Guillermo Alvarez Bariatric Surgeon MD

A year later and I'm practically at goal. The reasons I'm not are because I'm trying to conceive and eating more carbs than usual as being in ketosis is harmful to fetuses. rnrnI fully expect that either come spring (when I can walk outside without freezing to death or killing myself on ice!) or after I give birth (if/when we get pregnant) to get down to goal. I did get as close as 1.6 lbs from a normal weight, so the VSG is definitely a good thing, and I wish I could convince my mom (who is looking into WLS) to go to Dr. A! rnrnShe doesn't have the money unfortunately but if she did, she would go to see him. She's seen my pictures and heard about what a wonderful experience I had (it was more like a vacation - especially coming from cold Montreal in January to warm Mexico!) and knows that she'd have excellent care. rnrnI really can't recommend Dr. Alvarez and his whole medical team highly enough!! They were all sweet despite me not being the best patient (I'm extremely needle phobic). Dr. A's skills and bedside manor were incredible. My travel time 3 days after surgery was over 12 hours from door to door and I barely needed the painkillers. rnrnFeel free to PM me if you have questions, I was there January 30th, 2009. I know I'm supposed to say something negative to prove I'm \"legit\" but really, I can't think of anything I would change - other than an IV staying in longer than I would've liked - but I'm a needle phobe ;)rn

My sister and I went to Dr. Alvarez for our VSG's on 1/5/10. We have both done very well. Of course we were nervous but felt like we had made a great choice in a doctor. I felt that the material we received before surgery was very helpful in preparing us for our experience. Susan was also very helpful in answering any questions I had. My first impression of Dr. Alvarez was very positive. He made me feel more comfortable about the surgery and excited to see the results. His staff was very friendly as well. Both surgeons came to see us several times a day after surgery and I found that very reassuring. Any questions I have had after the surgery have been answered very quickly and I find that amazing. The only disappointing part of our stay was that my sister and I thought that we would be able to be in the same room. Her husband was able to be there while mine was not. I wanted to be close to their room rather than down the hall because I was alone. The room I was in the first night was small and to be honest, smelly. To be fair, Dr. Alvarez told me it was small before I chose it, but the smell was pretty bad. He did move me into a much nicer room the next night and that was much better. I did not even have to ask to be moved either.

Dr. A was great. He is very professional and personable, my husband and I felt very comfortable with him. It is obvious from the process that Dr. A does many proceedures per week and that experience translates into a great experience for the patient. The hospital is different than what you would see here in the US but was very clean and the nurses (although they didn't speak English) were very professional in their demeanor. Dr. A's assistant/translator was helpful with everything. Susan the patient coordinator is/was helpful throughout the process. Everything was exactly as seen on his website and stated in his communications! I had a great experience and would recommend his to everyone.

I was very impressed that he was very professional, caring and spoke perfect english. His continued support and response to any questions I have by email are usually within hours and sometimes immediate. The staff from the moment of booking through Susan to meeting Rosy (again, perfect english)who transported me Mexico to my nurse Cristina made me feel relaxed and confident in my upcoming procedure. Dr. Alvarez made sure that my wife understood the surgery and what to expect. As soon as surgery was over, he came out and told her directly that everything had went excellent. There was nothing that I did not like about the Dr. and his staff. The morning I left I was given medications to take with me and instruction on how to take them. I was given an information package on diet and exercise and what to expect during my post op diet and the next couple months. It is important that you read and follow them. As with any surgery there is risk of complications but Dr. Alvarez was confident from the beginning and told me \"you are going to do great\". Overall I rate him a 10 out of 10 and do not hesitate to recommend him to anyone I talk to about my VSG. Being confident as a Dr. is important as is bedside manner. Dr. Alvarez is exceptional at both. The only setback for us is that we do not speak spanish and at night I asked for a sleeping pill and was given a needle for pain instead. In the mornings my wife would walk to OXO which is like our 7/11 to get coffee. One morning it was quite dark and the guard unlocked the door to let her out. She was surprised to see he was still standing on the sidewalk waiting to let her back in and re-lock the door 15 minutes later. Everyone was friendly and helpful.rnrnDarrell Dyck, Elkford BCrnJanuary 31, 2010 - 12 weeks post op - rndown 69 lb and very happy.

Dr. Alvarez was just as he has been described here on OH over and over again. I was a bit afraid of going to Mexico to have surgery, but found that my fears were unfounded. Everything is taken care of for you. Nothing is left to chance. You are told exactly what to do every step of the way and you can always call Susan with any questions. Dr's Alvarez and Rosario were lovely in every way. The person who impressed me most was the anesthesiologist. I am an R.N., and he acted just like the doc's here in the states. He breezed into my room, acting all important and concerned and busy, fixed me up and then went on his way. I felt like I was rounding with the docs back home, and in my mind I just knew that these guys are the real deal, and they know what they are doing. rnDr Rosario went over the discharge instructions (done by the nurse in the states,the docs are too busy)and answered all questions. Both Dr's Alvarez and Rosario followed us out the door, loaded our luggage, put us in the van, and said,\"Make sure you call or e-mail when you get home so we know you're OK.\" Now, what doc in the States would do that?rnIf you're on the fence about surgery, hop off. I don't know about any other surgeons, but I can recommend Dr.Alvarez without reservation.

Dr. Alvarez is a really great guy. Personally, he set me at ease right away. He treats you like a person, not a number like some do in the states. His staff was efficient, and kind. There was a translator during the day, so no problems there. It would help if someone on night shift spoke english, but we were able to communicate enough to get by. I can't say enough about his surgical competence. I think the main reason I had NO problems post op was his skill. He has done MANY of these operations, and that translates into a very smooth postop experience. His bedside manner is wonderful. There is no real structured aftercare, I would advise getting your PCP on board before you go for surgery. All in all.. a great experience!!

I love Dr.A!!! I can't believe how scared I was the morning I woke up. Up until that point I really wasn't. When I walked into his office, talked to Dr A, everything bad/scared feeling was gone. He was so nice, he answered everything my husband and I could throw out at him. Next Jessica came in, she took my picutre. From that minute on, I knew she was going to take care of me. She was there to get me walking. Asking if I need anything.....and helping my husband find a snacks and food next door! I truly felt a part of Dr. A's big family. He checked on me and explained things to me every step of the way. I honsetly think anyone who wants to take this journey needs to look up Dr.A! Please feel free to ask me anything, I would love to help someone out! I would rate Dr A 10/10!!!rnAnd I would give Susan a 10/10...she is there day or night to help answer all your questions!

My husband and I had the VSG procedure on ll/2/09. Dr. Guillermo Alvarez was our surgeon and was assisted by Dr. Perez of Piedras Negras, Mexico. Both very outstanding and professional. Dr Alvarez had performed over 1000 VSG's and was open with all stats posted, which as a nurse I found very impressive during the research phase of our journey. Our trip to Mexico was not stressful as we were very comfortable with our decision. All of our impressions were substantiated by the easy flow of our pre-surgical arrangements, followed by our actual procedures. Every member of the team was excellent and attentive to ensure all needs were met. Dr. Alvarez along with being extremely surgically competent is also very personable in his approach to patients. The delivery of information about the procedure, risks of surgery, and aftercare guidelines are thuroughly covered. We would recomendrnthis surgeon to anyone pursuing the sleeve option. rnAlthough the hospital is older, we were impressed with the equipment in the OR as well as in Dr. Alvarez's office. Everything was very clean... Overall the care we received was great. I have lost 45 lbs. and my husband has lost 60 lbs. We feel better than we have felt in years.

Dr. Alvarez and his entire staff were very kind and extremely knowledgeable. Each one took time to explain exactly what was going on every step of the way. There was no guessing involved, each one spoke very good English so there was no question at any time as to how I was doing. Both Dr. Alvarez and every person on his staff was checking in with me to make sure I was feeling alright and was comfortable. Susan answered all my emails and phone calls-no matter how mundane. Rosie was super sweet. The day of my surgery I was so nervous and because of my weight Dr. Alvarez said there was no guarantee but he would do his best...instead of my surgery being one hour-it was four. But he said he knew it was going to save my life, so he went through with it. I am eternally grateful that he did! Nearly 3 months later I've lost 62 lbs and am adjusting really well. I would absolutely recommend his office-10 times over.

I have wanted to have weight loss surgery for years. I had checked out several surgeons online and had a few people that I knew who had surgery done here in Atlanta. My HMO does not cover obesity surgery or anything else. So I knew I would be self-pay. I checked out surgery in Mexico and found it was so much cheaper than in the US. Even then, I knew I couldn't afford it. But this year, I refinanced my mortgage to a much lower rate and took out enough equity to have the surgery. It was a big decision and one that I needed to do for myself. rnI chose Dr Alvarez because there were so many of his patients that absolutely loved him. Now that I have had the surgery(4 days out), I must agree with them. He is fantastic. He is very caring, he is very personable and he treats everyone with great respect. He is obviously a very intelligent person but he doesn't talk to you like US doctors who must have classes on how to talk down to their patients. He talks to you like an equal and I really appreciated that. rnHe has the whole process down to an art. The instructions that Susan sends you have every detail for you to follow. If you do have any questions, she answers them right away. Rosie is the greatest. She kept us entertained on the ride from San Antonio to Eagle Pass. And Jessica made sure that we had everything we needed in the hospital. The nurses made sure that the pain and nausea medications were given on time and I never had pain, just a little discomfort.rnAll in all, it was a great experience and I don't regret the decision to do it at all. Thank you Dr. Alvarez, Dr. Gabriel, Rosie, Jessica, Susan and all the nurses for the best experience and for helping me to change my life for the better.