Magnet in my finger to help with seizure control?

edited November 2013 in Magnets
Hello everyone. Although very interested in the magnet setup because it is just plain cool, I was thinking about it and wonder if this can work. I have a Vagal Nerve Stimulator (VNS)  implanted my my chest to help control my seizures.

VNS info:
http://epilepsy.med.nyu.edu/diagnosis-treatment/vagus-nerve-stimulation-vns
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vagus_nerve_stimulation

Anyway, the VNS can be programed to send stimulation to the nerve at certain intervals. For instance, mine sends 1.25 milliamps, every 3 minutes, for 30 seconds. This can be modified pretty heavily, but that is what it is setup to do right now.

This is where the magnet comes in... I wear a magnet bracelet all day, every day. The reason being, if I have an aura (you can feel the seizure coming), I can run the magnet across the VNS, and it will fire a stronger amperage, for a longer amount of time, to try and avoid the seizure.

After spending a lot of time on the phone trying to find out as much as I can about this thing, I now know that it takes a mere 35 gauss to trigger the manual fire of the VNS. After spending a good amount of time on the web looking at this biohack, I see that some people are stating that their magnet is rated at 45 gauss. Not a big deal there I think. my curiosity has led me to wonder; has anyone taken a gauss measurement, once the magnet is implanted in your finger? It would really suck to go through the whole process and not have enough magnetism to trigger my VNS.

Also, has anyone been able to have an MRI by using some sort of shielding? As you might imagine, I have at least 1 MRI a year to track my brain tumor. I also spend a lot of time in the garage doing metal work, and have read some stuff about people getting metal shavings in their skin because of the magnet. (I can wear gloves to hopefully avoid that).

So, my main questions are:
Have you measured the gauss near or at your fingertip once you had it implanted?
Has anyone been able to have an MRI once the procedure was done?

Thank you!

P.S. Gaussmeter typically ain't cheap! ( http://bit.ly/HAyYKs ) I might be willing to buy you one if you could ship it back to me after you take a measurement. Or we could make a shipping circle for other people to get a measurement... I will pay for shipping.

Couple of cheap ones on ebay... www.ebay.com/bhp/gauss-meter

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Comments

  • edited November 2013
    To the best of my knowledge, nobody has taken a Gauss reading post-implant. However, please remember that magnetic force falls off at a rate approximately proportional to the distance from the point measured squared. It depends on how deep in your chest cavity the VNS is implanted, but I doubt you'll get anything measurable at the VNS, much less 35 MGO. Also, the "MGO" rating on magnets bought online should be taken with a grain of salt; the geometry and size of the neodym come into play significantly.

    Several anecdotal reports state that MRIs are no issue simply due to the small size of the average neodym implant (typically ~3x1mm disc). If you're worried about it, just tell the MRI techs to shield it, they're trained for that kinda stuff. Also, there have been several reports that airport security etc. gave neodym implantees no issues.

    Finally, the implantation process is really not all that strenuous or traumatic. If you're nervous, consider contacting Steve Haworth to see if he has trained a piercer in your area to perform the procedure. I am not a medical or legal professional and I of course don't recommend you implant shit without the OK of your physician.
  • For what it's worth, I've taken readings of my fingertip magnets using the "TeslaBot" app on an iPhone. If I press the implant site directly over the sensor, it peaks around 5000 microtesla. This seems fairly consistent, minor fluctuations depending on hydration and orientation.
  • Saal- great information. Your comment about going through the skin on both sides got me thinking. The magnets bracelts I got from the surgeon have to at least go through the chest side of the equation. So i need the magnet in the finger to give a similar reading, at the finger tip, to what the dr. provided ones do. That should give me what i need. I appreciate yiur concern but I am pretty sure the Neurologist will look at me like... WTF?

    zombiegristle- i will need to find a conversion equation, as I do not how microtesla convert to gauss. Thank you very much for the numbes though. Can you point me toward the magnet you are using? Maybe I can buy one and borrow a friends iphone. Try and get some rough estimate of the strength difference once implanted.

    A big thanks for the input all.
  • Conversion:
    1 microtesla =0.01 gauss


    Hence:
    5000 microteslas = 50 gauss

    That sounds pretty good actually... Looking for this teslabot app.

  • I've got 2 of Steve Haworth's 3mm disc magnets. One in my ring finger, one in my index, and they both seem to have the same readings.
  • zombiegristle - I have not had a chance to measure the magnet on the bracelet yet, but I am thinking it will be a lot stronger than the one in your finger. A lot of times when we are out to eat, I will lift my hand up and a fork will be stuck to the magnet. Is your magnet strong enough to do something like that?

    On the flip side, I don't know if I would want a magnet that strong in my hand. I think I will purchase the magnet you have, and run it across my chest to see if it can trigger the VNS. That would be the quickest way to find out if this will work.

    Worst case scenario, I get all the cool features that everyone talks about with the magnet, but it won't trigger my VNS. Still sounds pretty good.
  • No, mine will not come close to lifting a fork - I can do staples, paperclips, and bottlecaps.
  • I am thinking that if you had a magnet with that strength in your finger, it would not be too much fun.
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