questions about DIY magnet implants?

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Comments

  • I'm not an expert on coating materials and testing. I'll simply refine my above suggestion to use a safe base material for testing. 3mm Ti-6Al-4V balls are cheap and widely available with excellent biocompatiblity.
  • Since we're looking for a low cost biocompatible, why not sodium silicate? At least as a base coat? Once it dries it forms pure silicon dioxide which can be polished and is rock hard. It's hydrophilic and the OH groups on it's surface can be modified with a second treatment to make it even more inert.  It's cheap and easy to come buy or make and so long as you don't drink it while it's liquid, it's pretty much harmless. You could even treat it hydrothermally to further passivate the surface as a cheap second treatment.

    Even if it won't work, I'm just saying but buying a decent coating is less expensive then the medical care you're going to need if you implant something stupid cause you don't understand what you're doing. Just because we have 3d printed prosthesis now, doesn't mean you really want one. Like a thing of PDMS from sigma, is less then your expected hospital bill.
  • @Cassox: wow, you really did all my homework!! THANKS!!!

    anyway, as I was expecting, it's nothing too bad. I think, worst case, it will reject, or I'll feel something's not good and extract it myself.

    also, if your greatest worry (re: biocompatibility and or toxicity/carcinogenicity) is the dye, I think it wont' be too bad, since the amount is nearly zero (not only is the last ingredient, but the gel is completely colorless. they put a bit to offset any nail yellowing, but just a tiny bit, people don't really want purple nails, lol)

    also, as for it absorbing water and swelling... I gotta test it a bit more (gotta take another hot bath and get the nails damp), but I haven't seen any kind of swelling yet. maybe the crosslink process makes it so that it doesn't have the free "radicals" to attract water? (I'm sure you know what I mean, it's late and my chemistry is a bit forgotten....)

    so, I'm gonna give it a shot. still don't know when, or how, or what I'll be putting inside (I have spare 3mm stainless steel balls from some piercings.... I could coat one and put it in my leg, just to test the coat. worst case, I end up with a loose ball there - and since it's stainless, I'm sure it won't give me anything bad). thing is, I should at least wait for the scalpels to arrive... or else I could use a sharp knife (and maybe will, and since this has nothing to do with the actual implant, please, don't tell me to not do it).  also, magnets haven't arrived yet - so only thing I could do now is the steel ball test.

    (also, I have an exam next friday, so I won't be doing anything 'till then for sure).

    @chironex: okay, so, tell me more about that sodium silicate. it looks like a good idea to reinforce the gold layer. where do I get it? how do I apply it?

    also, I quite know what I'm doing. IMHO, worst case I get to have to extract it. or it rejects. also, should I have to pay a visit to the doctor, I will. (we have public healthcare here... though I'm not 100% sure they cover these kind of tings. yet as long as they don't need to operate me, I suspect I'm safe from the bill).

    thank you all, guys. you're being very helpful, pointing all the details (and big things) that I would have totally missed.
  • >I have spare 3mm stainless steel balls from some piercings.... I could coat one and put it in my leg - worst case, I end up with a loose ball there - and since it's stainless, I'm sure it won't give me anything bad).

    holy shit you're stupid.  post pics after you fuck up plz
  • edited December 2015
    @ightden: what is so bad about having a loose 3mm surgical steel ball in my leg to call me stupid? ... I don't really get it...

    ThomasEgi : as I said, I have some surgical steel balls (completely safe). so I may try one of those. thing is, where would you suggest to implant it? near the ankle? (I'd go for the legs, btw, they seem easier to me) in a more fleshy zone so pain is not as bad? (...I'm not too concerned about pain, btw....)

    I'm willing to look for some lower leg anatomy pictures, and I'd guess I have to look out for everything that it's not plain skin or muscle? (arteries/veins, nerves, tendons...) ... is a shallow cut in a muscle too bad? (I ask just in case....) I mean, I know it's not good, but as long as it heals in a reasonable amount of time with just a bit of care, I'm not too worried...

    anything else I should know? read? look for?

  • edited December 2015
    @niky45 while surgical steel is pretty decent, it may not be perfect depending on the surface treatment. If you can, spend the 3 extra bucks on Ti-6Al-4V. I'd suggest thigh instead of ankle (simply because it's a lot easier to reach there). Arteries, veins and nerves should be avoided at all costs of preparation. Cuts in muscles are not something you want either, having a steel ball inside your muscle too (super super uncomfortable). You most likely want to aim for the region right below your skin. Pretty much the same sort of tissue rfid implants end up in. No idea about spheres wandering off down your leg, could happen maybe. Should be pretty easy to locate on xrays. You best start with uncoated spheres to test those things first.
  • @ThomasEgi: well, they're piercing balls. shiny, and all that. the actual fact that makes me think they're completely safe for me, is that I have quite a few piercings of the exact same steel (and same finish, since they're from the same batch), and they never gave me a reaction (...well, my ears like to act up sometimes, but it's nothing that doesn't disappear in a matter of days. .... so maybe I could try a ball from my navel piercing, since that has never ever given any trouble. though IIRC those are slightly larger... ).

    I also have some black ones, supposedly coated in titanium. I could try those. indeed, that coat is quite resistant (I've been using some of them for a while and they're still black with no scratches or marks of use).

    as for thigh vs ankle, yeah, I see what you mean.

    also, yeah. I'll target the underskin. I was asking more, in the chance that I cut a bit too deep. I guess a shallow muscle cut isn't too bad (no, I wouldn't put the ball there! ... not without making sure the ball doesn't sit inside the damaged muscle, anyway, lol). at least nowhere near as bad as touching a major artery/vein, lol.

    as for the ball migrating, as I said, as long as the materials are safe (and I don't get intoxicated or they give me cancer), I'm not too worried. it's like, people do aesthetic implants. having a tiny ball somewhere is way less intrusive than those. and may even be fun to feel it, lol.
  • okay, so the magnets arrived today... but I'm going out of town tomorrow. and also, the scalpels haven't arrived yet (... I could do it with a sharp enough knife, but I'll be patient and wait for the scalpels... )

    so, this is mostly a "hey I didn't forget about this" post. also, I'll keep updating as things happen.
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