Tuesday, March 30, 2010 Mooseheads asks

Q: HELP! BODY ATE TOE IMPLANT! ???

Hi, I had foot surgery- greater toe implant. After 2 yrs it really bothered me & bone was resorbing. Doc wanted to take whole pin & screw out. When she did SHE WAS BLOWN AWAY! She said my body had somehow "ATE" the pin & screw! Said it looked liked shrapnel. There is still some "gunpowery-like substance in there". I believe it was Surg Stainless Stell. Does anyone out there have answers? She did not know what it was. "Possible metal allergy".

I have never heard of this. Can someone help?

Thanks- I'm having the screw in other foot out next week....

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Answers (1)

SORESHOULDER

5/ 7/10 1:15am

I was searching for information on metal allergies after surgery and found your post.

Last Sept. I had orthoscopic surgery to reapair a torn rotator cuff in my shoulder. Three weeks later I was back in surgery to have a badly swollen arm operated on again to remove 2 mteal posts and infection. When he opened me up, the aerospace quality surgical steel that they used was GONE. Just today I got results from an allergy test which proved I have an allergy to NICKEL. That is enough to prove to my Orthopedic doctor that I had a severe reaction to the surgical steel stitches and not a staph infection.

I highly suggest that you DO NOT have any more steel put into your body. I was my own advocate. All of the docs involved really didn't seem to care what happened to me. One said I had the flu and a stitch working its way out, too bad for me. I was on home health care for 8 weeks, IV twice a day for 3 weeks ....

GOOD LUCK!!!

Mooseheads

1/15/11 4:40pm

Interesting! UPDATE ON TOE IMPLANT EATEN BY BODY: I had a metal-allergy skin test from referred Dr. I was tested for: NICKEL, COBALT, TITANIUM, someothers I can't remember, and GOLD SULFATE.

It is a 3 day test. ONE DAY ONE (just a few hrs) I HAD A HUGE WELT ON THE GOLD SPOT!! I AM ALLERGIC TO GOLD! (Dr said I'm a cheap date:). I was floored.

ALSO: my sister, an 8 yr survivor of breast cancer (aggressive-type-nodes) told me her Dr placed sub cutaneus (sp?) metal markers (little bulls-eye dots) incase they needed to give a rdiation blast here & there. They would know where to shoot. WELL: HER BREAST IMMEDIATELY TURNED PURPLE & sore- she was miserable as she just felt "cruddy, tired & flu-like". FINALY, she insisted these metal-things be taken out. They took it out- her breast returned to normal ASAP.

Then, she as well got allergy tested for metals: BINGO! ALLERGY TO NICKEL!

So, we do have this "metal allergy" in our family (I did not test positive to nickel-which surprised me). I have never heard of this sort of thing with so-called "inert surgical implants".

I did speak with the allergist abt my fear of needing a knee replacement, etc later in life. He said to have Dr order from the manufacturer a small amt of the EXACT implant prior to surgery. They will happily sent a pc & it can be skin tested.

So, anyone out there with any surgical metal (or shrapnel)- get tested! Not every allergist does this so do some research. From 1st hand experience: due to my body "eating" my toe implant: my toe is a mess (big toe is responsible for propulsion), Dr is trying to invent something to hold it together; my toe does not touch floor when I walk; it sticks out to the side; is very swollen at end of day. Just a nightmare. As a last resort, when I can't take it anymore, she will have to amputate. CALLING ALL DR's OR ANYONE OUT THERE WHO HAS KNOWLEDGE: WHAT CAN I DO? OPTIONS? I'D BE WILLING TO DO ANY CLINICAL-TRIAL TYPE THING CUZ I'M GOING TO LOOSE THIS TOE ANYWAY.

THANKS!!!!!

Q: HELP! BODY ATE TOE IMPLANT! ???

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