Had a laparoscopy yesterday.

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 9:02 am

Yup, that's how my nickel allergy started...itchy, crusty earring holes when I wore fake earrings. Over the years, even gold and low-nickel surgical stainless earrings started to bother me. Now I only wear nickel free sterling silver or platinum. Most watches cause redness and itching, and grommets on jeans cause a rash on my outer thighs...basically anything with prolonged skin contact. I just learned Levi's and Banana Republic have nickel free components on their jeans...time to replace my jeans!

Did you get the TRUE test as part of your allergy testing? It tests for a variety of metals and chemicals. I wish I had, but now I have to wait until I'm off prednisone. MELISA is another, perhaps better, test for metal allergies.

Nickel allergy is significant, IMHO, because it is everywhere, including our food and water, and can therefore be a source of chronic inflammation. I've also read that people with nickel allergies are usually reactive to other metals as well, including mercury, chromium, cobalt, cadmium, etc. and humans are exposed to high quantities of metals all the time now in our electronics, homes, etc. Of course mercury is in fish, water, vaccines, amalgam fillings and God knows what else. I'm getting my last 2 metal fillings out this month.

Incidentally, have you had braces? Any metal in your mouth? I think my braces as a preteen triggered my nickel allergy.

From what I've read, people with autoimmunity and metal allergies can have the non-specific ANA pattern like you and me. Mine is speckled which is not Lupus-specific.

This may be a wild goose chase, but I'm convinced my metals sensitivity has some connection to my condition. I'm trying to eat a low nickel diet now, which means no chocolate among other things. Of course maybe the metals allergy is just a symptom of an otherwise hypersensitive immune system?

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 9:16 am

Incidentally, I also learned that nickel is eliminated in stool and in sweat (not urine), which may explain my bizarre allergy to my own sweat. My face turns red and burns when I sweat, and I get a prickly heat rash on my torso.

Denise · Post by **Denise** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 11:55 am

Interesting since I was a kid I cannot wear earrings because they holes would get infected. Once in a while I wear 14K only. I had many fillings I have two old fillings I will request to have replace next month.

Deb · Post by **Deb** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 6:16 pm

Interesting, my pierced ears never healed (as a teen). I have a bad nickel allergy and really don't wear any jewelry anymore. My neck broke out with moles wearing 18k gold. I had 13 cavities at two years old and have had a mouth full of fillings ever since. Many have been replaced with porcelain but I still have a few originals. Deb

jgivens · Post by **jgivens** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 7:33 pm

This discussion is fascinating. I have a friend in her early thirties with all kinds of autoimmune issues--the rashes, the joint pain and swelling off and on. She battles sore throats and mono-like symptoms. I don't think that she has ever said anything about any gut issues, but she runs fevers off and on and feels lousy a great deal of the time. Doctors cannot figure out what she's got--it's not lupus, not RA, they've ruled out a bunch of different things at U of M and she has been made to feel like a mental case.

After reading about Amber and Zizzle, I am willing to bet she is dealing with something similar if not the very same thing. A lot of cancer in her family of origin, though. I find the genetic linking very interesting.

I really think that my son is probably a candidate for MC some day soon. He is pretty careful about his foods until he isn't. Reminds me of an addict the way he craves certain really bad foods for himself.

I do have him talked into taking higher amounts of Vitamin D. When I have the Enterolab testing done, I think I will do the genetic panel as well.

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 11:12 pm

Please read my earlier posts containing the research abstracts related to nickel/metals allergy, amalgam fillings, and autoimmunity here:

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewt ... 9&start=60

Fish2575 · Post by **Fish2575** » Wed Jan 16, 2013 10:00 pm

Couple of things...

1. I get inflammation in my stomach and esophagus too, but it is absolutely triggered by certain food intolerances.

2. I got this random car oven for my car, so that I could take a cooler with me with buffalo and zucchini in it, or broth. I plug it into the cigarette lighter and it heats up to 300 degrees. I was absolutely giddy the first time I used it! No more cold burgers! If you had something like this it might let you take food with you when you are out on the town. Really it just sucks! Sorry you have to deal with this so young!

If it makes you feel any better, I am still struggling right along with you. Also, since my family is so strongly autoimmune, they just admitted my niece (11) into SD children's hospital for continual unexplained colon pain!

Hope you can kick this soon! Susie
Hope that is helpful and not depressing!

amberlink09 · Post by **amberlink09** » Thu Jan 17, 2013 3:56 pm

Definitely looking into the nickel thing, as I know have a strange rash all over my legs, but it's not itchy... I don't even know what my body is doing anymore!

I'm definitely going to have to look into the car oven! If for no other reason than we have no microwave at work and it would be so nice to eat hot foods! Also I'm very sorry to hear about your niece, I hope the doctors figure it out soon. I know my IBS-like issues started around 10 and none of my doctors took me seriously and one referred me to a therapist. 8 years later... Celiac disease! I hope she will get the help she needs quickly.