Mexico bariatric surgeon Dr. Guillermo Alvarez performed sleeve gastrectomy on “Nashville Star” winner Melissa Lawson.
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Bariatric surgeon Guillermo Alvarez recently performed a sleeve gastrectomy on Melissa Lawson, mother of five boys and winner of the reality television show “Nashville Star.” The sleeve gastrectomy was part of a revision surgery after Lawson encountered difficulty with her gastric band.
Lawson was named the winner of NBC’s “Nashville Star” in 2008 during its sixth season. After struggling with obesity most of her life, she had a Lap-Band placed. However, Lawson felt her quality of life decrease and encountered difficulty with fills for the band.
The singer chose to have a sleeve gastrectomy (gastric sleeve) after the Lap-Band was removed. Dr. Alvarez, who offers weight loss surgery in Mexico, surgically removed a large portion of Lawson’s stomach, leaving a banana-shaped pouch. The size and capacity of the pouch limits the amount of food Lawson can eat, and prompted steady, rapid weight loss.
"After multiple surgeries due to a failed Lap-Band, I spent a lot of time searching for the right surgeon. Dr. Alvarez beat everyone else hands-down, not only in Mexico, but in the U.S. as well. The professionalism of the staff, and facility were amazing. The care was better than some U.S. hospitals I have been in, and Dr. Alvarez's track record of over 3,000 successful surgeries proved to be a great choice for me,” Lawson said.
Lawson’s experience with revision surgery is not uncommon; a number of Mexico Lap-Band patients who run into problems decide to have the band removed and opt for another bariatric procedure. Common problems with the Lap-Band include reflux, esophagitis, band erosion, band slippage or infection at the port site.
Approximately 37 percent of Dr. Alvarez’s surgeries involve converting a Lap-Band to a gastric sleeve. Patients worry that they will stop losing weight once the band is removed, but Dr. Alvarez says the gastric sleeve allows them to steadily continue losing weight.
Lawson said she found Alvarez’s book “Successful Weight Loss with the Gastric Sleeve” very helpful in the process, and called the online support of his Facebook group “incredible.”
“I am forever grateful to Dr. A. for changing my life … FOREVER!” she said.
If you’d like more information about gastric sleeve, revision surgery or another procedure, please visit http://www.endobariatric.com to contact Dr. Alvarez.
About Guillermo Alvarez, MD
Guillermo Alvarez, MD, is a Mexico bariatric surgeon who offers several weight loss procedures, including Lap-Band, gastric plication and gastric sleeve. His practice is located in Piedras Negras, near the Texas border. | 
