5-437.13:

Your stomach has been surgically removed.

The stomach is located in the upper left abdomen. The stomach stores food and breaks it down further. Harmful pathogens are also killed by gastric acid in the stomach. The stomach thus prepares the food for digestion in the intestines.

Your stomach has been cut out. A small section of the beginning of your small intestine was also removed. The open end at the top of your small intestine was then stitched shut. A part of your small intestine further down was then stitched, at the side, to the open end of your oesophagus. This involved creating a sort of pouch that is to partially replace your stomach’s storage function.

Post-surgery, food is now getting from your oesophagus straight to this pouch in the part of your small intestine that is lower down. So food is no longer being moved through the top section of your small intestine. However, the digestive juices from your liver and pancreas are still flowing into that section of your small intestine. The digestive juices then blend with the food lower down in the small intestine.

The operation also involved removing all the lymph nodes around your stomach. The lymph nodes are small bean-shaped objects. They are found throughout the body. Lymph nodes filter the tissue fluid. They are part of the defense system.