Guillermo Alvarez Bariatric Surgeon MD

My surgery with Dr. Alvarez was wonderful! His staff was very caring and attentive. There isn't anything negative that I would say about him or his staff. He provides you with all the information and medications that you will need when starting your journey at home. He has a wonderful bedside manner, better than any surgeon that I have come across here in the states. I felt very safe in Mexico and at the hospital. I felt I knew Dr. Alverez before I even met him from all of the other wonderful reviews and people that I had spoken too. His book is wonderful! My only regret is that I didn't have him sign my special pillow that he gives all of his patients!

DR. ALVAREZ'S STAFF, STARTING WITH SUSAN, AND ENDING WITH DR.ALVAREZ WERE WONDERFUL. THEY HELD MY HAND FROM THE TIME I LANDED IN SAN ANTONIO UNTIL THEY LET GO, 4 DAYS LATER, IN SAN ANTONIO. DR, ALVAREZ CALLED MY HUSBAND AFTER SURGERY JUST TO EASE HIS WORRY. SO APPRECIATIVE, THIS SHOWS THE KINDNESS AND GREAT BED SIDE MANNER. THE INFORMATION GIVEN, VERBAL, WRITTEN, E-MAILED, YOU TUBED, COVERED EVERYTHING I NEEDED AND WILL NEED IN THE FUTURE AND IF THAT WASN'T ENOUGH I CAN CALL SUSAN ANY TIME AND SHE WILL ANSWER ANY CONCERNS.

WITH THE GLORIOUS PRIASES GIVEN I HAD TWO ISSUES WHILE IN THE HOSPITAL. THE 2 HOSPITAL NURSES. NOW MIND YOU I AM ASKING IN SPANISH.
1. I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT MY BP, AFTER SHE TOOK IT, HER ANS WAS RUDE. I COMPLAINED AND THEY REMOVED HER FROM MY CARE.
2. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT MY SISTER ASKED WHAT SHE WAS GIVING ME IN MY I.V. SHE DIDN'T KNOW. (FOUND OUT LATER TRAINEE NURSE, NIGHT NURSE DREW MED AND GAVE THEM TO HER TO ADMINISTER.)

AR.ALVAREZ'S NURSES ON THE OTHER HAND SPOKE CLEAR ENGLISH AND SO HELPFUL IN EVERY WAY. WE LOVED JESSICA.

THANK YOU, DR ROSALES, CHRIS AND ROSIE. YOU MADE THIS JOURNEY A WONDERFUL START.

Dr. Alvarez and his staff were always professional, courteous, and more than wiling to help. And if I'm honest, I received more punctual care than I have at hospitals in the states. When it was time to have my medicine, they were there. You never wondered "Where is the nurse?"
And post op, Dr. Alvarez has been nothing but amazing. I had a nagging pain that I have since figured out was from over-exertion, but I did email him, and within minutes, he had responded and wrote back and forth with me over 20 times that Sunday evening. Truly amazing.
My life if forever changed for the better because of Dr. Alvarez and his fantastic staff!

Lisa

I am 3 Mos post-op Dr. Alvarez did an incredible job and my scars are barely visiable already. I have had no issues and have already lost 50 lbs without much effort at all. I do need to exercise more and get more cardio in to my routine, I am very active but not going to the gym like I need to. It's amazing how the weight is falling off and I have tons of energy. I would recommend and have sent several friends to Dr. Alvarez and his staff. They are the best and I am hoping my mom and more of my family that are struggling use this alternative.

My entire experience with Dr. Alvarez and EndoBariatric was great. They had everything so well planned out and everything went the way they said it would. Dr. Alvarez was very nice and I'd watched so many videos of him on YouTube that I felt kind of like I was meeting a celebrity. Susan, his coordinator, was great. She answered ALL my questions, before and after. She had VSG herself, so she has personal experience as well. Rosy, the driver who picked me up in San Antonio and did all the driving was great. She's very nice and I talked to her pretty much the entire 2+ hour drive to Eagle Pass. (She was a very safe driver.) The hospital nurses speak almost no English, but I know some Spanish so we were usually able to get our thoughts across to each other. Dr. Alvarez had one nurse who spoke English around in the daytime, and another at night. Dr. Alvarez and/or his assistant (Dr. Rosales?) would come check on me a few times per day. It's an older hospital, but very clean. Dr. A's office is more modern and very nice and smells good. I was well informed of the risks of the surgery. Aftercare is strictly emphasized (post op diet, exercise recommendations and restrictions, etc.) Susan sends you several emails with all kinds of information of aftercare requirements. I would rate him as a 10 out of 10 and I would recommend him to anyone who was thinking about surgery.

Dr. Alvarez performed my gastric sleeve surgery on January 10, 2011. I am now 5 weeks post-op, have lost 37 pounds and 3 pant sizes. I am at peace with my surgery, knowing that Dr. Alvarez did a fantastic job, my surgery was a success, and that he is only a phone call away if I need him.

First Impressions:
I knew before going to Mexico that Dr. Alvarez was an exceptional surgeon and that if I were to have gastric sleeve surgery, there would be no doubt who I would want to do it. His qualifications, experience, and passion for his work iare unparalleled…these things I knew before I met him and knew I would be in the best hands possible. I was hesitant about traveling to Mexico, mainly because so many of family were scared for me. But I researched the area, talked with Susan and another patient of Dr. Alvarez, and never looked back.

My dad and I flew to San Antonio where Rosy drove us and my "sleeve sister" and husband to Eagle Pass, TX to spend the evening. She then picked us up the next morning and we headed to the hospital in Mexico. Rosy is awesome – she explained what we would experience as we crossed the border. They do random vehicle searches as people enter Mexico. We were through in less than 5 minutes, sitting in the van while two gentlemen looked in our vehicle. Rosy drives this route throughout the week, and it was like going through a toll booth in the states...nothing to be afraid of. We entered Piadras Negras and were at the hospital in less than 10 minutes. A great video of this process is on YouTube – “4 days in 4 minutes” which follows a couples experience with Dr. Alvarez.

Impression over time/ Description of Office Staff/ What future patients should know:
The moment Dr. Alvarez saw us enter his office he came out, shook our hands and introduced himself. He had me at hello…lol. Really, meeting the man from my research face to face could have been intimidating, but he felt like a friend before we even hit the OR. Not only did he welcome us personally, his assistant surgeons and nurse were there to greet us as well. It was like being welcomed to a big family. He was already familiar with who we were and was very welcoming and friendly. My dad and I went into his private office area where we went over my medical history, asked questions, weighed, and got to know one another better. Dr. Alvarez answered all questions, went over what we were going to do, and then his nurse took us to my room to get settled, do pre-op blood work, and chest xray. I always dread stepping on a scale at the doctor’s office, but Dr. Alvarez is passionate about helping people with obesity and never made me feel self conscious, guilty, or embarrassed about myself. His staff/team was also phenomenal!

Emphasis on aftercare/After care program/ Addressing risks of surgery
Dr. Alvarez is very dedicated to the success of his patients; therefore he makes aftercare a huge priority. Patients sign a contract to abide by a detailed outline of what must be done after surgery. A leak test is performed the day after surgery to ensure that all is well. I was able to watch my new tummy work, as he had a monitor for patients to watch and told me everything that was happening – twice! He is adamant about following a 4 week progression to regular foods, allowing the new stomach time to heal. Susan, his coordinator/nurse, emails important information before surgery and then Dr. Alvarez personally goes over all information with patients before releasing them from the hospital. Dr. Alvarez and his assistant surgeon came to my room and discussed what is expected after surgery – what I need to eat/drink, symptoms of possible problems, how to contact him, and prescriptions for the following 2 weeks. He also had a folder with obesityhelp.com info, receipt from surgery, description of surgery and note to employer, other information, both doctor’s business cards, and medication schedule. He gave me post surgery pain medicine, an antibiotic, and heartburn medicine in a bag that could be carried on the plane home. Dr. Alvarez was very thorough, but also took time to set my suitcase up, get my “special pillow” out, sign it, and repack it. How many doctors in the US take that kind of time and care with their patients?



Rating Dr. Alvarez overall:
Dr. Alvarez has given me hope when I just didn’t have any left. Within one week since surgery I returned to everyday life, with no pain or heartburn medicines needed. I have more energy now than in the past 10 years, and thank God everyday that I was able to take this journey.

I was so privileged to have Dr. Alvarez perform my surgery, to have met him and his team/staff, and begin this journey with such a supportive, caring and compassionate group of people. I was amazed at the personal care he and his assistant surgeons took to check on me and how often I saw them. One of the doctors even walked me back from my leak test. I was also impressed that 80% of my stomach was removed and there was no pain! His surgical competence, experience with gastric sleeve surgery, and bedside manner are out of this world. I cannot say enough about my experience and hope others are inspired to choose Dr. Alvarez as their surgeon.

Anything negative to say:
Although the website asked this question, I have no negative comments about Dr. Alvarez, his team, or traveling and staying in Mexico. I would do it all over again. I have no regrets!

I had my VSG with Dr. Alvarez on 04/03/09 so I am 9 months out. So far, I have lost 84lbs and have gone from a size 24 to a size 16/18. I am thrilled with my decision to have this surgery, and even happier with my choice of surgeon. He has an amazing staff that took care of me from the moment I arrived in San Antonio to the time I left to fly home. Everything was well coordinated. Dr. Alvarez and Dr. Gable (his assistant) explained everything thoroughly before the surgery and checked on me constantly after the surgery. They took the time to answer questions and never rushed me. They made me feel very comfortable. His office was up to date and had the latest technology. I was a bit unsure of the hospital when I first saw it because it was definitely dated. I ended up feeling very good about the facilities because the nurses were great, especially Jessica.
Susan, his patient coordinator, was phenomenal. She was professional, efficient, and very friendly. She answered endless questions and gave me names of former patients to call and talk to to ease my mind. She also sent me loads of information that covered pre-op, the actual surgery, and post-op procedures. I referred to this information daily throughout the process and never had to go looking for answers. I would rate my experience with Dr. Alvarez and his staff a 10/10!

Dr. Alvarez was very professional and friendly and answered all our questions and gave us confidence in proceeding withe the VSG surgery. When it was all over and we were leaving we still felt that we had made the right choice and still felt the same confidence in the Dr. Alvarez we had initially. His staff was very polite and spoke english very well which was a HUGE relief and helped alot since the hospital staff did not speak any english. While in the hospital they checked on us during the day and a member of his staff was on the floor during the day - it would have been nice to have had a member of his staff on during the night as well since the nurses did not speak english. My only complaint regarding the Doctor and his staff is that I have had a problem with them receiving my emails. You an call and chat online however. I would recommend Dr. Alvarez to anyone and it was definately the right decision for me. They got me in an dgot it done in a timely manner and I had no complications. I wish that there was a follow up call by a member of their staff once a month to anwer any questions that we might have at the time. All in all I am very pleased with the results of the surgery and feel that I chose the right path with Dr. Alvarez.

Today is 5 days short of 5 months since I began this journey on the liquid pre-op diet. I am 41 years old, and weighed in at 415 pounds. I had trouble walking, breathing, sleeping, and working. I was on blood pressure medication, asthma medication, and was frequently being evaluated for high blood sugar and diabetes.

I chose Dr. Guillermo Alvarez as my surgeon because I was impressed by the available online videos I saw from other patients. I was also impressed at the number of Gastric Sleeves he had performed, his technique, and the fact that he lectures on gastric sleeve surgical procedures. I was a little apprehensive about traveling to Mexico- particularly since I am from Arizona, and my surgery took place only one week after the passage of SB 1070- our anti-illegal law.

I can honestly say there was nothing to fear. The hospital was older, but the facilities, materials, and staff were far superior to the quality in the United States. The private room was brand new and twice the size of American hospital rooms. My surgeon and surgical assistant saw me several times each after the surgery- when does that happen in the United States? The nursing staff was pleasant and professional. (I speak Spanish though they did not know this. They did not mock me or say anything negative at anytime- even though they had no idea I understood them)

I could go on, but I will end by saying that today less than 5 months later I have lost 101 pounds. I am 4 pants size, one shirt size, and a 1/2 shoe size smaller. I no longer stop and rest after walking across a room. I sleep better and no longer fall asleep at work. I breathe better. I am told I look younger. I am always satisfied when I eat, and I eat whatever I want (even fast food)with no dieting whatsoever. I can't recommend this surgery or Dr. Alvarez highly enough. I know this sounds like a rave or paid testimonial, but I honestly have nothing negative to say.

Arizona Attorney in the shadow of SB1070

My first impression of Dr. Alvarez seemed like a very kind man and was someone who really wanted to help and that was from reading his website and looking at his picture.
My impression of him just grew better and better the more i learned about what he was doing.
Dr. Alvarez there was nothing I could really complain about him, the hospital was clean, even a little blan and the whole language barrier made it a little hard.
Dr. Alvarez is a very kind and caring man and he takes time from his busy day to just visit you in your room and make sure you are alright and comfortable.
He goes into very great detail and planning about the after surgery care.
No there was no aftercare program because the surgery I had done there was no aftercare needed.
I would give Dr. Alvarez a 10 out of 10
Both are great!