No one will remove it!

[vinotinto88]

So long story short - we are hoping to TTC our third and final baby.

It's pretty much now or never - certain work opportunities and home finances etc, plus my age. And I'm so broody it's unreal.

My GP won't remove my implant, no clinic within a 20 mile radius will remove my implant.

I've called and hassled and nagged everyone. The last person I called said it'll be well over a year before their clinic is up and running again.

I know this is totally a first world problem. And it's more a whinge than seeking any kind of solution. I just had my heart set on it.

Has anyone else up and down the country managed to get their contraception sorted?

The stupid thing is, my friends GP wont give her the contraceptive injection shes due!

@IndiaMay How negligent is that!

It's pretty outrageous tbh!

Only time sensitive work is being done. Abortions are time sensitive, removal of implants can wait until the autumn without a problem.

removal of implants can wait until the autumn without a problem

Not if you're experiencing negative side effects.

okie no a choice can't wait till autumn. If you were bleeding daily and wanted it out you should get it out. It's not healthy or convenient or even nice to bleed daily till autumn! And if you want to TTC you want to TTC not wait for everyone else to decide when you can make choices about your own body!

Time sensitive means I'm not allowed a choice over my own body?

vino do you think your partner/husband would help you do it? If nobody gets back to you. I am fully aware I probably shouldn't be advising this but needs must as they say 😳

Also OP you can buy "tattoo numbing cream" or EMLA cream 5% without a prescription to the numb the skin like they do at the clinic, I know I know too much about this.

@CoachBombay I have no doubt in his ability to do it. He's pretty good at tricky stuff and has a strong stomach. In actual fact he would probably enjoy it. But as his wife he's already expressed his reluctance should something go wrong. I don't think he would be willing to take the risk. If it was a splinter or a spot he would be digging it out in a heart beat. But I sent him a YouTube video and it put him off!

I had this fight over removal of my implant to, that that was years ago. At this point I had just been booked in to have my womb lining lasered off too. I'd been bleeding heavily for months with the odd day off here and there. They gave me the spiel about not wanting any more children and I asked them to look at why they'd given me it in the first place - for heavy bleeding not contraceptive purposes. The implant did give me about 18m of relief in fairness, but after that I was in a worse state than I'd been before. I told them it was coming out and it was down to them whether they did it or I did. They did it themselves after that. It's so frustrating. That said with the pandemic it won't be helping at all.

Oh bless him. I can understand though it is a bit grim.

It is hard to do yourself but not impossible. I think yes tell the GP you will attempt it yourself if there's no action and see what they say.

How close is it to the surface of your skin, OP?

@peperethecat It's visible if I move it around. My only issue is where I've had a few in and out over the years the only way out is by cutting over a scar.

@CoachBombay I will probably try that on Tuesday. All else fails I live close to a minor injuries unit. Do you think they would give it a bash.

If you are cutting through scar tissue just make sure you have a very sharp scalpel and you will need to apply more pressure than "fresh skin" but not too much more.

I don't think minors would do it, but if it goes wrong they can sort it out/finish it for you I suppose. Having said this all that can really go wrong is it break they will juts remove the remainder. It's not like you are cutting down deep so even bleeding unless you have a clotting issue/diabetes won't be massive issue to deal with.

If you press down on the lower end, does the upper end poke up out of your skin?

If you're determined to do it then you'll need to thoroughly clean the area with iodine solution, then use a sterilised scalpel to make a very small incision where the end of the implant is. Once you've got a hole in the skin you wiggle it around until you can see the end of the implant poking out and then you very carefully remove it with tweezers. Then clean the area again with something antiseptic and bandage it carefully.

I'm not sure I would do it myself but then I haven't been in this situation. Be very careful if you do attempt it, and if anything goes wrong go straight to your GP and wave your bleeding arm at them until they sort it out for you. Although I've heard that A&E is quite quiet at the moment.

You will also probably want to numb the area with ice and take some paracetamol beforehand. No painkillers that thin the blood. I think I had a local anaesthetic when I had mine out so I would expect it to be quite painful.

@peperethecat Yep the end will poke out so it's visible. You've made it sound really simple - do you reckon I could cut the skin and then "push it" till it pokes out and then grab it?

Yes when I had mine removed that's what they did. They made a very small cut, maybe 3mm, and then wiggled the implant until the end was just poking out. It looked like the end of a piece of spaghetti. Then they grabbed the end with tweezers (make sure they are sterile, ideally buy a new, very sharp pair and then sterilise them) and pulled it out very slowly.

There may be complications if you have any scar tissue on the inside and it doesn't come out smoothly. That's why you pull very slowly, to make sure you don't injure yourself if the implant has fused to tissue and doesn't come out easily. If you have managed to get hold of the end with tweezers and it doesn't come out when you pull carefully, stop, bandage yourself up and go straight to a doctor.

I second @peperethecat advice.

That's what I have done, pushed down on one end till I can see the other end, tiny cut and wiggled and pushed the end till the tip came through the opening a bit. Then smooth slow motion of pulling on the other end with tweezers just like you would a giant splinter. Don't yank you risk it snapping it. You may need to wiggle a bit and push with the non tweezer hand if its adhered a bit to scar tissue. Once you've made the cut if you decide it's not for you, go to minors they will probably finish the job for you then.

I'll you both know if I grow any balls and attempt it myself!!!!

I'll let*

Oh gosh this three is making my knees wobble! I've had three implants removed over the years and two of them were really tricky. The worst took 90 minutes and the nurse was in her 'last go before I refer you to a surgeon" when she got it out. She had to push bits of my arm tissue back into to hole afterwards, you definitely need to be fully sterile for that, and it would have killed without the local anaesthetic.

On a similar note my friend recently had major surgery on her right elbow. Lockdown happened a few days after and her GP surgery called and changed the appointment for stitches removal to over the phone. The nurse just said "they need to come out today" despite the fact she insisted she lived alone and couldn't reach the back of her elbow, let alone see it. No further advice. My friend used kitchen scissors and an old pair of tweezers to remove 7/8 of the stitches (she accidentally missed one). Two days later the nurse called back and asked if she needed a sterile stitch removal pack couriered to her house....bit late by then!!

@Wanderer1 They wouldn't remove her stitches?? That's unbelievable. Basic necessary care.