Allergic to Chromium, Nickel and Cobalt in metal

[Old Codger]

Hi, All,

Well, I had my appointment with my surgeon on Tuesday, May 12, for my six week review of the surgery to remove the metal implant on my cervical spine.

He had no idea what the "green murky stuff" was. When asked why no one saved a vial of the g.m.s. for chemical analysis, his answer was that the lab at the hospital did not do that type of analysis. I mentioned that there are labs able to do spectograph analysis to learn what is the chemical composition. His answer was rather non-commital. I guess that he does not want his little world of fusions and ADR's to be upset by learning that patient's immune systems might react to anything foreign to the body.

I showed him the metal plate and screws that he took out of my body, and asked what color did he see the screws. He answered what I saw, too,... green! That color may be a function of the thickness of the anodizing of oxygen on the titanium... as reported by Mr. Titanium's site mentioned in one of my earlier posts.

Yes! I think that he is an excellent surgeon, and very capable with the scapel and all of the other tools of the trade. He is probably one of the best such around the nation, IMHO.

I challenged him, though, on his decision to give me a fusion rather than just clean out the formina. He mentioned his twenty years of experience that should give him knowledge of when a patient needed a fusion. However, at the time of my fusion, he had four years of experience, that I have been able to determine. IMHO, he was very much wanting to get another notch on his scapel handle for fusions. I mentioned that the fusion certainly has changed my life (what with four operations additional to the original one due to issues that may have been caused by having the fusion and the metal implant).

He stated that surgeons are telling people to put some of the metal, or whatever, on their arms under tape for 24 hours to see if they will react to the metal or whatever. My dermatologist said that at least 96 hours are needed for any reaction testing.
And remember that the metal, when implanted, will be inside of the body, and reacted on by many acids... such as the fluorine acids that are so strong that they etch glass and even titanium... with very little thought of whole body reactions by the dentist to the fluoride that they insist that water systems medicate people with every day of their lives to dubiously protect kids teeth... that could be better done by direct application of a fluoride, instead of the HFS that is added to the water (that comes out of the wet scrubbers of smoke stacks of certain industries demanded by the EPA to protect those in the area of the smoke, yet this HFS is loaded not only with fluorine (F) but also certain other poisons such as arsenic, lead and mercury).

Yes! I am rather "put-out" about the whole problem. I am very thankful that I lived through the ordeal. I did thank him for doing what all he and his assistants did to keep me alive. I lived! I learned! And have to live further with where I am today.

Do check whether you have a metal reactivity to what is going into your body. Do NOT just take the "good doctor's" word that most people do alright with the implant. YOU are NOT most people!!! You have a very unigue body, that may or may not respond to things in the same way as other persons bodies do.

Do question whether you really need drastic surgery, such as a fusion, or ADR. Putting up with the bad pain for an additional month, or what ever, to get an additional opinion may be less pain in the long run, even though it will be hard to see that at the time. And, YES! I do see a need for fusion's and ADR's in the BIG picture of medicine.

Hoping that telling my tale, and giving my thoughts, will help someone!

I thank all of those that have mentioned their tales. Those stories and information have helped me to think of where I will go in the future for my now messed up cervical spine. Luckily, I will not have as many years to tolerate my spine as some of you younger folks will have to tolerate yours. I have empathy for you!!!

I will report whether getting the metal out of me dissipates certain symptoms. Since nerves are involved, it may take a fair amount of time. I am thinking that by the end of a year's time, I will have some good results.

Wishing all wellness!
Old Codger

[Cynlite]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience and knowledge. I'm so sorry you had to go through all of the pain and misery. You have really got me thinking about getting metal tested even though I already have titanium in my knee. I think my body is okay with it but, hmmmmm. I am looking at surgery in Europe with the M6-C which had titanium endplates. The Mobi-C has a different combinations of metal in it btw.

I'm wondering, have you ever juiced? I'm amazed how freshly made juice at home with ginger and lemon or lime in it can really help the body to feel better. An example is that I woke up one morning with a splitting headache. I knew it was not the usual migraine type headache I get from my cervical discs but, rather toxicity from the pain drugs. It felt like a hangover headache and I had not been drinking alcohol! So, I drank about 20 ounces of freshly made juice and within 5 minutes my really bad headache was gone! Now, I'm in this cycle of taking pain meds when I have to for pain and then trying to clean the toxins out by juicing and drinking fresh water. My point of this story is that juicing may help to expedite the removal of the green stuff from your body. At worst, it will be infuse your body with vitamins and give you more energy. Making fresh juice at home is amazing!

Continue on the road to wellness,

Cynlite

[Old Codger]

Cynlite,

You ask if I juice. No! I do not. Besides the metal reactivity (allergy) problem, I also have a problem with getting cramps in my lower legs and feet during the night.

I have been having cramps in my lower legs at night for many years now. After researching the question of such cramps, and personal experimenting, I now know that the below items drive me to have bad cramps.... as bad as pain level nine on a scale of ten, but mostly in the five-to-six range of pain.... plenty enough to interrupt my sleep. There have been three or four times that I thought that my bones would break from the cramping. Juice can contain both nightshades and the salicylates, depending what one puts into the juice.

Do some reseach by way of a Google search for information and lists of offending plants/food, and consider the following:

a.) Nightshades...

b.) Salicylates...

c.) Artificial colors and artificial flavors ( they are mostly made from petroleum, and our bodies were never made to digest petroleum, IMHO)...

d.) Hydration and dehydration...

There may be more reasons as well. Each body is different.


It may have to do with the gut flora.. change of bacteria in the gut versus the yeasts. Bacteria seem to do some good for us, while I cannot say the same for the yeasts. I have reasons for this to occur to me.... lots of antibiotics for treatment of Lyme disease that I had about the time that the cramps started, and which Lyme I believe that I am over now. But I have not done much to change my gut flora, until now.

The just past experience with my having an explant and the "green murky stuff" did me one favor, in a back-handed way. It forced me to curtail my consumption of many items that are considered OK in a diet, and that I had consumed regularly. I did without regular food for about three and a half weeks, during which time I had NO cramps.... NONE!!! It was wonderful, on that account!!! This proves to me that most of my troubles with cramps are the salicylates and artificial colors and artificial flavors. IMHO, salicylate is what makes the nightshades so bad.

Checking the lists for salicylates, one will see most fruits to be "VERY HIGH" in saliclyate, and others "HIGH". Tomatoes and strawberries are two of the highest, except for the spices, which are higher in salicylate, if one checks a list that is with numerical values.

I am afraid that juice would not help me. But THANK YOU! for mentioning it. One never knows where some good word will come from that will help.
Wishing all wellness!!!
Old Codger

[Anne189]

Hello everyone,

I too am very allergic to nickel. I have been told that no one is allergic to titanium but they must have been wrong since Maddie had a reaction. My allergist also told me that the MELISA test results are not always correct and you can get a false positive. He also told me that being allergic on your skin does not mean you will have a reaction to it once it is inside on your bone. Apparently they are two different things, but I don't know how. I would love an update from anyone or more info on this should anyone know.

I'm also trying to send a contact request to AIMIS Spine on their website but having a computer glich. Anyone have a contact email for there?

[Cynlite]

Old Codger, my goodness you got dealt a bad hand! I'm so sorry your diet has to be so restrictive.

I try to make my juices taste good but, my main goal is to feel better so, I'm sure the flavor would turn off some people. I just made 8 jars with turmeric, ginger, lemon, lime, celery, green bell pepper and cucumber. I added a little pineapple to sweeten it up a bit. I'm not sure how much Salicylates are in these items. I listed them for others who don't have your allergy.

The pineapple core has bromelain in it which is why I chose it. It helps with arthritis and joint pain.
Ginger and Turmeric are for pain and inflammation.
Lemon & Lime make the body alkaline to ward off illness.

My neck and head were really hurting a lot this morning. The drink just brought my pain level down. It's really amazing how quickly the body sucks up the nutrients it needs. It was hard for me to do the work in the kitchen but, I knew that if I just sucked it up, I would be rewarded at the end of my task and I was

You are correct! Every person is uniquely different so, we have to figure out what our body likes and doesn't like. Once my neck problems became chronic, I had to really fine tune what I eat and drink focusing on keeping inflammation down in my body. Unfortunately, nothing I do will change the fact that I need surgery. Hopefully, that will come together for me soon. I'm sure glad that you are on the other side of your surgery and on the road to recovery. I also really appreciate you writing about your horrible ordeal. You helped me and I'm sure you helped many by doing so. Your story will hopefully live on in this Board for many years and continue to bring awareness to the dangers of metal allergies.

Wishing you wellness too!

[Old Codger]

Anne,

The best advice that I can give you is first to read this site and its comments.... Is There An Ethical Crisis in Spinal Surgery? | OUPblog

This was found in an earlier post on this ADR forum, but the advice still applies.

In the end, you must make the decision yourself.

I would suggest that you also read about Orthopedic Analysis Lab, in Chicago, IL, as well as very carefully read what The Melissa Foundation has to say about testing for metal allergy. Do NOT rely entirely upon what you doctor has to say. Use that as part of the total package of information.

You are correct, IMHO, that metal reactivity on the skin and what is inside of the body are two different things and processes. But perhaps one can give you a clue for the other. And I think that metal reactivity testing is not really up to the capability that we would like it to be, or, mankind does not know enough yet to read the results correctly. IMHO, there is more metal reactivity (allergy) than the medical community wants to admit.

I wish that I could say more, to help you!
Wishing all wellness!
Old Codger

[bwink23]

I recently did the Orthopedic Analysis Metal Allergy Test, Panel 2...1 year and 4 months after 2-level ADR neck and 2-level fusion,ADR in back...all M6 discs.

I too like many others here am highly reactive to Nickel. All the metal inside me is titanium. 4 screws, one fusion plate, 3 ADR's. My test for titanium came back 1.5, in the non-reactive range, and i have a ton of titanium in me.

Just posted this for reference. Sometimes the other physiological problems we have, or symptoms just don't tie in with our spine-related issues. Plenty of people have had implants put in, doing just fine. No one can ever guess how the body reactive to foreign objects in the body. Some bodies don't care, others completely hate it. Maybe it's just the overall nature of your systemic system and mental make-up, rather than attributing it to various potential issues that can be measured. Bodily reflexes subconsciously to foreign matter in the body can't be measured.

All the issues one might hope to find that cause our bodies to do what they do? Maybe it's just YOU, as frustrating as that sounds.

[Old Codger]

Thank you, bwink23, for your experience and continued discussion!

Yes! I sometimes think that our bodies are like finger-prints... no two are alike!

Remember, too, that when the docs say titanium, the metal that is used is really an alloy in which the biggest contributor is titanium. There are other metals also in that alloy. Looking just for a titanium (ion) reaction may not be all that one needs to know, IMHO. In the end, it may be what happens within the person's body.

It is strange how things work. I was just alerted to bwink23's post this morning, and I was also sent the following message about mercury reaction this morning by a friend. While the discussion is not about fusion or ADR, it is about what happens with foreign material (ie, metal) in our bodies.

"Discovery Life Channel aired Diagnose Me: Covered in Bugs.

"The story line was of a teacher who experienced horrifying crawling biting sensations on his skin, leading him to search for answers.The patient Joe, tried self treatment for Scabies, but all the products failed. While calling a company rep, the rep had a thorough knowledge of Scabies and recognized that Scabies will not affect individuals above the neck. After seeing numerous specialists, he was unable to find any answers. He finally stumbled across a Morgellan's site, only to discover it's considered a delusional parisitosis and is considered incurable. He considered ending his life. Out of desperation he did a web search on "crawling sensations" and found articles published by Dr. Omar Amin, a specialist in parasites. Dr. Amin was within driving distance of him and he was able to get an appointment. The doctor describes himself as a last resort for desperate patients. In Joe's case he did not find medical evidence of parasites, but he had asked for dental records and discovered Joe had 9 mercury fillings. Testing revealed high mercury levels, which is common to most of his patients. He performed a Bio-Compatability Test and discovered the patient is allergic to mercury and has NCS (Neuro-Cutaneous Syndrome).

"With NCS, the mercury leaches into the bloodstream and affects the nervous system. Nerve signals are disrupted and the nerves fire at a higher rate, sending phantom sensations to the brain. The doctor mentioned the scalp has a lot of vasculature and nerve innervations and is impacted by the disease process. Some of his other patients had been sent to mental institutions because their spouses decided they were crazy as this disease destroyed their lives prior to finding this doctor. Successful treatment involves taking out the mercury fillings and a lot of heavy detox. Within a few months Joe didn't have any crawling sensations at all. Joe now lives his life with a sauna, and a "toxins out, nutrients in approach" and he describes his health as good."


http://www.discoverylife.com/tv-shows/diagnose-me/videos/dental-work-is-to-blame-for-that-creepy-crawly-feeling/

Wishing All Wellness!!!
Old Codger

P.S. I am recovering very nicely now from my surgery for the explant. But still no sign of the lessening of the neuropathy, which drove me to have the explant. However, some titanium-alloy mesh holding the cadaver bones used in the fusion, still remain on my cervical spine. It is too enmeshed with the bone to remove. The question may be... how much of a metal can be tolerated without symptoms, or how much of a metal will cause symptoms?

[Iridium1016]

Hi Old Codger,

I believe we're sort of on the same boat.

I'm collaborating with my surgeon to resolve a problematic health caused by Cobalt-chrome (with nickel) in Prodisc-C Vivo. I had my surgery almost nine months ago (Feb 2015), I was feeling fantastic but that only lasted for 14 days, post surgery. Since then, I have been dealing with different levels of pain and other neurological symptoms. I've seen two other surgeons--and I am determined not to have spinal fusion (which they suggested) as it carries its own set complications. I had the metal-allergy test done in September, care of In Vita Lab, Germany (connected with MELISA Lab); results came back with high sensitivity to Nickel, Iridium and mildly to Cadmium.

Latest X-ray shows bone loss and anterior protrusion on C-4/5. We're looking for the most suitable implant for revision, as soon as possible.

We contacted Axiomed (now owned by Spinal Frontier) to ask for more information on Freedom Cervical Disc but they haven't replied.

All the best to you...

[Cynlite]

Because of this thread, I had the MELISSA blood test done and tested positive for 5 out of the 8 metals. What are the odds of that! I'm going to get a different test done from another lab because this has not allowed me to move forward on my cervical surgery and I need confirmation. (The odds are like 1% that the test was correct.) I did find this disc in my search. It is ceramic with a very small amount of titanium, which I am also apparently allergic to but, may work for you. I'm not thrilled with the keel design of the disc but, with limited options, we have to do what we have to do. Please post what you find out about the Freedom Cervical disc. I'm sure sorry about your complications.

http://www.simplifymedical.com/

BTW, when I found out about my metal allergies, I stopped taking all drugs and started doing some serious detoxing to remove all toxins and metals from my body. I have experienced significant relief! Since I have titanium screws in my knee, I wanted to see if it would make a difference and it did. I will focus on detoxing being a part of my life going forward because it got me back moving around again instead of being in bed all the time. This is something you might want to look into to get some relief.