5-447.a2:

You have had another operation on your stomach. In the process, your stomach was connected to your small intestine.

The stomach is located in the upper abdomen. The stomach has a curved shape, and is connected to the gullet (oesophagus) at its upper end and with the first part of the small intestine at its lower end. Between the stomach and the small intestine is a ring-shaped valve, the pylorus. The inside of the stomach is lined with mucous membrane.

You had surgery in the past which reduced the size of your stomach. In the process your stomach was made into a sort of sleeve. This is also known as a gastric sleeve. The aim of this type of surgery is to reduce the capacity of the stomach. Then less food can be eaten than before.

Now, in another operation, your gastric sleeve was stitched to a site in the lower section of your small intestine.

After surgery like this a small portion of your food will continue to get from the stomach straight to the upper section of your small intestine. The digestive juices from the liver and pancreas also flow into this section of the small intestine. There, the digestive juices mix with the food. However, after the surgery most of the food will go from the gastric sleeve straight to the lower section of your small intestine. This results in fewer nutrients being absorbed from the food.

A laparoscopy was carried out so that you could be operated on. 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. The operation then involved opening your abdomen via a larger incision in your skin.