This is a repeat of an email I sent last night, this time with pictures.
Hey team DT,
I had a NExT implanted into the webbing of my left hand two years ago and I just noticed that it has migrated and settled behind my thumb’s metacarpal and seems to be putting pressure on some nerves. Do they typically migrate up this far? Are there mitigation techniques to get it to work its way back? Is this cause for concern and/or should I consider having it removed?
Well, yesterday I had my commander handshaking me. He pressed my hand so so tight my chip made a 2 cm walk under my skin. It did hurt a little bit, but its whole… I pressed the chip way back to the “tunnel” it made inside my skin and it looks like its getting stable again.
Im not really sure, and this could be a dangerous thing to do, but i guesse if you press really tight with your tumb or have someone else do it for you while you have a strong closed fist, you may bet it back into place. Than you just put a tape over the “tunnel” it makes so it does not come back until skin is glued again…
But im not telling you to do it… because I thought my next could have break
Was this a sudden migration or has it slowly moved there? If it was sudden, encapsulation may have broken down and released the chip to move around freely. That can happen for various reasons unrelated to physical injury or impact… things like negative changes to sleep regimen, stress, diet, etc. can basically lead to sudden migration. Recovery is possible for most people. The first thing would be to move the chip back into place manually and then corralling it with toothpicks or some other type of splint and then tightly taping that down to the skin to keep the chip from moving. Then you would need to address your physical stressors and take prenatal vitamins (for pregnant women) to boost collagen and fibrin production.
If the chip slowly moved there over time however, it may just be encapsulated and stuck there. Moving it would require that encapsulation be broken, which may require a scalpel to be honest. I would say if it’s not causing any problems then it should be fine where it is, but then you say…
Why do you think this is the case? What are you experiencing? Tingling? Numbness? Pain?
A bit of an intermittent tingle, radiating along the v of my thumb and forefinger. The NExT itself is definitely more noticeably there when I’m actively using my thumb, meaning I can feel it internally, not that it’s more visually noticeable.
It had been more in the meaty part of the webbing a few weeks ago and had been there for over a year, so it wasn’t too slow of a migration. I honestly can’t say for sure when it wound up where it is now, but I realized that had moved yesterday.
sounds like it has “broken loose” and decided to go on walkabout. how has your stress level, sleep, and diet been the last few weeks? those things can basically loosen the encapsulation around the chip and it can start moving on you.
having sensations of tingling is not great. it might be causing a pinch, and if it continues it should probably come out and possibly get re-installed after autoclaving by a professional. alternatively you can try to move it back into position. if it moved suddenly then it’s probably loose under the skin and you should be able to coax it back toward a more ideal location… then strap down some toothpicks making a little box around it to keep it from moving again. after it’s in place, take prenatal vitamins and get good rest and try to get your body to re-encapsulate it… it might take several days, which is a pain I know… but better than having to cut it out.
