Over one year, no problems.

Well, it's been well over a year since I received my magnetic implant. I figured it would be a good time to give a retrospective view of what it has been like. There are a few topics that stand out, so I broke them up:

Dreams:
Since the first week of having the implant, I have periodically had dreams of the magnet falling out. I'll be picking at it in a dream, and it will squeeze out like a splinter, or it will just fall out. It may be a subconscious awareness of the implant slowly healing out of my body, or it may just be random dreams. In any case, after it happens in the dream I feel a sense of loss, giving me a glimpse of how I would feel if the implant did indeed heal out or warranted removal.

Injuries:
Just like any other part of the body, the tissue in the finger is subject to bruising and irritation. While it's not a constant problem or a hindrance to daily activity, I'll occasionally tweak it "just right" to cause pain and throbbing. Smacking my hand down on a concrete floor, for example, bruised the area. Rolling an object across it, like you would do losing grip on a metal bar, pushes the implant in just the wrong way to really squeeze it uncomfortably. In all these cases the finger was a bit sensitive, and the sense provided by the implant was dulled or numb for a bit.

EM Sensations:
The sensations, of course, have been the best part of the implant. Many things in our daily environment cause many varied and sometimes predictable feelings. I now know the buzz of a fluorescent light ballast without thinking about it. I still find joy in exploring the intangible parts of an object, sweeping my hand near a generator to feel the field or probing store displays for hidden permanent magnets. It's become another tool I use to indulge my curiosity.

Big Magnets:
I have developed a strong aversion to permanent magnets. I consciously keep my implant finger away from them, balling my hand into a fist to protect it when one becomes too close. Large magnets produce strong sensations, but often leave the implant numb for awhile. It's a bit like staring into a bright light and having to wait for the spot to disappear to see again. It's very easy to injure tissue around the implant by exposing the magnet to another strong magnet. I'd say during healing, and well after, permanent magnets should be carefully avoided. I've seen pictures of others with implants suspending a strong sphere magnet, and it makes me cringe to imagine the sensation. Perhaps this sensitivity is unique to the type of implant I used. A very strong magnet, such as a "super magnet" from united nuclear or an MRI, could very VERY easily rip the magnet from the finger, or even worse, drag it deep inside the body doing untold damage. Big magnets are BAD.

Party Tricks:
While it seems demeaning to reduce it to a party trick, many people simply cannot believe or grasp that you have a magnetic implant. They DEMAND proof. Since my implant is so small, it does not easily affect metal objects. It's just strong enough to drag a beer bottle cap across a smooth surface, but not pick it up. I did this to the amazement of a 'street magician' performing in a local hangout, who then asked me how I did it. I told him "magic!" Another interesting trick is to balance a piece of silverware so it rotates freely and coax it to spin without touching it. Really it's just a neat trick, and I'd never be motivated to get an implant for just this reason.

All in all, I'd love to see this enter the mainstream. It's an incredible extension of human perception, and is extremely easy to achieve. We have implantable RFID chips, heart monitoring devices, and many other medical tools, so hopefully it's just a matter of time before this will be available to many more people. I'll continue to post new experiences and insight here, and hopefully keep the interest alive for those who still need convincing that this is an awesome and highly functional body modification.