I had my gall bladder removed yesterday. My prize was a fairly decent sized gallstone. It’s not as gross as I thought it would be.
Anyway, my mother took this gallstone to my grandparents while I was in recovery and I guess my grandfather made comment about it making a nice pendant, or ring. So I was wondering how possible is this?. I don’t know yet that I’ll actually do it, though. Like I said, it’s a good size, too big for a ring (it’s bigger than my 1/2 carat diamond) but probably okay for a pendant.
The thing is, it’s really soft. Is there a way to coat it with something to give it a more solid exterior, without damaging it?
well, keep in mind that the vast majority of gallstones are composed mostly of cholesterol, and also the breakdown products of red blood cells, such as bilirubin and biliverdin. That’s the stuff that colors your bowel movements.
The stones tend to be fairly soft, and will dissolve in alcohol.
But hey, material excreted from the liver and concreted in the gall bladder may be the next craze. Go for it.
Physical limitations aside, would you really want your conversation starter to be a chunk of cholesterol that had to be removed from you? How many people would say “Cool! Can I touch it?” and how many people would say “Wow. That’s horrifyingly disgusting”?
People save such medical mementos all the time, they just don’t usually wear them. If you’ve ever seen “Tomcats”, you know what I mean regarding the “nut” keychain.
This thing obviously interests you, and you should probably keep it. Your interest may not be shared by others though. I guess that’s not what you’re asking though, so, I suppose you could have it vacuum sealed in a globe like some collector’s baseballs are contained in.
Maybe have a local glassblower encase it in a tastefull setting?
I just wouldn’t recommend wearing body waste. JMO.
Well, I’ve never seen Tomcats. Like I said, I don’t know that I’m actually going to do it, but I’d like to share this information with my grandpa. And the reactions I’ve gotten from people so far have been a mix of your two options: “Gross!!! Can I see/hold/touch it?!” A friend of mine, a nursing student, wants to bring it to her TMA class, even though it has zip to do with the material she’s discussing.
Thank you for the information, Qadgop, as well as the link.
Thanks in advance.