Guillermo Alvarez Bariatric Surgeon MD

My name is Joey Shields, I am a 56 year old grandmother.I am from Grande Prairie, Alberta,Canada. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis for 10 years & been in a wheelchair for over 3 years. I had my Gastric sleeve operation on July 29,2010. Boy, all my family thought I had really lost it when I decided to go to all the way to Mexico for an operation! I had spent months researching different options for weight loss & I found people that had been to Dr Alvarez. So I took the plunge & traveled to San Antonio Texas & then to Piedras Negras, Mexico. Susan organized everything so well that we just followed her directions! Of course I was frightened, but after meeting Dr Alvarez & his staff. I felt that I was in very good hands. They treated me & my husband so kindly & caring. It has been 2&1/2 months & I have lost 42 lbs! But the greatest thing is I am 2 sizes smaller in my clothes & every one tells me I am a different person.I trust Dr. Alvarez so much I would send my children to him. Our hospital staff here could learn a lot from the staff in Peidras Negras. They have even kept in touch with me after the surgery. The only complaint is...why hadn't I do this 10 years ago!?!If you need more convincing e mail [email protected]. If you decide to have the "Sleeve"operation it will be the best decision you have ever made!

My sister and I both had VGS on June 1st of this year. We have both lost just over 50 pounds in four months. My 60 year old mother who is a very brittle diabetic had VGS 4 weeks ago. She has already lost 17 pounds and has had no insulin injections since the day of surgery. We feel this is a miracle!

I have lived in New Mexico all of my life. Unfortunately, as New Mexicans we understand firsthand the fear associated with the border especially at Juarez. I want to assure you that Piedra Negras is nothing like Juarez. I have visited Piedras Negras on two occasions, once as a patient and once as the companion of the patient. We were never in any type of danger while in Mexico and there were no issues crossing the border. It is a clean and nice city. The people are very accommodating. It is helpful if you speak some Spanish, but it is not necessary. The hospital building is older, but in very good repair. The care of the physicians and staff is second to none. You will be visited multiple times a day by either Dr Alvarez himself or his assistance surgeon. I honestly cannot brag enough about Dr Alvarez's bed side manner. This past week we had a post op question about my mother. I emailed Dr Alvarez and received a response within 4 minutes. Dr Alvarez assistants, Christine or Jessica, are extremely attentive to any questions or needs that you may have while at the hospital. Rosy will escort you to and from Mexico. She is very accommodating and will be happy to reassure you that you are safe. Susan is a life line during this process. She is always readily available to answer questions and address any concerns you may have before or after surgery.

There are at least two very good restaurants close to the hospital for your companion to eat at. There is also a convenience store close by. I encourage you to bring small bills ($1.00 and $5.00) on the trip to make exchanging currency easier while in Mexico. There is a telephone available for you to make calls to the US without charge. The internet wireless access is very good and makes it convenient to communicate with family back home.

The surgery itself was not difficult. We were in surgery less than 30 minutes each. The staff is very good at managing any pain issues associated with the surgery. You will also receive a care package upon dismissal from the hospital that contains all medications for the 10 days post op. If you follow the diet schedule for the four weeks post op, you should not experience any issues. My mother, sister and I do not regret our decision to have VGS. We would not hesitate to recommend Dr Alvarez to anyone. The benefits of this surgical procedure far outweigh any temporal inconvenience of diet modifications.

I had my surgery in Mexico on 8/5/10 with Dr. Alvarez. The experience was a good one from start to finish. Dr. A is very genuine, caring, and friendly. He checked on me numerous times in the hospital. After I was home I emailed him several times with questions or concerns and he was very prompt in emailing me back an answer. I had my surgery on Thursday, released from hospital on Saturday, rode 8 hours home on Saturday, and was back at work (desk job) on Monday. The first month was the hardest, but after that it gets better every day. It has been two months, I am down 32 pounds, and feel great!

The hospital was a older facility, but it was clean, and the staff was very attentive. During the day you have a personal nurse that speaks english and takes very good care of you.

I would do it all again and recommend it to any of my friends or family members.

Dr. Alvarez performed my vertical sleeve surgery November 9th of last year. He left a metal clip with a suture in my stomach causing infections and a hole in my stomach. I was hospitalized for these conditions for 2 months. The hole has now opened back up and may never heal without removing what is left of my stomach. I've now been back in the hospital for another 4 and a half weeks due to this condition. I will now have to be on a liquid diet for the next 3 months and fed the rest of my calories through my veins while the hole heals hopefully more thoroughly than last time. Do not hace your surgery with Dr. Alvarez.

He is wonderful.
Everything you want in a surgeon; Kind, compassionate, patient with your questions, and truly interested in your success. His experience with my type of surgery is what tipped the scale, for me.
As a US citizen, I recommend everyone who is considering obesity surgery to seriously look at Dr. Alvarez.
They take care of everything for you; it is all included in the cost. My insurance would not pay for it, so the expense was 100% mine. Once I booked my plane flight, they took the reins and I didn't have to worry about anything. I was picked up at the airport and they took care of me from that point until I was returned to the airport 5 days later.

They are thorough and compassionate. If I had to do it all over again, I would choose Dr. Alvarez and his team in a heartbeat.

This web site wants me to say something negative. One of the hospital's nurses was rude to me once. The rest of them were professional and nice.
Good luck!

I have nothing but a glowing review for my experience with Dr. Alvarez and his team :) Susan, my first contact was wonderful, Rosie the driver was awesome, and meeting Dr. Alvarez - with SO much experience and SO many patients, I still felt like he treated me as a friend, not a number. His nurses and translators were also just fantastic!
Everything went smoothly for me and I was very well informed. I just LOVE how organized everything is laid out - I never had any questions or worries about what was next, what to do, what was coming.

I am now nearly 3 months out and am down around 40 lbs. I feel incredible. I would completely recommend Dr. Alvarez in a heartbeat because I trust him. He answered all my questions, he spent lots of time with me and my friend before and after surgery - he was relaxed, never rushed - it was perfect because of how nervous and anxious we were.

Since he works out of Mexico, there is no aftercare, but he sent me home with extensive paperwork to answer all sorts of my questions - AND - whenever I called him or emailed him, I got a reply or call back in good time :)
I give him a 10 out of 10 for sure!

I'm just going to add my glowing remarks to the chorus of praise for Dr. Alvarez. He is very charismatic and reassuring, makes you feel like a friend instead of a number and there is nothing he wouldn't do for you to help you along on your weight loss journey. His staff is amazing. Susan, his patient coordinator, is a doll who has patiently answered a thousand of my emails. Rosie, who picks you up in San Antonio and shuttles you back and forth from the clinic, is upbeat and cheerful and is happy to engage you in conversation or let you sit in comfortable silence. His nursing staff is the best. Many do not speak English but are focused on taking care of you. There is at least one nurse who speaks fluent English at all times available to you and both are sweethearts. I felt better treated in his hospital than any Canadian hospital I have been in. I'd highly recommend him. The only negatives I can think of are being a little put off by the area surrounding the hospital and the fact that the hospital is definitely older. Anyone expecting a five-star resort would be disappointed, but for me, I didn't go for a vacation, I went for a skilled surgeon and a high level of patient care, and I got both.

He was absolutely wonderful. Attentive to all my needs. He is my Hero.

My name is Amber, I am 18 years old.My grandmother went with me for support. I went to see Dr.Alvarez to have my VSG. We drove from Northern California to Eagle Pass, Texas. On The morning of Surgery (June 11th), Our amazing driver Rosie came and picked us up along with another patient who had the surgery. around 8am we left the hotel and headed across to Mexico. It was LITERALLY 1 minute across the border. As soon as we got to the hospital each patient met with Dr.Alvarez as well as his other assisstants to go over medical history, and questions we had. We then had some blood work taken and a chest x-ray. They had us go into our rooms that had a couch (pull out bed) for our guest who came with us, tv, our own bathroom with a shower. Everything was really nice, EVEN THE PEOPLE!! I mean you just don't usually get really good service in the U.S I have never had a good experience in the states. They were all so caring and helpful and were always in and out of your room asking you if you needed anything at all. The first night was rough for me, and the doctor came back to the hospital just to reassure me and help me any way he could to feel more comfortable. Not many doctors would do that, usually they would just have the nurses deal with it. The day after we did the leak test, and I cleared that. Everything went amazing! Dr.Alvarez is very good at what he does, and he is a very kind person who loves what he does and loves to help others. He really is one of my heros, cause he did save me. I love how he continues even after surgery to be there for you. Dr.Alvarez and his staff are the best!

Thanks again Dr.A!

My name is Loretta and 8 months ago I had the VSG surgery with Dr Guillermo Alvarez. I could not believe that I was actually going to Mexico to have surgery, but after years of diet after diet I did not allow myself to think any negative thoughts. After much research I really liked what I was reading about Dr. Alvarez. I am 62 years old and decided that I wanted to enjoy the rest of my life, so when my husband retired in December, I signed up for surgery in January 2010. Dr. Alvarez and his staff were fantastic. He immediately put all of my fears to rest and I could not have had better care. He is a very caring Doctor and the after care that he provides is great. If I ever need anything I only have to e-mail him or call and he answers right away. I have lost 73 pounds in 8 months and feel great. My cholesterol was 239 before surgery and now is 150. What a change in my health and my quality of life. Anyone thinking of having this surgery should definitely consider Dr Alvarez and his staff. You could not be in better hands. Trust them and do what they ask and you will have the tools to have a great future.