this just came to mind, has anyone been able to keep there cut out stomach for memories, i wouldnt mind persoanlly having my stomach inside a jar filled with fluid .

If you are doing your surgery abroad, you won't be able to take it across the border. But if you are doing it in the same country where you live, it MIGHT be an option. I know of a woman who had a hysterectomy and requested to take her uterus home with her to bury it in her garden, and she was allowed to do that. However, there were also some cultural connotations (she was Aboriginal, so it'd be tough for the staff to refuse without coming off as un-PC).

There are likely legal implications to that. Once it's out of your body it's probably classified as bio-hazardous waste and you can't just have people walking around with biohazardous waste.

I doubt they'd let you. There may be liability issues as well.

Hi there, I'm Angela joining you from the UK.

I was sleeved on February 1st. I actually wanted to keep my removed stomach, pickled in a jar, but was not able to do it. I was told that it was due to the risk of contamination.

I was, however, able to have the surgery recorded on DVD. I had watched various recordings on You Tube before my surgery. I now have my very own to watch, in glorious technicolour, whenever I want !!! LOL.

It is fascinating to watch.

It is not like you're watching yourself being operated on. So far I haven't managed to find any friends or family brave enough to watch it, they are all wimps !!! LOL.

I think, if your stomach ( whats left of it !! ) is strong enough to watch, it is a great idea to have it recorded if it is possible. I think it will be great to spurr me on if I start to struggle in the future with my eating. When I see what went on inside and what I went through I'm sure it will get me back on the straight and narrow !!!!

Good luck for your surgery.

Keep us posted

Best wishes

Angela x

I have watched a ton of the videos on VSG available on youtube and it only made me more comfortable about having this done to my body.

One of my concerns was that it would be similar to a c-section which is a pretty rough surgery with lots of cutting and tugging and pulling on your body.

In comparison, VSG is gentle!

I would have liked to have a dvd of my surgery ..I dont' know about my stomach though...

My stomach is probably in some dumpster somewhere but I do have nice pictures of my new, cuter stomach with adorable little staples!!!

TRUE STORY: in high school my teacher had a hysterectomy and brought her ovarys complete with huge fibroid cysts in to show the class. She was a biology teacher...LOL

I asked my doc if I could get a DVD of the operation, and he said no... because of liability... I asked If i could have my stomach, and he acted like he didn't hear me...hahaha! I have a friend in NZ that just got sleeved, and she asked for her stomach, and they gave it to her in a bottle with formaldehyde. She is giving it to an artist who uses natural forms in her ceramics to look at. I wanted to make a coin purse out of mine...

My stomach is something I'd rather forget and leave behind. The thought of keeping it for memories is just a little to dark for me to even think about.

i wouldn't mind to have it to cremate then save for the rest of my ashes one day far away, course my family would prolly think it was trash!

Overseas, Philippines? my friend had knee replacement surgery, they gave her, her knee back in a bloody ZIplock! She didn't know what to do with it then!!

Ha!

I understand though, maybe they burn that kinda waste up? I hope so...

I actually remember asking if i could keep my stomach before the surgery and the doc just gave me a weird look and shook his head. lol

I was sleeved almost two weeks ago and I took everything I brought in home with me.

I had no problem with the hospital when letting them know what I wanted. But yes,there were cultural issues with me.I live a traditional Native (Anishnabe) lifestyle and requested my parts for tradition and ceremony and was quickly accomidated. You'd think if we can get them just because we ask anyone ahould be able to.

Yeah.... I asked my surgeon about me keeping my stomach and them making a DVD of the surgery. No to both requests. They stated bio hazardous waste and the hospital has to throw it away.

Deb

I actually had to sign a release prior to surgery stating that I was giving up any legal claim to anything they removed during surgery. Guess they didn't want me putting my stomach in a jar over the mantle.

I don't want to keep it, but I sure would like to see it! I may ask if they will take a picture with a ruler or something. I want to know how big it is. There is one video on YouTube that shows the stomach after surgery. It is in one of those kidney shaped "throw up" containers. (not sure what they're really called but that's what I have always called them). Anyway....it took up the entire space! I am dying to know how much of mine is removed.