[Katie]

I thought I would bring this thread alive again, since it affects me and possibly others so greatly. I also have the same reaction to jewelery as the OP, and someone recently recommended that I have a blood test done at Rush University in Chicago.

The results show that I am extremely reactive to Nickel, which is present in almost all spine hardware in different amounts, as well as highly allergic to cobalt, chromium, molybdenum, iron, and several others. Basically there are no current ADR appliances out there in common use that I can use that I've yet found.

My surgeon was quite concerned when I first brought up my Nickel allergy, as there were at least four cases reported at the last major spine conference in London, England this past May. The patients had to have major revision surgery done after months of trying to find the cause of their post-op illness.

While this is not common, it is a very serious complication which deserves investigation before surgery. The testing was initially started because of problems after hip and knee replacement surgeries. Sixty percent of the surgeries with problems afterwards were concluded to be caused by metal allergies. Some presented like infections, some had other symptoms.

Thankfully there has been progress made in this area. I am one of the lucky ones who benefited from being tested before surgery.