How did I know I was intolerant.
I mentioned earlier that I first noticed strangeness in the way my body would react to accessories on my skin. Belt buckles , watches, necklaces, bracelets, rings and even certain dental fixtures caused me uneasiness. Some I had a slow but gradual buildup of discomfort while with others the reaction was so quick and intense that I felt clamping up around my neck and forehead, or arms 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 feeling 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 my ailment and thinking there was nothing that caused such reactions as she tried to steer me to 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 I could go before having a reaction and needing to get them away from my skin. 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 and 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. I contacted local jewelry retailers to know if they had any metal based products that did not have any nickel content or at best low nickel counts. Some promoted Titanium and Surgical Steel as the best option. Whereas items like 14k White Gold, Black Hematite, 925 Silver worked 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 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 comes into contact with your skin.