I hope this was the right decision

[snowleopard]

I've given up wearing watches and earrings because I would get irritation or a rash from the watches, unless they were gold or stainless steel. I'd get a discharge in the holes of my ears if I wore anything except 14K gold in my ears, and it would be itchy. This was years after the holes had been pierced. Nickel was especially problematic for me.
Back when they had thimoserol (mercury) in contact lens fluid, I had to use a mercury-free version because it would cause extreme watering and discomfort if I was around some kinds of pollen.

I would describe it as a sensitivity rather than an allergy, but I read that of the people who had to have revisions, there were about 4x greater reports of these kinds of sensitivities than in the general population. Not worth the risk, in my estimation.

The implant selected for me also appears to be more abrasion-resistant than the nickel-chromium implants under controlled lab conditions. I take that with a grain of salt, but again, if I have nothing to lose and potentially something to gain by going that route, why not?

BTW, as far as the comfy-clothes suggestion goes, I highly recommend the `Lauren' pants sold through Holy Clothing. They range in size from small to 5X. They generally recommend hanging to dry, but I bought mine larger so I could throw them in the washer and dryer without worry. They shrink the first time or two through, and then not thereafter. Nurse at the hospital complimented them when I was dressing to leave. She said all knee replacements should have these pants. They are as comfy as pajamas, but look dressier. https://holyclothing.com/index.php/...o-wide-leg-drawstring-long-palazzo-pants.html

 

[Ella61]

Now I'm worried because I have same problem with my ears and sometimes necklaces do same thing. What kind of knee did you have put in? Did your surgeon take it seriosly?

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[Tigerlily]

I couldn't stand for more than 10 minutes, couldn't walk very far at all but I wasn't in a lot of pain because I had limited my life to avoid it.

Wow!You hit the nail on the head. I am scheduled for July 20. I am riding my bike at least 5 miles every day to strengthen my quads prior to surgery but I used to hike, I can't do that any more and stairs kill me, but I found myself yesterday and today going well its not that bad, I'm not in constant pain unless I walk, stand or do stairs...I've limited my life to avoid the pain.

 

[snowleopard]

I've limited my life to avoid the pain.

Sounds like me: Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, as the saying goes. It takes your breath away when you finally stop and take stock of all the things you don't do now because of mobility. I gave up yardwork years ago because it was too easy to injure my joints and lose a couple of days of pain-free walking, etc. Just gradual erosion of personal freedom until one day you look around and it gobsmacks you.

I thought my surgeon would dismiss my concerns, or at least require a metal sensitivity test. Nope. He took my at my word and took it seriously enough to select a different knee implant for me. He said he was very happy that he was able to use that one, which didn't really register with me at the time because I was loopy from being post-surgical. My guess is that he may have had to get insurance clearance to go with this device, or that he felt it was a better choice for me overall, or both. Will ask him more about that when I see him later this summer. He went with the smith & nephew Verilast system. Here's a short article about metal sensitivity and implants. The conclusion references those studies I mentioned above about heightened metal sensitivity in people who have to have revisions.
https://www.healio.com/orthopedics/...9c2}/orthopedic-metal-immune-hypersensitivity

I told someone else about this who is also facing a TKR. She said, "Whoo! I react to metal in cheap jewelry as well." She asked more questions, talked to her surgeon about it, and he laughed and said, "That's the knee I put in all my patients who are under 80, because of the durability aspect."

I'd like to go on record here as not pushing this particular knee or saying it's better than others or if you didn't get this, you missed out. I'm not a surgeon, I don't work in the field. He's been through thousands of these and I've been through one. I'm just putting this info our there in case it's helpful to someone else. No agenda, no axe to grind. Just--this is my experience.

Good for you for scheduling this.

 

[Ella61]

I'm going to send this to my surgeon

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[Slainte]

@Ella61 I think you are wise to be looking at this from all sides. I put my knee replacement off for a while just because I dread the inconvenience to my family. But it is not convenient to them to have to wait for me as I take stairs one step at a time and sit on every bench I pass. I will be seeing my OS Monday and will ask him about the metal sensitivity. I hadn't thought about that, and I too get a little irritation from wearing costume jewelry. Thank you so much for bringing it up.

@snowleopard Thanks so much for the pointer to holyclothing. Lauren pants ordered!

 

[snowleopard]

I hope you like them, Slainte. The colors tend to run a bit darker than their website, but after a few washes they fade a bit. I know some people dry clean the clothes they get from there, but that's just not my lifestyle. I have a reputation for a green thumb because of my houseplants, but what people don't realize is they're just looking at the survivors. Same with clothes. They have to be comfortable, durable, versatile, and easy to care for or I'm out.

Also, it's a small outfit that manages manufacture and marketing. Styles, sizes, and colors come and go--sometimes they are limited in what's available, but then it cycles around again. Please let me know if you like them--when I recommend something to someone, I always like to get feedback and find out how it worked out.

 

[kneeper]

I can't wear earrings anymore but have had zero problems with my knee. Still if you have a severe reaction to jewelry it may be worth checking out your allergy status.

 

[Celle]

I also have to be very careful about what sort of metal I have in my ear rings. However, I've had a total of 3 knee replacements and not had allergy problems with any of them.

 

[Ella61]

have a question. I was told by my surgeon to have an allergy patch test for metal allergy. I am having difficulty finding someone to do it. Dr's nurse said if there is allergy they would use different knee. I asked if people have this problem why don't u use other knee all the time. She Said It Costs More. I'm losing faith!

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[KarriB]

Have you tried an allergist?

 

[Ella61]

Yup. They don't do it. Dermatologist and only few and far between. Shouldn't surgeons office arrange test if he thinks it's important?

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[KarriB]

What about asking your insurance provider? Many have concierge services that could point you in the right direction.

 

[Ella61]

Thanks. I'll try

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[snowleopard]

There's an article Josephine posted around here about this topic, and it had a link to the lab that does the testing.

Don't lose faith! This is just another pebble in the path.

 

[Celle]

There's an article Josephine posted around here about this topic, and it had a link to the lab that does the testing.

Metal allergies and knee replacements
Metal allergy in joint replacement

 

[Ella61]

Has anyone ever heard of titanium cup with plastic polyethylene liner. a ceramic femoral head and a titanium femoral stem? This is what I'm getting because of nickle sensitivity


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[snowleopard]

What's the brand and model?

 

[Ella61]

I don't know. I didn't ask him.

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[Ella61]

I was just happy there was no nickle or cobalt

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