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Your stomach has been surgically reduced in size.

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. The stomach is curved, like a longish sack.

The operation involved folding a part of your stomach in on itself lengthwise. The part that was folded in was stitched up. Post-surgery, the part folded in is an inwards fold in your stomach. As a result, your stomach is narrower than it was. This has made your stomach’s capacity far less than it was previously.

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.