5-448.a3:

You have had an operation on your stomach. The operation has narrowed a part of your stomach.

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. Food reaches the entrance to the stomach through the oesophagus.

The operation involved sewing off the upper part of your stomach to separate it. This resulted in a smaller and a bigger part. Now food goes to this small part of the stomach.

A mesh or a ring was also implanted at the junction between the small part of the stomach in the remaining stomach. So food reaches the remains of the stomach through a narrow passage. The overall aim of these measures is to allow less food to get into the stomach.

A laparoscopy was first carried out so that your stomach 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.

Then your abdomen was opened for the operation by making a large incision through your skin.