Just installed a magnet, but I'm not sure it is deep enough.

edited February 2015 in Magnets
Sorry to create a thread on such a minimal thing, but hey, this is my body we're talking about.

So, I just used an RFID injector to get a small bar magnet in my pinky.  Problem is, I'm not entirely convinced that it went in deep enough.  It was entirely under the skin, as far as I could tell, and it wasn't exposed outside at all.  Should I worry if part of the magnet is in the skin, but not exposed to the outside?  If it isn't in deep enough, I'd like to know now so that I can reopen the wound and shove it further in.

Second.  Small bar magnets.  Mine was strong enough to pick up a small needle outside the skin, but I don't seem to be getting much of a response now that it is in.  Well, more like none, though I can't tell through the superglue coating the wound.  I don't care about picking things up, only sensing, and I can ever so slightly feel moving past the bar (unless it is my body lying to me).  So, should I be worried?  The magnet is in my non-dominant pinky, so as long as nothing goes drastically wrong it doesn't matter, but I'd like to know if I just wasted my time.

Again, sorry bout the new thread.
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Comments

  • No need to feel sorry about the new thread.

    I'm not an expert on this at all, so I'm not sure if I can answer your first question.  Hopefully someone shows up here soon to help you with that.

    From what I've heard though, the feeling of magnetic impulses takes a week or two to start working well.  Your body sort of "numbed" your finger because of the recent cutting it open.  The pains overriding the sensation of the magnet.

    But again I'm not an expert.

  • Why do you think it might not be deep enough? That might help determine if it is.
    With mine it was very hard to push it at first and in effect it wasn't deep enough and wouldn't heal properly. Eventually I got it right and was surprised how easily I could push it in, since I had cut the right layer of skin...

    The not feeling anything directly after the procedure can be due to the pain. If you don't believe your senses and want to test whether the magnet is really there you can try carefully(!) with another magnet. Not to pick it up, just to move into proximity and see if you feel it. But that will probably hurt.
  • Well, when I first placed it, I could have sworn that I could see a bit of it through the skin before the bleeding started up.  Plus, the tip of my injector wasn't all the way in, which left me with the question of if I had pushed the plunger enough.  I knew one end was plenty deep, but it was the other one I worried about.  I tested it today, however, with another magnet from the set I bought, and it lined up with where the magnet was.  It's a bit off center from the pad, but plenty far from the injection spot, so I think I'm safe.  Now I just have to worry about infection.

    Overall, this thread was just the result of post-surgery jitters.  I think everything went okay.
  • Give us an update! I'm in suspense. 
  • Well, so far so good.  Magnet's in, the no infections, and the finger has gone back to a healthy, not bright pink color.  The injection site still has a bit of scar clotting in it, but it's getting less visible every day.  I thought the needle might be too big for my finger, but I'm really impressed with how little trauma the whole thing caused.  I was able to get the superglue off after the second day without it bleeding.

    There is still a bit of sensitivity, but I think I might have placed the magnet a little close to the surface, so that's not surprising.  Plus, we're what?  6 days out from me doing this?  I'd imagine a touch of sensitivity is to be expected.  Besides, it's only when I put a bit of pressure on it, so...

    I picked up my first feel the second day, when I kicked on the microwave.  Day 3 I felt a really strong power brick, but so far those are the only two things that I can sense.  I'm going to give it a month, see if the magnet is too small once some of the damage knits back together.

    Overall, I'm quite happy with how everything went.  I sourced the magnets off of Amazon so I wouldn't have to worry about a group buy, and besides not knowing the grade of magnet, I have no complaints.  The injector was perfect, and I'd love to use it again if I don't flip to disk magnets.  Considering the lack of blood and pain, it's really an ideal method.  Even in my tiny pinky.
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  • What kind of magnet did you purchase, and what kind of injector?

    You say there was relatively minimal pain, and that is something I am highly interested in.

    I myself have not undergone implant yet, and am very worried about the pain involved, and have been looking for good resources for some time. Could you provide information into your operation and your devices?
  • Sure!  By the pain level was almost nonexistent, it was really low.  There was some at the end, but I blame that more on me being slow and my hand beginning to defrost.  I didn't have the nerve to do it fast, so I pushed the damn thing in so slowly that I couldn't notice it moving.  So do it fast and you should be fine.  Following the operation, there was a dull ache, but it's not worse than that sensation you have after stubbing your toe.  Just don't fiddle with it too much and you should be fine.

    I'm not claiming this is the best, or safest way to do this.  But it worked for me.

    The equipment

    I purchased the magnet off of Amazon.  The exact listing is down now, but there are others on there.  Just look for PTFE micro stirring rods of 2x7 mm size and you're probably getting something similar to what I put in my finger.

    The injector I used came from here, with a 2.14 mm needle.  One note about the needle: there's a bit of glue designed to hold in smaller tags.  It made the opening too small for my magnet, so I scraped it out.

    For disinfection, I got a basic antimicrobial rub and 91% isopropyl alcohol from a pharmacy.  70% is apparently better, though.  I only found that out after looking up its use in a (mouse) clinical setting. I also got cotton swabs and superglue and bandages, though the bandages proved unnecessary.

    The procedure

    Get a bowl and pour in alcohol.  Put needles and magnets in it.  The alcohol works quickly, so you can do the surgery after a minute if you're really pressed for time.  

    Next, get two bags of the same size.  Put one inside the other.  The outside bag gets water and ice, the inner alcohol.  Close the inner so the alcohol doesn't evaporate and stick it in the freezer while you get up the nerve to stab yourself on purpose.

    Make sure your work area is clean and sanitary.  I did mine over a sink, so wash everything, including the sink's head.   Go get your bowl and the bag, which hopefully isn't frozen yet.  Next, get the antibacterial scrub and disinfect your hands.  Wash your hands in the isopropyl alcohol because, let's be honest, there's no such thing as too much disinfection.

    Go ahead and load the magnet in the needle.  Attach it to the injector if you won't be able to do that one handed.  Now stick your hand in the bag and wait till the freezing ache stops feeling so bad.  Then take it out, grab the injector, line up your finger (make sure you're not going to nick your bone) and push.  You want it right below your pad.

    Push until the needle is all the way in, then push the slider.  I didn't slide the needle all the way in, so I kept pushing until it hurt.  Then pull out the injector.

    Hopefully you prepared the superglue beforehand, because you're going to have to smear it on the surface of the skin.  You'll want to do this before the finger defrosts, because I found that superglue doesn't take too well when mixed with blood.  If you do all this quickly you shouldn't have a problem, though.

    I bandaged it up, afterwards, but the superglue held.  I was able to peel it off the next day because there was that little trauma.

    Aftermath

    It's been a week, now.  The finger stopped aching completely within the first 30 hours.  I still can't feel things too strongly, but I've been measuring myself on a strong wall wart and every day I can feel it further away, so it's healing.  No signs of infection, no pain.  Even fiddling with the implant has mostly stopped hurting at all.

    As you can see from the photos above, the needle was pretty big compared to my finger, and it still caused almost no trauma.  So yeah, if you're going bar and <=2mm, this seems to be a great way to go about it.  I'm itching to do the rest on that hand, but I'm waiting until I have some idea of the strength of the magnet.
  • This is really fascinating.

    I am definitely interested in this process, and will start my look for materials. Your post is wonderfully insightful.

    Still scared as hell though.
  • @TathaRion

    Don't be scared, be excited! We do things other people are too scared to even attempt, take pride in that! :)
  • And yes this is very insightful since I'm doing mine this way in about a week hopefully.
  • Saumanahaii, I didn't even notice you posted this information, until today, thanks.

    Brandon, thanks for the links.
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