Nickel Allergy

[BigRed]

I am new to this forum and really need some help. My long-time orthopaedic surgeon who has cared for me through multiple kneecap dislocations of both knees has referred me to a knee replacement specialist in his office. He is the Section Chief of a well-known teaching hospital and seems very nice.

My concern is this. I am allergic to nickel and it is part of the alloy of the knee replacement prosthesis that the doctor plans to use. He has asked me to contact the doctor who did the nickel testing in the past and I am now awaiting testing with samples from the company that supplies the artificial knee. What scares me is that the allergy doctor has told me that even if the test is negative, there is still a chance that I can develop an allergic reaction after the knee is in me. I am petrified!

Do I keep walking around on very painful and unstable knees for the rest of my life or do I take a chance that I may become allergic to the metal makes up the knee? I know that none of you can make this decision for me. I do want to hear from anyone who is allergic to nickel to see what you experienced or if you have any questions I should ask the surgeon.

Anything you can tell me will be appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[Josephine]

This is a big problem as more and more people begin to show allergies to things like nickel. However, all is not lost as they are developing ceramic knees for just such patients. One such firm is CeramTec. I suggest you contact this firm and ask them - you can use the "click to get in touch with us" button on the bottom of the page.

Let us know how you get on.

 

[Jamie]

Interesting, Jo. No metal.....equals no problems with scanners in the airports.

Welcome to the forum, BigRed! I hope you are able to find good information and doctors who can deal with your allergic situation. There have been others on the forum with allergies, so you may want to do a search and read some older threads. Please continue to post as you go along because your experience will be very valuable to others! Good luck!!!

 

[Josephine]

Actually, I'm not so sure about that, Jamie - I think it possible they might have a metal core but the tissues wouldn't be exposed to it. Note I said I think!

 

[mjrc]

Hello Big Red,
Ceramic and ceramic coated implants like Oxinium knees & hips are very useful in this scenario. Ceramics are very tolerable to the human body, result in less wear but however have brittleness as a property.
On the other hand Zirconium, a metal when super heated in the presence of Oxygen yields Oxinium. The Oxinium knee thus has the best of both , the strength from a metal core and the tolerability and non allergenicity of ceramic.
The oxinium knee has been used in the USA, UK, India & Australia with success.

 

[Josephine]

The broken link removed: https://www.oxinium.co.uk/patients/material.php on this states "If you are allergic to metals, you can feel safe about an Oxinium™ implant because it is one of the most biocompatible metals available." but I don't know enough about it (yet) to comment.

 

[Jamie]

Welcome to the forum, mjrc. Thanks for the information!

And Jo....I figured the "no alarms in the airport scan" was too good to be true. You're probably right...there is a metal core for strength. Makes sense. I guess we'll just always be "alarming" people!!!

 

[Sandy R]

Hi Big Red... I'm also allergic to nickel... when I wear silver pierced earrings, my ear lobes swell and get bright red. Before my RTKR, I was tested for metals and cements. Everything came back negative. The allergist told me more often than not, nickel testing comes up negative... mine did. But, on the basis of my nickel allergy history, my OS gave me a Smith & Nephew Oxinium component. I'm now 5 months post-op and haven't had a bit of trouble. By the way, my OS told me that my Oxinium prosthetic would definitely set off the airport scanners. I'll be flying at the end of March so I'll soon find out.
Sandy

 

[Judles]

Welcome Big Red! Good luck & keep us posted!!! . Better that you found out NOW!

 

[Nursepair]

Welcome to the Forum Big Red. Hope you get it sorted.

I am allergic to gold. My hubby can't be happier!!! LOL....

 

[BigRed]

I appreciate the responses from everyone. My doctor also wants to use a Smith & Nephew knee but he calls it the Genesis II Knee System. He did not mention oxinium. I wonder if it is the same one. I will have to ask him about it.

 

[Josephine]

Hey guys - let's keep on topic here, ok?

 

[Josephine]

Oxinium is the material. Genesis II is the product design name and is produced in either cobalt chrome or Oxinium.

 

[BigRed]

Thank you for all of your responses.

I have had a talk with my orthopedic surgeon and he plans to use the Smith & Nephew oxinium prosthesis should I go ahead with the surgery. He has arranged to have an allergy test kit sent to my demotologist who will do the testing. If all goes well, I will have the surgery in June. I am scared stiff thinking about it!

 

[Judles]

Red,,,,, You may be scared,,,but if you can go ahead with the surgery,,,,you WON'T be STIFF!!!!
A little Bonesmarty humor!!!

 

[Sandy R]

Big Red... sounds like your OS is taking all the necessary steps in addressing your nickel allergy. I was where you are 6 months ago... scared stiff, too. Now that it's pretty much behind me, I'm happy I opted for the surgery and got my life back! Good luck...
Sandy

 

[Josephine]

I think I may put a poll on here sometime "Who was scared stiff before their op?"

I think the results would almost certainly be 100% - 0%!!

 

[Linda2]

Heck, I'm scheduled for the second one and I'm still scared stiff!!

 

[Sticker Lady]

I'd be concerned about anyone who wasn't scared when facing major surgery--you'd have to be soft in the head not to be scared--an awful lot can go wrong, but it usually doesn't. Getting your life back is worth the risk!
Blessings to all

 

[BigRed]

I am being tested next week to see if I am allergic to the metals in the prosthesis. I am hopeful that I will not be allergic to them.

Is it possible to become allergic to the metals when they are in your body for a while? I know that some allergies develop over time with repeated exposure. Is that possible with the knee replacement? My OS does not seem to think so. My dermatologist said it may be a possibility.