M31 rejection :(

edited February 2015 in Procedures
I am sad to report that last night, one of my M31's was rejected (I know, I know... there's always one!). I implanted two of them last Sunday (6th Oct), and after 7 days my middle finger had had enough. The initial swelling went down after 3 days, but returned by day 5 in that finger and got progressively more red and swollen. After lancing and draining a good amount of pus last night, the magnet soon surfaced under the skin and had to be released. My ring finger looks absolutely fine however, and is completely unharmed.

The only things I can think of are that when I implanted the magnet, I might have placed it too deep and pocketed slightly into flesh rather than just beneath the skin. It may have been sat with it's edge against the skin instead of the flat side, and my finger simply did not like the positioning (this is just an assumption though). OR that something got into the wound during the healing process (as the swelling went down to normal then flared again). Could have been clothing fluff, a bit of dust on something I touched, or even too much right-clicking on my mouse might've upset it. Funny thing is, it's this one that initially healed up the fastest!

Without a microscope I can't tell for sure, but the coating on the rejected M31 looks undamaged, so the blame - or more appropriately, the poor luck - certainly looks to be on me. I will have to keep it aside and try again in a few weeks, once my finger has sorted itself out. I'm quite sad that it didn't want to be my friend, but at least I'm no longer asking myself "Will it? Won't it?".... Let's just hope the other one is happy staying where it is!

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  • Aww yeah sorry to hear that. I think from the lancing and the puss it's safe to say that the wound got infected somehow which caused the rejection. Irritation alone from improper placement shouldn't cause puss, and definitely not such a large build-up in such a short amount of time. @Glims? Any ideas?

    Glad it worked out and the wound appears to be healing properly. If it remains puffy and sore, you may have to head to the doc for a quick visit.
  • Yeah definitely, I also think it became infected during the healing rather than the actual implantation, as I said it looked to be healing quite nicely at first but then took a turn for the worse. Pretty gutted really, but that's just the risk we take by shoving bits of metal in our skin. I've had a good track record with 27 out of 30 piercings sticking anyway, so that luck can't hold out forever!

    Yeah, if the swelling persists I'll see my GP, possibly get it lanced again and a course of antibiotics. A buddy of mine said to tell him I had a bit of glass stuck in there! xD

    Even so, I'd like to give a huge thanks to @Cassox and @Glims for producing these magnets!! And of course thank you @Amal for preparing them for retail! My ring finger is still holding up nicely, and will hopefully soon be good enough to start playing around with!
  • cool. i might be going out of my element here a bit, but i think it's likely that the initial implantation procedure is where the infection was introduced, and it took a couple days to build up steam... bacteria multiplies exponentially so it might take time to ramp up, but once going it goes nuts. anyway, really glad things are sorting out.
  • Well, this was bound to happen. Can't win em all. It sounds like an infection, but just to be sure, I would like to buy this magnet off you so that I can study it for surface verification and other issues. Please pm me. 
  • Thanks, it's already much less painful! Still a little swollen but not nearly as angry now. That's certainly possible, I just figured it might've set in later as it got better then worse, but I'd wager you know far more than I do!

    Yeah exactly, as I said I'm full of piercings so am totally aware of the risks. I'm just disappointed it had to be me! Lol My apologies for putting a damper on the release too :( Perhaps my pre-op clean wasn't perfect, or I unconsciously touched something I shouldn't have (keyboard/mouse probably, bah) between bandages. I'm sure the magnet is fine, but understand your concern in wanting to test it!
  • Was it just straight pus? Or did it start getting bloody? 

    Side question on a similar topic:  Does anyone know how severe an infection is if the only fluid released when lanced is black blood? (No, I don't have any infections that bad at the moment, but I did at one point.)
  • It was just straight pus when I lanced it. I did have a little blood when removing the magnet a little later on, although that was while the magnet exited the wound. I don't recall seeing any before then.

    As for black blood, I've only seen that where the blood has gotten old and deoxygenised, usually trapped in a blood blister or something. But other than that I'm afraid I'm unsure.
  • edited October 2014
    One of my M31's also rejected.
  • That's sad to hear :( Was yours also due to an infection?

    I suppose losing one has made me all the more protective and aware of the other! I've been super careful not to let it knock against things and get stuck to door handles etc... Typing is the bugger because it keeps catching the metal clips under my keys!
  • edited October 2014
    No, I believe the insition was not made deep enough. After a week the wound on my ring finger was fine, however the one on my index wouldnt heal. I could see half of the golden magnet through my skin. After 10 days the wound would still open up so I decided to pull it out.
  • Update: my middle finger has pretty much fully recovered now! No sign of infection, and the skin is healed, albeit missing a layer or two. I'll give it a few weeks to heal up good and proper, then try again.

    @dezie_mm
    I agree it sounds like it wasn't deep enough, especially if the magnet itself was not allowing the wound to close properly. When I did my ring finger I had to remove the magnet and continue enlarging the pocket otherwise I could still see it. That one has kept in place and is (almost) fully healed now. Hope your other/s healed well too!
  • After almost a month I have decided to take out the magnet. The wound never fully healed and the magnet surfaced. I tried to move it with another magnet and even wedged it back in but to no avail. Now I am waiting for the finger to heal up so I can have it redone. It should be safe to re-implant right?

    On a side note, I have pictures of most days since the procedure and plan on making an album showing how the finger looked up to removal.
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