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You have had an operation because you had a buildup of lymph.

Fluid forms in tissue throughout the body every day. This tissue fluid is the lymph. The lymph is carried around the body by lymph vessels. The lymph vessels run around the entire body and are connected to blood vessels. At some points, there are lymph nodes along the lymph vessels. Pathogens are rendered harmless in the lymph nodes, for example.

If a lymph vessel is leaky, lymph can escape and accumulate in the area. If this type of lymph accumulation goes on for a long time, a thin membrane can form around the lymph. This membrane separates the lymph from the surrounding tissue.

The operation involved doing a laparoscopy in order to drain the accumulated lymph. The thin membrane around the accumulated lymph was cut out too. A tube can then be inserted into the area of the operation. The lymph can then drain through this tube to a bag.

A laparoscopy first involves making a small incision in the abdomen. A tube with a camera is pushed through this incision into the abdomen. This camera sends pictures of the inside of the abdomen to a screen. Tools such as forceps and scissors can be inserted through other small incisions in the abdomen.