A thread to share lessons you learned on your biohacking jurney.
I’ll start:
know your shit I believe knowing the exact process of installation is very important, even though someone else installs it
be patient installs take time, when people say “it took 10 minutes” they usually seem to mean the actual install, but there’s more: planning & preparing. Talking with my installer usually takes longer than the installing. All my installs took over 30min, without the small talk
skin is thick it’s suprisingly hard to get the needle in, but once it’s in it’s easy
DIWhy maybe I’m just lucky and biased, but I believe there’s always a way to get it done professionally. Which leads to:
dont be cheap we’re used to devices being expensive, but implants are cheap for what they are, the install should cost a significant part of the price of the implant or more
chill you can worry too much, you can baby your hand/arm too much, you can check your wound too often… just give it time
I’m basically still a noob so take my lessons learned with
To add to the be patient bit, I would add the same advice for healing and scanning in the first few days. A lot of people panic because they can’t scan their implant at first. It can take over a week for some people to be able to reliably scan, due to swelling. The same goes for xLED or xSIID brightness. Some are lucky, and have full brightness out the gate (yours truly ) but most have slight bleeding for weeks, obscuring the brightness. Your body went through trauma, give it a minute
I would also add: have a use case for your particular implant before you buy it, and understand its limits. There’s a lot who post here “I just got a Spark 2 put in, how do I put my credit card on it?”.
Implants & RFID as a whole have a lot of intricacies for compatibility and capability, and if you don’t research them beforehand, you’re inevitably setting yourself up for disappointment.
This point can be mitigated a lot by buying a bundle . Not only is it a good deal, but having a KBR-1 for example gives most people an immediate daily use case for an implant.
Nice idea! And you both actually already said a lot of helpful things
Just to add a little bit about the installation process…
it’s normal to be a bit nervous about it, especially if you’re doing it for the first time, so find a place and an installer you’re comfortable with. The usual “how to choose a good piercing studio”-rules always apply, plus it’s always good to find an installer who’s willing to help you if something goes wrong during the healing process, or even after that.
take your time and plan well. If you have to hurry, if you’re afraid your bus / train may be late, you can’t find a parking lot or whatever, you will have an unhealthy level of stress even before arriving. I usually take at least one bus or train earlier than I’d have to. It can be nice to wander around a bit before going to the studio, especially if you’re nervous. Take some deep breaths, and remember you’re doing something you are going to be happy with, ideally.
eat and drink enough. Have a good breakfast, and maybe bring some snacks along. Dried fruits are a nice thing to have, or maybe cereal bars.
be nice to yourself. A mod, be it a piercing, tattoo or an implant, is something strenuous for your body. Adrenaline goes up (and down again, usually making you feel a bit tired), there is a new wound that has to heal, all that stuff. I usually treat myself especially well on a mod-day, including sleeping enough, eating enough and generally do some “wellness-y” stuff. Most of the time, sleeping a lot helps with healing, at least for me
It’s perfectly fine to get two implants installed in P0 in one sitting
In addition to bringing snacks along, a cold drink, especially if it’s a sugary one, can be super helpful if your blood sugar drops
There’s no shame in getting light headed or even passing out - it’s just your bodies reaction to the situation. But also know, that even if you’re someone (like me) who hates blood tests / vaccinations, and nearly passes out with them, that you can still get implants. Do give your installer a heads up though, there are things they can do / be prepared for that can help, such as doing the install lying down, focusing more on distraction, etc.
Don’t just plan the installation process (studio, appointment time etc.), plan for the future - you won’t know what’s going to come out over the next 2-10 years, and you won’t always know what you want until you’ve had at least a bit of experience with implants. In the other hand, don’t worry too much - removals are definitely possible, especially if you don’t want it back / to be reinserted, often a doctor can help with removals even if they won’t install.
Don’t be afraid / embarrassed / ashamed of using numbing, whether topical or injected even for xSeries. If the pain / installation is a desired part of the whole experience for you, great! If not though, numbing can be a great way to make the installation a bit easier. Everyone’s pain tolerance is different too, so keep that in mind when reading about other people’s experiences.
xSeries range is definitely quite small - I would definitely suggest trying to find someone’s experiences using your model of phone with implants, ideally noting whether or not they can get a read through a case if you’re planning to use one too
Even if you’re super bony, with relatively little fat / muscle in your hands, your implants aren’t necessarily going to be super visible. They might be, and you should definitely be prepared for that, but they also might be invisible. Implants are smaller than you might think, and while I was concerned about how visible mine would be, they’ve turned out to be practically invisible
I got some good reads through a case with an iPhone. but can agree the range is small. I think a flex one would be the better choice if you want to have good read range. But maybe some of the others can agree or disagree.
I would like to add on to the last point. My two implants at L0 and R0 were both quite visible for a little over a month until they settled in. Now I have to put tension on the skin in order to see them clearly.
) but most have slight bleeding for weeks, obscuring the brightness. Your body went through trauma, give it a minute 
. Not only is it a good deal, but having a KBR-1 for example gives most people an immediate daily use case for an implant.
