Rejected.

Exactly three weeks after implantation, the Parylene coated magnet emerged from my finger. I have several theories as to why the implantation process failed, but will first describe the events of the past week.

Last Saturday I made an entry describing what I saw could be beginning of the end. The small cut on the surface of my finger still had not healed, and exploratory poking revealed an unhealed pocket and what looked like the tip of the magnet. I used a band-aid to keep the wound covered and treated it with Neosporin. Things seemed to be going OK, but at the same time it was not healing as I'd hoped.

A week later, I took the bandage off for several hours and the events that had happened the previous week repeated themselves. The area around the magnet puffed up and a small discharge came through the cut. This time the discharge was yellowish - a sign that things weren't going well at all. It was at this point that I decided to remove the magnet.

After 3 weeks, the dark colored magnet could be seen from the original insertion point.

Squeezing just underneath the puffy tissue caused the magnet to peek out of the hole. I used another small magnet to pull on it and the implant loosely moved, held back by a small amount of transparent tissue. I used a sterile razor to make a small incision, which I did not feel at all. The magnet popped out easily at this point, followed by a tiny bit of blood.

After removal, the area was irritated.

My finger was a little bit sore afterwords, but without the magnet beneath the skin it has since healed much more quickly. The magnet itself appears to be completely intact. There was no tissue attached to it nor discoloration. The coating seems to have performed as expected, but due to it's exceptional lubricity the implant moved easily around inside. My theory is that the wound, being a puncture wound in nature, healed from the bottom up, moving the magnet along as it healed. Eventually it was just pushed out like a splinter. I believe the next attempt at implantation should most definitely have a suture. This would cause the surface to heal much more quickly, resulting in a more successful healing process.

The magnet is perfectly intact, and shows no signs of degradation.

It was discouraging to have the magnet come out so long after implantation, but at least it was a painless removal. I'm happy to see that the Parylene coating worked well and think that it is an excellent way to protect an implant. Even the small taste of extrasensory perception has propelled me to continue seeking a stable, long term implant. Additional magnet specimens will be arriving within a few days, so hopefully I will be attempting the procedure again soon.