How did I know I had a Nickel Allergy intolerance.
It all started with strangeness in the way my body would react to accessories on my skin. Belt buckles, watches, necklaces, bracelets, rings to name a few caused me uneasiness. Some of the symptoms I noticed were slow but gradual buildup of discomfort while with others the reaction was so quick and intense that I felt tightening up around my neck and forehead followed by immediate sinus congestion with my arms feeling heavy and numb after just 2-3 minutes of exposure.
There had to be a way for me to avoid that feeling. It was hard to explain to others how I felt and at times and I started asking myself if I was really experiencing something, or, was I just imagining it.
Who did I contact for help
With multiple sessions to my family doctor I went through the battery of questions asked. Trying to be as clear as I could on the HOW I felt after being in contact with some metals – the uneasiness, nausea and weighted down, unfocused feeling. As great as my Doctor was I saw in her expression she had no clue what I was getting at – and could not figure out how to test for whatever this was. The worst part was her not believing the extent of what was bothering me and thinking there was nothing that caused such reactions as she tried to steer me to traditional allergy test with the thought that it could just be something I was eating that triggered such a response.
Frustration for options
After some trial and error I was able to look at alternatives. Basically minimizing any metal buckles that came into contact with my skin-by using more plastics or rubber. Certain silver or most stainless steel necklaces proved problematic and I stopped after trying to psyche myself up just to see how long of a time being in contact with the items I could go before having a reaction and needing to get them away from my skin. Researching and reading from different sources of medical journals I found articles on types mineral deficiency, food poisoning and acute metal allergies. Finally, symptoms were similar to what I was experiencing that was a direct result of metal toxins – (acute) Nickel Allergies.
What worked
Now that I understood what it was that brought on the symptoms I started to pay more attention to watches, rings ,necklaces and earrings in order to see just how intense the reaction could get, and, could I handle it. Not the smartest thing to do, but my initial option was to completely avoid all of these items cold turkey. After more research it became very clear that it was a tough thing to do as most metals we come in contact with do contain nickel content of varying degrees.
I contacted local jewelry retailers to know if they had any metal based products that did not have nickel content or at best low trace nickel amounts. Some promoted Titanium and Surgical Steel as the best option. Whereas when I tried to use items that contained 14k White Gold, Black Hematite, 925. Silver they seemed to work wonders for me. So after my test I realized that it came down to the amount of nickel content that caused reactions in me. Not an easy thing to verify.
Within the pages of this site I hope to pass on some alternatives and options for you to consider as well as information I’ve learned that could help you find your calm and not worry about what metals that contain nickel comes into contact with your skin so you can continue to wear the clothing or accessories you want worry free.