The stomach is one of the most important parts of the digestion process. It is a widening in the digestive tract where food is processed. In its walls are the glands that secrete the gastric juices that are involved in digestion. So, what happens if a person’s stomach is removed? In fact, the total removal of the stomach exists and is known as total gastrostomy. Therefore, yes, you can live without stomach, however life will change and obviously also the way of eating. You have to follow a series of precautions and be more careful.
What is a total gastrectomy?
In the doubt about whether you can live without a stomach or not, the answer is that you can. In fact, gastrectomy is the surgical operation that is performed to remove the stomach and may be partial, if only a part is removed, or total, when this organ is removed completely.
This surgery is carried out when there is an upset stomach that affects the person and requires surgery, such as when there are benign non-cancerous tumors that need to be removed. It can also be due to a gastroduenal ulcer that has become complicated and has led to perforations in the stomach, bleeding or stenosis (narrowing). But the most common cause of total removal of the stomach is stomach cancer.
The stomach is located between the esophagus and the small intestine (duodenum), so a total gastrectomy will involve connecting both so that food can flow through the digestive system. The total gastrectomy is performed under general anesthesia through an incision in the abdomen to remove this organ completely. Then they connect, as we said, the final part of the esophagus and the duodenum.
How the stomach works
Before talking about how to live without a stomach, we will explain its function in the digestive system. The stomach is connected to the esophagus at the top by an entrance called cardia and, below, the small intestine (duodenum) through an outlet called the pylorus. It is a widening of the digestive tract, like a kind of bag. The food that we take goes through the esophagus and they reach the stomach through the front door. When we are eating the stomach opens its front door to let the food pass and once they are all inside the door closes. It is formed by a muscle capable of opening or closing the cardia and the pylorus so that it allows food to pass through and keep them inside.
When all the food is inside (the so-called food bolus formed by the chewed foods together with the saliva), the stomach mixes it with the gastric juices that he himself segregates. This process takes approximately between one and five hours depending on what has been eaten. This organ also secretes enzymes that begin to digest proteins. Then by the agitation that occurs with the muscular movement of this organ, a papilla called chyme is formed, which has been partially digested and passes into the small intestine where the absorption of substances such as iron, calcium, alcohol, fats and some amino acids. The stomach absorbs some medicines and even part of the alcohol that is ingested, but it is not an organ specialized in this function, for that is the duodenum or small intestine.
Therefore, a person without stomach will not have this process of mixing foods with gastric acids, but these will go directly to the small intestine. For this reason, it is important that people without stomachs have a proper diet to allow the necessary nutrients to be absorbed. In many cases, animal or plant proteolytic enzymes such as trypsin or pepsin are also administered.
How to live without stomach
When there is no stomach, no gastric acids are produced that kill the bacteria or enzymes that digest the proteins, besides that the food does not turn into a porridge but passes to the intestine as it remains after chewing them. Because of this, we have to be careful, even if it is possible to live without this organ.
A person whose stomach has been removed completely will have to follow some instructions to know how to live without a stomach:
- Eat very small amounts of food and very often. This is so as not to overindulge in meals, as heavy meals can be made to sit down more easily, and a very large amount of food may not be well processed. Keep in mind that the food bolus will go directly to the small intestine.
- At the beginning it is likely that you can only drink liquids or semi-liquids and, little by little, you will introduce solid. When you do, keep in mind that, in addition to being very small quantities, these should be chewed very well. The food bolus goes directly to the duodenum and without chewing, a plug could be formed.
- It is likely that without stomach you have to eat and drink separately to make room for food.
- After eating it is advisable to stay in a straight position and not lie down.
The stool will change since the food is not digested properly. They can change the color and density, be more or less greasy or even change the smell, since there are no gastric acids will not kill the bacteria and this can cause bacterial overgrowth or giving rise to certain odors. It can also be due to undigested proteins.
It is also common that after eating patients may feel nausea, diarrhea or sweating or redness. This is what is known as rapid emptying syndrome and is due to the fact that food passes directly into the duodenum. Over time, these symptoms will improve as the body adapts.
In many cases, in addition to following the indications and having certain cares, digestive enzyme supplements are also indicated to be taken along with the meals. In addition, in some cases, it is also necessary to place a feeding tube directly into the abdomen to administer nutritional drinks directly into the small intestine and, thus, improve nutrition and prevent weight loss.