I have a magnetic body modification implant in my hand (got it done 2 years ago) and I have an MRI scheduled for Tuesday that I can’t do with it in.
NHS won’t remove it (says it’s cosmetic), private hospitals say it needs surgical removal due to nerve proximity and won’t do it, A&E refused as non-emergency.
Does anyone know:
Body mod artists in Oxfordshire/surrounding areas who do safe implant removal?
Private clinics that specialize in this?
Anyone who’s had similar removal done in the UK?
I’m willing to travel reasonable distance from Banbury/Oxford area. This is genuinely urgent for medical reasons.
You might be stuck going to a less than qualified body modification artist.
I’m sorry but what kind of healthcare system would endanger a patient by being completely inept when it comes to foreign body removal? What if you had a giant sliver? Would they refuse? What the actual hell is going on here… this is like the 10th person from a socialized healthcare system country that has had legitimate procedures like an MRI refused because they could not get a simple subdermal foreign object removed. Say what you want about American healthcare but Jesus fucking Christ there is no goddamn way any doctor here would refuse to remove a subdermal like a magnet… especially if it was necessary to undergo an MRI procedure.
Sorry for all the ranting… it just frustrates me that apparently the entire medical industry there is willing to put you at risk because nobody has the “skill” to essentially remove a large sliver from your paw. I’m enraged on your behalf.
You might have to leave the country honestly. Thinking medical tourism baby. Tuesday is less than a week away.
Thanks for the rant - honestly needed to hear someone else say how mental this situation is.
You’re absolutely right about the splinter thing - if I’d had an accident and got metal stuck in my hand, they’d remove it immediately. But because I chose to put it there, suddenly it’s “cosmetic” and they won’t touch it even though I need it out for medical reasons.
The whole system is backwards. I’ve got a medically necessary MRI that can’t happen, but apparently that doesn’t matter because of how the metal got there in the first place.
Looking at body mod artists now since the medical route is a complete dead end. Tuesday is getting close but hopefully someone in the community can help where the healthcare system won’t.
Appreciate the support - was starting to think I was going mad with how ridiculous this all is.
Sadly this situation is identical to several other people dealing with the NHS. I also think someone in Canada has the same issue. Confounds the mind.
People say Americans are litigious but this is exactly the kind of situation where a lawsuit against the government would be completely founded… at least here it would be heard seriously. I don’t know what the legal system is like over there but endangering patients for such an arbitrary and petty reason would be grounds for some major punishment in the form of cold hard cash. I wish it was possible to just sue for people’s jobs instead of taking money out of an already beleaguered healthcare system, but taking their money is the only stick people have to make things right.
I can’t help and have no knowledge about the british healthcare system, but this reminded me of when I had to have my old Steve Haworth magnet removed. As fucked up as our Luxembourgish healthcare system is with sometimes incredibly long wait times (up to a year even for serious illnesses). I got an appointment within a couple of weeks with a surgeon at a hospital who removed the implant and the entire ordeal was paid by the government. This drives me nuts, as other people seriously suffer in my country while stuff like this just works for some reason. Sorry, I had to join the rant.
go to the NHS and tell them you suspect it’s broken because it hurts.
they don’t know what an implant is meant to look like when perfectly intact, you can say any number of things about the way it looks to suggest it’s compromised. (IE the bubbles in the resin within)
I’m guessing they’re saying it’s not their problem because your MRI isn’t an emergency (as in for cauda equina syndrome). I might fall into the same rules about tattoo removal on the NHS. Lots of red tape!
You could always approach Nuffield, Spire or Circle and one of their general surgeons (or derm or max fax) might do it. This obviously won’t happen by Tuesday though. And it will be pricey, but depending on who does it they might class it as a minor procedure, rather than booking theatre time.
Happen to have any friends that are doctors, or even nurse practitioners? Removal is similar enough to a contraceptive implant removal, which LARC trained GPs, or sexual health services doctors, do all the time. Some advanced paramedics will have done scalpel work and rudimentary suturing. I know I’m clutching but might help you out of your pinch?
A vet? Would either have to be a friend or very cash in hand and off the books with no comeback, but then would probs be pricey.
At one time, I would have also said have a go at digging it out yourself, but I once tried to remove a faulty implant and messed it up.
Good luck. Update us as to what, if anything, happens.