Guillermo Alvarez Bariatric Surgeon MD

I am two months post op and have lost 32 pounds. Dr. Alvarez is amazing. He has truly been blessed with a gift! My whole experience was safe, smooth and uneventful and everyone was so very friendly...they have a beautiful thing going on and a beautiful group of people working together for providing top notch care for you the patient. Looking back over the past 2 months I have gained such a wholehearted thankfulness for my journey and for the whole experience as a whole. Grateful for the choice that I made in having my surgery done by Dr. Alvarez...I wouldn't want anyone else...I did my homework and chose a surgeon who is top notch in this field and has performed thousands of gastric sleeves...healing was fantastic and everything was so organized down to post op instructions and leaving and coming home....Dr. Alvarez was in touch at all times and still is for any questions without hesitation. I have nothing but good times and good health in store for the future with the changes that continue to keep happening to my body as well as my happiness....it's like shedding the layers off to reveal the true person inside who felt buried for so many years....THANK YOU DR. ALVAREZ!!!!

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