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What's in your surgery kit?
After the magnets ship, there's certain to be many more of us cutting ourselves open for science. What do you have or plan to have in your surgery kit?
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for magnets-6gauge piercing needlesbottle of bleachbottle of isopropyl alcoholragscotton ballsbandagessmall bowlhigh strength super gluefor larger implants, I intend to replace the 6gauge piercing needles with something more appropriate for larger cuts, like a scalpel.I also do all of my work either over an easy to clean sink or bathtub. Any surface I use is sterilized before and after whatever I do since its generally in unprofessional settings. When I still did my own piercings, all I used were needles, cotton balls and isopropyl alcohol.Something to keep in mind is NEVER use hydrogen peroxide to sterilize a healing wound.
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Endoscopic scissors.
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Ghetto version.Malt liquerXactoknife with a handleBorax/water solutionducttapewhite plastic bagsglovesmarker
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I am not set up yet, but I got and idea of what I should get.
From sagitta.se's dissection section:
Pointed tweezer
Preparerneedle
Scalpell-shaft & pack of blades
Dissection tray
Tool-stand
They have a nice and cheap ultrasonic cleaner there too, maybe a bit much though :)
From Chinookmed.com
Suture-thread with needle.
For larger implants maybe an irrigation syringe.
They have some interesting antiseptics, pain-mitigations and quickclot stuff there, but i'm not sure how it works to import chemicals, so.
Local apothecary
Bandages
Antiseptic
Surgical tape
Gauze
Tegaderm
Tissues
Some calming music, probably blue foundation.
Perhaps buddy to keep watch in case I screw up.
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@shiprat definitely a buddy, in case you screw up or pass out from pain. I wouldn't recommend the tweezers; they can scratch the bioproofing on the magnets which lets your body start to rust and break them down. Not what you want.
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4g (5mm) piercing needlesScalpelAntiseptic - Cetylpyridinium ChlorideAnti-viral sanitizerLatex-free glovesSteri-stripsMicroporous surgical tapeCotton padsCling filmI'm looking to get some Iodine tincture and a stainless steel tray to hold sterilized items.
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I'm putting together a cut-down version of @odei's for the present purpose of implanting magnets. It's all over-the-counter barring the anaesthetic, which we have a page on the wiki listing suppliers for.Scalpel
Surgical needle and thread
Syringes
Micropore medical tape
Nitrile gloves
Cetylpyridinium Chloride
Iodine
Cotton swabs
LidocaineAm I missing anything? We're doing a how-to video, which will be posted up here; I want to do this right for the sake of curious grinders looking to replicate the procedure.Is Cetylpyridinium Chloride specifically necessary or will any antiseptic do? -
@SixEcho and I were just talking, and we came up with something. You know those things veterinarians use to inject RFID ampoules directly into animals? Wouldn't it be great to have something similar for the magnets? So, I'm thinking of buying one of those things and trying to see what would be required to make one for the nodes.
For one thing, we might need narrower tubing for the end of the needle, since the magnets are smaller than ampoules.
The only foreseeable issue I could see with this is that the fingertips might not be a good place to use one of those things, because they're much smaller than, say, your hand.
~Ian
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those rfid applicators are not suited for fingertips. they do a great job where you have enough skin to lift it up a bit. like the back of your hand or so. for such cases you can implant stuff in less then a single second without any painkillers.as for my kit:scalpel No 15.some tape from my toolboxa nonmagnetic tweezerand... if i'm lucky, some anti viral stuff.
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@SovereignBleakTo my knowledge, the only necessary antiseptic would be iodine (povidone iodine, specifically). Aftercare should include some sort of topical antibiotic, but otherwise, the procedure should be good with just that; typical surgical procedures begin with the surgeon thoroughly washing the hands and arms with soap and water for a few minutes while all implements soak in the iodine. Nitrile gloves are then put on, the patient's skin is rubbed with the iodine (I believe it is also washed beforehand?), and the procedure commences.My own magnet implantation procedure was carried out in this manner. I'd actually be glad to submit the video of my procedure to you for consideration for your instructional video, but the implementss used were subpar (artist's knife for the incision, sewing needle & fishing line for suturing). Probably not what you want to endorse.
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The improved medical kit I used with great success in the second procedure:
TopPowdered antiviral in water used as a tool disinfectantNitrile glovesBottom left to rightDisinfectant wipeLidocaineDiabetic injectorSix gauge needleChopstick for insertion (yes, haha)Ethicon suture needle and thread (go small)Suture holdersSuture cuttersLiquid bandageBandage -
I didn't actually use a scalpel in the end, the needle and tweezers were sufficient to create in incision and cavity. I'm a bit overzealous with cleaning so I used anti-septic and anti-viral liquid/spray to clean the area and my hands, and iodine to clean the tools, magnet, and implant finger. I haven't sutured the incision but the pressure from the steri-strips and surgical tape seems to be holding it in place pretty well. The superglue I immediately applied didn't seem to hold at all, probably too much bleeding. It's amazing how minimal the kit you really need for this is!
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As someone who did get a (very mild, surface) infection post-implant, there is no such thing as "overzealous" when it comes to disinfecting before surgery. I'd HATE to think what my finger would be like if what happened to the wound at the skin happened at the magnet.
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where is everyone getting their lidocaine? I have found a few sites online that offer it, however I haven't got much in way of consistent online information regarding which ones are legitimate businesses.
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silver please send me a PM if you find out any more information on that topic. I really don't know how needed it is. I had my RFID done with a large gauge needle , two holes were created to create the "pocket" and then the tag pushed into place with a taper.. I am thinking in the finger area this may prove to be alot more difficult then said.
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The fingers are a lot more painful than most other places on your body. Some people use lidocaine, and some don't. You can buy lidocaine powder online, but it's expensive, and you have to be 21 to do it legally (at least here in Minnesota). There's also an issue of having to mix it up properly.
If I remember correctly, though, @SovereignBleak injected topical anesthetic (which contains lidocaine) into his fingers. I'm not sure how that went, but you might ask him.
~Ian
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You can get lidocaine in gel form at 2-5% concentration from the pharmacist. It comes as a numbing agent for skin conditions.In my opinion, it's not at all necessary for the magnet implant. I cooled mine with ice, and the pain was easily bearable.If you want any higher concentrations, ask a dealer. You'll be able to get cocaine or ketamine from them as well, and they work just as well as anesthetics.My kit:Scalpel, convex curved6ga piercing needlealuminium surgical probeiodine antisepticalcohol wipescyanoacrylate glue as suturescotton balls and duct tapeI have a big sheet of glass I cover my bench with. I can wipe it down with bleach to keep everything sterile.
Displaying all 17 comments