Has Dr. Alvarez had any VSG Leaks?

[MtVernon 0]

No, not in this case. I can't speak for all.

[clk 3,519]

I did research and lurked on this board and ObesityHelp for more than a year before my sleeve. At first I was set on Dr. Nick but I started to change my mind when I looked at how much more hospital time you get in Mexico.

When I was making my decision, the issue with Alvarez wasn't leaks; it was a large number of his patients developing complications one after the other.

Now, there are people on the two boards that used Alvarez, had a great experience and are completely happy with their results.

But there are also stories about leaks, infections and other complications.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Sit on these boards another month or two and you'll see a trend: some folks are happy with Alvarez and love him; some folks use him and have complications. But NOBODY comes back from Aceves with major issues. Everyone raves about him and the quality of care at Almater. I think that says something. You get what you pay for, and picking the cheapest surgeon can backfire.

I chose Aceves and I never for one moment worried about the horror stories I read about Alvarez. I don't regret my decision one bit.

Good luck to you. I also recommend you browse this board and ObesityHelp for stories, both good and bad, about Alvarez. Then make your own informed opinion.

~Cheri

Edited August 12, 2010 by clk
clarification

[pumpkin07 32]

And think about complications. If you have a complication, you will likely be in your home town. What great doctor do you think will see you? If you have a complication, do you have good insurance here? If so, then I would suggest finding a great, not good, doctor here in the states.

I have insurance that does not cover complications. I paid a doctor here, but then afterwards met people that had complications. I met several of them sitting in the doctor's office. But who will take you/treat you if they did not do their surgery? It is harder than you think to get a bariatric surgeon to take you after the fact. For liability reasons for one thing, for their stats, etc.

For this reason alone, if it were me I would find the BEST bariatric surgeon near you, the very very best by checking him out in many of the ways you are checking out Dr. Alvarez. If you have the best bariatric surgeon near you, then you have less chance of a leak in the first place. But at least if you do have a complication you will be near your doctor, most likely, when you have it. You can get good treatment immediately by a good doctor close to your home.

Imagine having a leak or complication and getting bad treatment just because you do not have access to the best bariatric surgeon in your area? This happened to a friend of ours here.

I know everyone loves Dr. Aceves, and he is obviously great great great. But he is not near your home town.

I was not in this site prior to surgery, at least not before I picked my doctor. If I was I might have felt very swayed towards Mexico. Otherwise honestly I wouldn't have known about it at all. But I'm not sure I would have made that decision understanding that if I have a complication HERE who will be willing to treat me? I would be at the mercy of doctors that I did not pay to do my surgery, doctors that are not liable to me in any way. And most of them for their own reasons, say no.

Perhaps we should support oulr great doctors here in our country. It is a bit more expensive to do so, but in the end I feel you will be more connected in case you have an emergency. It is important if you do have a leak to be diagnosed quickly and to get the appropriate treatment immediately. You won't have time to find the best doctor near your home if you have a complication. You need to already have that connection.

I am sure others will disagree, and in a best case scenario it works to go to a great doctor in Mexico. But complications can arise that can kill you without appropriate medical care.

Support America.