurses I felt were very competent and took care of any problems although few that I did have. The day after surgery I was started on ice chips and started walking several times a day which felt good.

I was discharged on the Monday and Dr. Alvarez did the discharge himself and explained the medications he gave us and wished us well. Then we had the 2 hour ride back to San Antonio where I stayed overnight in the hotel and then flew home the next day.

I should note the hospital is an older small hospital but it is clean and safe. It reminds me of several hospitals in my area.

Dr. Alvarez has maintained contact with me each week as I move from each food stage and is available for more questions if I have any. The Facebook group as well is excellent and they always have advice if anyone needs it. It is a very positive group.

The only negative thing I have to say and this is out of control of Dr. Alvarez is the 2 hour ride to Eagle Pass in which a good hour or so of it is a bumpy road.

I would have to say this has been a great experience for me and anyone considering Dr. Alvarez should choose him.

I had surgery with Dr. Alvarez on August 18, 2012. Initially I was concerned about going to Mexico to have major surgery but did a lot of research and by the time I booked my surgery date, was very comfortable with my decision. I decided to go by myself, as my husband couldn’t take vacation, and it went really well. There were two other patients having surgery that day so I was able to walk the halls with them post-op and compare notes on how we were feeling.
Overall the procedure was much less painful then I expected, which I attribute to Dr. Alvarez’s experience and skill as a surgeon. I had surgery on a Saturday, flew home on Tuesday and was back at work on Wednesday. While this isn’t the case for all patients, I had minimal discomfort/pain after day 4 and was off pain meds Wednesday morning. I am a month out now and can eat regular foods. I haven’t had any issues with getting protein and liquids in and have lost about 20lbs and 36 inches so far (my BMI was relatively low, 32, so I anticipate slower losses then patients with a higher BMI).
Susan, Dr. Alvarez’s coordinator, is amazing. She is very responsive (always emails back within a couple of hours, even at night!) and knowledgeable. She had surgery with Dr. Alvarez a few years ago so definitely knows what his patients go through throughout the process. Dr. Alvarez is very kind and compassionate. He runs a very efficient operation and the follow-up care was excellent. I was very comfortable after surgery and he or one of his other doctors checked on me regularly throughout my stay in the hospital. Dr. Alvarez has checked up on me weekly now that I am home to make sure I am doing ok, am aware of my diet changes and know where to go to get resources. I am very happy with my experience with Dr. Alvarez and his staff.

Dr. Alvarez is a very profesional Doctor with very high skills on Bariatic Surgery, The Surgery time was very easygoing without any mayor problem. Very fast and secure.. After surgery the recovery was fast and as today is being two months with more than 50 pounds less in my body.. Very existing experience and I am fully recommend.

I went with my husband and we felt perfectly save the whole time we were there. They take extra care to make sure your experience is a good one. Dr. Alvarez will treat you like family. He is a very personalable person and surgeon. You will have excellent care. The nurses were wonderful. Always someone there that speaks perfect english. The pain meds were wonderful and always given on time to insure you have no pain. The hospital was older, but exteremely clean. The suites were very tastefully decorated and recently remodeled. The best surgery experience I have ever had. You will love the free international phone service and free Ipad for all guests and patients to use during their stay. You will not be sorry, if you choice Dr. Alvarez for your surgery. The nurse took my husband out to eat and helped get him settled while we were there. Truly they have dotted all the i's and crossed all the t's to make your stay and surgery experience the best ever. You can tell they have done their research. From the hotels which have a personal bus service to and from anywhere you need to go to the local restruants with bariatric friendly menu options. All my best to you. I'm so happy I choice Dr. Alvarez. P.S. The after care is better than all the rest with youtube, personal emails, facebook page, and phone calls to the Dr. himself.

I made my decision in May 2012 that I was going to finally take care of my weight loss for good. I then started my process of researching which procedure and which doctor. I did extensive research locally near my home in the United States. After countless seminars I decided I would research doctors in Mexico – I noticed that many of the Mexico doctors had much more experience. I finally decided on Dr. Alvarez in Piedras Negras Mexico. He had a lot of experience. I worked with Susan the patient coordinator. I asked question and I always got quick and detailed answers. I asked for references and I contacted each reference and I got responses that were all positive. In June I finally decided to book my date for August. I am now over a month out and I think I made the best choice in Dr. Alvarez and I am very happy with outcome. I can honestly say I enjoyed my time in Mexico – Dr Alvarez is truly a gifted surgeon and he is using his gift to help people achieve their weight loss goals. Endobariatric.com has a great and caring staff. I felt safe in Mexico and would highly recommend VSG surgery with Dr. Alvarez and Endobariatric.com. Thank You Dr. Alvarez for giving me a better quality of life.

Hello my name is Jodi, I have been overweight pretty much all my life. I have a wonderful husband and two beautiful children that helped me make my decision to have weight loss surgery. I was unable to enjoy my children and did not feel I was fulfilling the role as a wife or mother. I do not have health insurance and I would have to pay for surgery on my own. Living in Utah I would not be able to afford surgery. I searched the web trying to find a ray of hope that I would be able to have the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. When I seen the site for Endobariatric.com I decided to look and see what they had to offer. From the moment I clicked on to the web sight I had a feeling that this is where I was going to go. Dr. Alverez and his team are AMAZING. They answered all of the questions I had with no doubts or worries. I was nervous to go to Mexico and have the surgery done just because I have never done anything like this before. But rest assured it will be the best decision you will make for the start of a new thin healty life. Susan and the rest of the endobariatric team made me feel at ease with my decision. Dr. Alverez had the BEST bedside manner that I have ever experienced. Never here in the USA have I ever had my doctor come and check on me throughout the day not only 1 time but 3 times and every day after that. All of his team was there whenever I needed anything. You feel like royality (something I could get use to.) I would highly recommend Dr. Alvarez and the Endobariatric team to anyone who wants to have a great start to a new life. I am 1 month an 1 day out from having surgery and I feel better than I have in a very long time. Thanks you Dr. ALvarz, Susan and the rest of the team for making my dream become a reality. Sincerly Jodi

Loved Dr. Alvarez and his staff! You can tell right away that Dr. A cares about all his patients. I have never received the type of care that I received with him and his staff. I would highly recommend him! Even though I live in the Austin, TX area, Dr. A keeps in touch with me via email every week to see how I'm doing and to give me tips on each post-op phase. He also replies really fast to any email concerns I might have. He has definitely changed my life!

Great team, overall experience was superb. No pain, only 5 weeks postop and 35 lbs gone! Very safe no issues with travel. No nausea. No regrets. Dr. Alvarez is a great surgeon have no doubts.

Dr. Alvarez is one of the best Dr's I have come across. After having about 8 back, hand , and knee operations, I have seen a few Dr's and by far he is the best. He is very patient, professional and genuine.

His bedside manner is great! There are a lot of doctors who perform procedures but don't take enough time to ensure you are educated (in layman's terms) what will happen, what did happen, and what will happen next.

Backing up Dr. Alvarez are some of the best medical and support staff; equally as friendly, caring, informative and professional. From Susan who took care of all the preliminary information/administration to Rosie our driver and Jessica my nurse.

Susan gave me local references who I talked to and they assured me this would be a good experience. By far it was the best experience I have ever had in a hospital environment because of Dr. Alvarez and his staff.

I went into this being very hesitant not getting it done in my own country (Canada)so I had a lot of questions in the pre-op consultation. I did not feel at all pressured and he told me if I was not 100% sure it's what I wanted I shouldn't do it.

Even now that I'm back at home, the follow-up emails are really great. When he says you can email/text and he will answer your questions right away he really does. One night we sent a note before we went to bed hoping to have an answer in the morning; he responded before we turned the lights out.

The only negative thing I could say is I wish I had him as a surgeon for my past surgeries.

This procedure helped me lose 100lbs (to date) that I put on after a work injury. It's only been a month since the surgery and there is a big difference in the pain level I had in my back and knees.

I tell you now I have no qualms about recommending anyone who needs this type of support to get their life back in order go to Dr. Alvarez in Mexico to have him perform this or any of the proceedures he does.

TJ

After researching Lap-Band surgery and reading about the things that could possibly go wrong, I began to research having VSG surgery instead. While on my laptop late one night I began to read about having VSG surgery in Mexico. Since I would have to pay out of pocket for my surgery, I found the price of surgery in Mexico very appealing. I have health insurance but WLS is an exclusion on our policy. When I first thought of surgery across the border, I had some crazy thoughts of what that could be like. My daughter's boyfriend was raised in MX and as I spoke with him, he explained to me about medical tourism, how thousands of people cross the border each week to have dental work, medical treatments and surgeries.
As I began my research, I first thought of TJ because of the cost factor. For personal reasons, I decided that was not for me. That was when I found endobariatrics.com and Dr. Alvarez. I read every testimonial I could find about him. I knew in my heart, he was the right surgeon for me. He was closer to my home, I would not have to fly to California and back when I live in the Midwest. Piedras Negras is a safe border town, no worries about the safety of crossing there. When I read that they would transport my husband and I from San Antonio to Eagle Pass, TX and it was all included in the cost, I called Susan (the coordinator) and began the process of filling out the paperwork. Susan was so sweet and took the time to answer all my questions. I was approved for surgery within two or three days, Susan and I worked out the best time for me to make my trip and set the date.
I flew to San Antonio with my husband on 8/01, we called the hotel shuttle as soon as we arrived at the airport and they picked us up within 15 minutes. We went to the hotel, left our bags and decided to go to Walmart to get some things we forgot to pack. Called the shuttle and they took us back to hotel, my sleeve sister had arrived by then so we waited together in the lobby for Rosy to arrive to drive us to Eagle Pass.
Once we got there, Rosy checked us in to the hotel and told us what time to be ready the next morning. We went to our room for a nap, later walked down the road to Chop Chop and had a bowl of tasty egg drop soup for dinner. Back at the hotel, we sat by the pool and enjoyed a quiet evening.
Rosy picked us up the next morning at 7:20 and we took our ride across the border to the hospital. First we met Dr.Alvarez, he is the kindest man. He spoke with us individually and I felt completely at ease and confident that I had made the right choice. My husband said he felt the same way when we were in his office speaking with him. They take your "before" photos, weigh you in and then Jessica takes you upstairs to a room. The hospital is older, not fancy like the hospitals here, but do not let that scare you. It is CLEAN and the staff are very skilled and take really good care of you. Most of them do not speak English but Jessica interprets for them. Once in the room, you relax for a minute, then you are off to the lab and XRay. Once that is done, you go back to your room, get your gown on and wait for your IV. This is always the worst part of surgery for me! The nurse got it right the first time and I was so happy about that. It was about an hour, they came with the gurney and put me on it, they gave me something to "relax" me and I remember nothing else. That was about 10:30 AM, I woke up at 5:05 PM. I asked my husband first thing, did they not operate on me? I had NO pain. Seriously. I had imagined how painful this would be, I was so wrong! I got out of bed and went to the bathroom, in shock that I was not in severe pain. I had NO nausea, no severe gas pains, nothing. The first night, the staff are in and out so much it is hard to sleep so I walked the halls a couple of times during the night. My husband slept on a futon bed in my room and he slept well.
Day after surgery, you get ice chips. Yeah!! Your mouth is so dry, they taste so good! I did have some slight chest pressure when I was able to have ice, walking helped to ease that. Later in the day you get to sip room temp water. That caused a bit of heartburn, nothing bad though. They took my IV out that evening, gave me a sub lingual pain pill and a sleeping pill. I slept all night long.
Next morning, Dr.A and Dr. Gabe both come to see you, give you your instructions for home, your pain meds and antibiotics. You also get a yummy cup of grape juice for the drive back to San Antonio. After you say your good byes to the staff, Rosy loads you into the van and you begin the drive back across the border. There are 3 checkpoints crossing back in to the USA, the stops are very brief, they check your passports and they asked us our names. It was very quick and painless. The drive back to San Antonio is fairly bumpy, I would advise you to take a pain pill before you leave the hospital that morning. Rosy stops about half way at a small convenience type store so you can move around, use the restroom and get another drink. Once you get to the hotel at San Antonio you can go to Walmart on the shuttle for broth and jello. The rooms have microwave and mini fridge. The hotel shuttle took us to The Quarry so my husband could eat a meal and I could walk for a while. It feels good to move around after being in the van. The hotel is nice and the shuttle drivers were always so nice.
My husband and I flew home the next day. That was my hardest day, I think the air travel was stressful and I was so worn out by the time we got home that I had a low grade fever. I called Susan, She assured me it was from the stress of traveling and I would be fine. The next day I was!
I cannot express how grateful I am that I found Dr.Alvarez. Do not hesitate to go to him for this surgery, if you are considering surgery in Mexico. There are others that cost less but this is not about the money. He is a very skilled surgeon. He has many other patients that will tell you how good he is, not just me. My husband was totally impressed by him and that is something that never happens! Jessica took him out for lunch while i was in recovery, she even took him and I to the convenience store next door so I could get some candies for my daughter's boyfriend. I had a wonderful surgery experience, I cannot explain what it feels like to wake up and not feel pain immediately. His staff are all so kind and they take very good care of you. There is phone for patients to use to call your family while you are in the hospital. There is one of his staff at the hospital night and day that speaks English so you do not have to worry about that.
One month out from being sleeved, I have lost 21.5 pounds and many inches. My incisions are healed and I have had very little pain. Eating is a new experience! When he removed most of my stomach, he also removed my hunger. It is truly odd to cook for my family and not have the desire to eat. Every day gets easier, you learn what your new tummy likes and does not care for. I am looking forward to the months ahead. To no longer having to take meds for diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure, no longer having pain in my joints. Being thinner is wonderful but leaving behind comorbities is awesome! Dr. Alvarez says he is changing lives, one sleeve at a time and that is true. He has changed my life for the better.