Interesting thought, Katie. Is there a specific blood test for nickel allergy?
How do you know about your allergy? From reaction to jewelry?
I don't have any known allergies, but that does not mean I am not allergic to something I don't know about (I am a guy, so I don't wear earrings, maybe if I did, I would discover a nickel allergy
They did all the standard blood work on me before every surgery and it was good enough to send me into space. I did ask them if the material in the Prodiscs may cause rejection or some reaction and they said "no," for whatever that is worth. My disks cemented themselves well and there were no issues with them sliding out, no infection, no excessive swelling, or other red flags, so I don't know what to think.
There may still be a subtle reaction that manifests itself as this fusing over but I have yet to see anything in scientific literature that would shed light on it.
I do know that I am not alone. As more ADR is done, there are more reports of autofusion happening. I, personally, still suspect facet joint hypertrophy as an under-appreciated predisposition for ADR problems down the road. IMHO, from what I've read by now, fusion is probably better than ADR in cases like this.