Hey y’all! After the recs of the very nice people in my first (ever) thread, I got the (blue) NExT2. It arrived today (yippee!) and I tried to (naively) self-install… to no avail. Needle doesn’t look damaged/bent, even under a macro lens. It couldn’t get into the skin past the very tip of it, but still drew a bit of blood. I think this could be due to one of two things: either my skin is thick as hell or I have a comically, comically low pain tolerance (most likely the latter). I think I should see someone who actually Has Experience with these kinds of things, although I haven’t heard of anyone in NYC over here. Also, the PMK et al is still out of stock, so I have no clue how to source anasthetic. So I guess my questions for y’all are as follows:
Any professionals/partners in NYC?
Any other ways to source anesthetic?
Would the needle be safe for reuse? If not, is there a way for me to swap out the now potentially unusable part for a new one without having to rebuy the entire set?
Exactly how stupid am I for attempting this myself lol
Dangerous Things also offers a service to sanitize and reload the implant into a new syringe iirc.
Edit: I remembered incorrectly, they don’t
In terms of pain management, for these injectable type installs its generally considered not needed. It’s painful, but certaintly not unbearable, and only lasts for 15 seconds or so. As tac0s and Amal can attest, I’m a big ol’ baby and managed it fine. Of course your milage will vary. There are some topical numbing gels you can get over the counter. I tried some for my first flex install. It wasn’t super effective but you can give it a tey if you’d like
I knew what I was getting myself into (vaguely /s) so this was somewhat to be expected from me lol
By this I mean the extreme tip of the needle, top like 0.05mm, gets caught under the skin and the rest barely makes contact.
I know that best practice is to never reuse a needle (duh) but considering it’s still perfectly intact under macro, the only other thing to worry about is sterility. Obviously won’t - just a consideration / random intrusive thought. Also, is the implant already in the needle tip or before it? Because then I was thinking I could swap out the tip for a new one. Dunno
Looks to be about… a 30h walk xD
I know that’s the closest partner on the map - is there anything in the city potentially mentioned in the forum that’s trusted, even off the list? Otherwise I might have to try my luck with random nearby shops :>
Will have to check that out - probably what I’ll need
At least it did stop me from pushing it in - maybe thats moreso a psychological issue though? Thanks for the rec though, I remember dt also sold topical a while back
So, we do not typically do this because we just don’t keep a ton on hand. As @Jammyjellyfish mentioned, the service was geared towards flexies. We are willing to sterilize an x-series but we can’t guarantee that we’ll have an appropriate injector handy.
Needle would not be safe to reuse, id send it back to get it resteralized if I were you.edit: Disregard, didn’t know it wasn’t available for xseries
So I’ve done a few self installs. I have to tell you there is a mental block that you need to overcome to do a self install. It has nothing to do with pain tolerance and everything to do overcoming your own mental barrier of hurting yourself.
Start pounding the pavement, and approaching piercers.
There should be enough information below to provide yourself and a potential installer all the knowledge you need.
Here is a VERY informative FAQ about x-Series implants, some of which is covered below. But it is recommend you read these FAQs.
There are piercing partners but if there is none near you any body piercer should be able to implant this for you.
A doctor, nurse or medic would be able to but they will likely take more convincing…
A self or assisted install is possible,
The following links that will make this very clear that it is easy to do
As long as you have used good aseptic techniques during the installation process, the healing should take care of its self with minimal maintenance. x-Series a simple hydrocolloid plaster for the first 48hrs or so, then leave it open to heal naturally; adhering to standard hygiene practices
Flex Should be very similar to the x-Series, if using the Dangerous Things 4G piercing needle and steristrips however, the plaster should be left on longer, and further considerations if stitches/ sutures were used.
Post installation, the body will begin to encapsulate the tag with fibrous collagen tissue. To help this process along, you can take pre-natal vitamins, which has collagen and keratin boosting properties helping build collagen and connective tissues.
Also a little common sense wouldn’t go astray…
no weight lifting /rock climbing /shooting /superhero-ing
@AstroOrbis, Your other option was my original method, where there were basically no installers within a multi-hour drive of me save for Detroit:
Do you have any close friends/family that happen to be in the medical field? Nurse, EMT, retired military medic, hell, even a med student? Pretty much anyone who’s been taught to do a blood draw at any point can easily adapt their knowledge to putting something in, given the documentation.
My installer is simply an EMT in my family. I brought it up, explained the concept, told them what it could do, and asked them if they’d install if I ordered it that day. They said yes, and a few weeks later I was face down on their kitchen table with a needle getting shoved into my wrist. (Yes, it was clean and there was a sterile field.)
And guess what, for them; Now they are talking with a local tattoo shop about becoming a call-in installer. Win win.
When I checked it was probably a year ago. I wasn’t told there was someone who could do it who was booked, I was told they straight up didn’t do it and got referred to Johnross at Mean Street Tattoo outside of the city (who did an excellent job). It’s good to hear there is a place in the city now!
with these kinds of things, although I haven’t heard of anyone in NYC over here. Also, the PMK et al is still out of stock, so I have no clue how to source anasthetic. So I guess my questions for y’all are as follows:
/rock climbing 
/shooting 
/superhero-ing 
