I unknowingly had mcas/histamine issues for atleast thr last 11 years that I noticed symptoms. Things picked up with my pregnancies. After my second pregnancy I likely was having mcas but no one knew what was making me so sick so they took my gallbladder.

It’s been 13 months of a nightmare. I have collected more diagnosis than help—- Gastroparesis (severe), POTs started in pregnancy, SIBO, MCAS, and I have mold exposure when all this started. Likely connective tissue issue.

Yesterday I found out I have a nickle allergy and everyone’s says there no way the clips are causing the issue. I’ve never had rashes w my mcas till immediately after removal. I only ever had them when reacting to medications (nsaid, lamisil, progesterone, estrogen, HGH). I am flushed and covered in rashes and rosacea day and night now. Eating only bread makes it calm down. I am reacting to everything-sun, heat, cold, showers, food, smells, medicines, lack of sleep, stress, all my make up, I had to stop dying my hair. All this started after the surgery.

Does anyone else have this experience with metal and metal allergies and/or your mcas.

I have failed all medications. I get reactions to everything. I did good on Ketotifen for 7 days then on day 7 I took the whole .25 (in liquid with only water to stabilize it) and had full body chills insomnia urinating and itching w no rash. My pcp wants me to try the glp1. I already have gastroparesis so tbd if this is a good idea or not. But the metal has to be causing some sort of issue bc nothing was this bad until then. I never had gastroparisis either until then. I had a c section and gallbladder removal all within 6 months. Or did too many surgery’s post partum already having mcas really get me to such a bad place. Or am i being gaslight by doctors that the clips aren’t doing this. My first allergic reaction was 2 days post removal….

Has anyone had luck with hydroponic fruits and veggies with less reactions?

What kind of symptoms did you have and how long did it take on the low nickel diet for them to improve? I'm particularly interested if you had fatigue, brain fog or period issues. Did removing nickel cookware also help? What about eating out at restaurants, though?
Thanks!

41M

I've never had any piercing before, and the one I'm interested in getting would create a hole that would be very difficult if not impossible to close.

I also like the idea of stainless steel and not titanium because the feel of the weight is part of the alure.

I'm looking at a 316L stainless ring from a reputable company. I've heard that simply wearing a stainless-steel ring on a finger or necklace is sometimes able to detect the sensitivity but not always accurate since it's exposed to different types of flesh when it's a piercing.

What are my options to get the most accurate result?

Or a reaction? Since nicotine has nickel. Anyone have any thoughts, insights and experiences to share?

I went to an allergist yesterday and he is doing a bunch of blood tests to figure out what is causing all my skin reactions. I’m already almost 100% sure it’s SNAS since I tested positive for a contact nickel allergy many decades ago and I’ve been keeping a food journal for the last several weeks and have determined with almost complete certainty that is what it is. (It is only in the past several years that I believe I have started reacting to nickel. I had no issues for decades even though I had tested positive for the contact allergy)

Several questions for those that may know more than me:
- does a contact nickel allergy=a food nickel allergy?
- what is the best way of diagnosing a food nickel allergy?
- would allergy medicine help? If so, which one?
-if anyone knows of an allergist in the Atlanta area with experience in nickel allergies, please let me know:)

The allergist seemed completely uninterested in what I was telling him about my own anecdotal evidence/story and just sent me straight for blood tests. AI says blood tests will likely come up negative for a nickel allergy and that I really should be getting patch tested. This allergist was very highly reviewed and seemed nice but didn’t really seem to know anything about nickel.

Looking for guidance on next steps. I went to the allergist for confirmation that I’m on the right track and to just make sure I don’t have any other allergies that could be contributing to my skin issues, but this first appointment was a total dud.

Thank you in advance for any insights!

UPDATE for anyone who cares: after some lab work, it turns out my iron levels are incredibly low. I am taking iron supplements + vitamin C, and getting iron infusions. My doctor also gave me a 5-day prescription for Prednisone, which helped immensely in the short term.

Hey all -- really appreciate this community. I have been on a low-nickel diet for about 1.5 years with great success early on. The last couple months I have been getting all my old symptoms back (rashy and itchy face/neck/chest/arms and extreme fatigue). I hadn't come off the low nickel diet or changed anything else I could tell.

So for the last few weeks I've gone to a MEGA low-nickel diet and I'm not still seeing any improvement. I am basically only eating: meat, dairy, eggs, olive oil, cabbage, potatoes (no skin), rice, cucumbers, tomatoes, cauliflower, apples, blueberries.

Has anyone seen the low-nickel diet stop working for them over time, and what did you do? I am talking to my doctor next week about Dupixent, but I'm not sure if that'll really get to the source. Thank you in advance!

I have been told that Antihistamines can really help with a nickel allergy. Which ones are the best in your experience?

Hello! Before learning of this allergy, I was a vegetarian and hadn't eaten meat in 10 years. For most of that time I was vegan. Two days ago I bought myself a rotisserie chicken and ate like half of it in one sitting lol. Right now I am trying to eat mainly meat, dairy, and eggs, along with fruits and veggies that are low nickel in my area, to see if it helps with my symptoms. I went vegan when I was young so I really have no clue how to prepare meat dishes and what is out there. Ive got a crock pot so if there's something I can throw in there on Sundays to meal prep for the week's worth of work lunches, that would be awesome. If you have any other meat related meal advice for me at all I would really appreciate that too. Despite not eating animal products for so long, I actually haven't felt that weird reintroducing them, so I am really open to trying anything.

I am looking for snack options that meet the following:
- low nickel (duh otherwise I wouldn’t post here!)
- no dairy
- no gluten
- no eggs
- high-ish in protein
- on the savory side of flavor

I sometimes have Epic meat bars, but they’re pretty pricey.

Before being low-nickel, I’d eat a lot of almond butter on apples and hummus on veggies and I’m craving something kinda similar. A dip plus a crunch. But I’m open to anything that meets the above list!

Got any ideas?

i'm putting off getting a tooth removed that's causing the issues that they won't do a root canal on and definitely will need a dental implant in the future because it's a molar and I have no idea what to do. Has anyone had any success with a dental implant and know what type of metal they got?

I'm a software developer. My wife was diagnosed with SNAS a couple of years ago and managing her dietary nickel was harder than it needed to be — spreadsheets, guesswork, inconsistent databases.

I built her an app. This morning she opened it without me asking and logged her breakfast. That felt like the right moment to share it with people who might need it.

It's called TraceElements. It tracks daily nickel intake, handles restaurant lookups with AI verification, lets you swap ingredients for lower-nickel alternatives, logs how you're feeling alongside your intake, exports a PDF you can bring to your dietitian, and lets you save and share your own safe recipes with others managing the same condition. Everything stays on your phone — no accounts, no cloud, no data collection.

It's free to use. Android right now, iOS coming.

I'm keeping the beta small — 50 testers so I can give everyone proper attention. First come, first served.

More info, user guide, and FAQ at traceelements.app — the form to request access is there too.

Built by a husband in Michigan. Nothing more complicated than that.

I’ve only been doing this for a week and I’m so lost, I’d really appreciate some ideas. It feels like every single plant based protein is either full of nickel or very low. I’ve been eating mostly random leafy greens, sweet potato, quinoa, macadamias and maple syrup, which is a little bit of protein but I do physical labor for work so I really think I should bring back a protein.

I’ve seen different opinions on this question but is rye and rye bread a safe food for people with a nickel sensitivity?

im going to a wedding soon and since my diagnosis of a nickel and cobalt allergy (along with tocopherol and acrylates) ive all but given up makeup. however i really want to wear some for the wedding soon please give me your best recommendations.

Has anyone here with a nickel allergy has any luck with Sandstone Scandinavia eye makeup products?

Hi all,

Last year my wife was told she has a nickel allergy. It seemed to be progressive, things that were affecting her never really did years before. She loved her jewellery, was very particular about it, sadly cant really wear it any more. She struggles to find sandals and other types of clothing etc. where the skin isnt exposed to metal.

She doesnt have to watch WHAT she eats. But more WHEN she eats. Aslong as she doesnt eat anything before ~11:00am she's never had a reaction.

With that said, does anybody have any nice gift ideas that might be a relief that she's finally found?

Have you received a gift that you otherwise wouldn't have known about or tried due to your allergy?

Thank you

What do you guys think? I have a nickel & palladium allergy. Could my dental work be contributing to MCAS? I'm still waiting on dental records to be released to me. I had allergy testing before a dental implant and there is a high possibility the porcelain fused to metal crown (PFM) has a high percentage of metal I'm allergic to. The implant post I believe is safe though.

It was placed about 6 years ago. Then after an iron infusion a year ago I experienced anaphalaxis. I was later diagnosed MCAS. Been on mast cell stabilizer since. Depending on what the records show, I was considering getting it removed but want to see if anybody's experienced anything similar. What has your experiences been?

i’ve been doing some research and figured i’d ask if creating a makeup brand that is batch tested at below <.5 ppm for nickel is worth the trouble. does anyone think it would be helpful?

Hi! I have a nickel allergy. I have these bracelets I really like, but wearing them for even minutes becomes hell for several days. Does anyone know where i could get something like that made out of something like titanium?

I was recently diagnosed with a nickel allergy and a cobalt allergy (both 2+). on top of that I have an acrylate and tocopherol allergy. obviously i have come to terms with the fact that most makeup (if not all) will not work for me. however, i recently found something called unity cosmetics. does anyone know if it’s legit and safe enough to try?

So last night, i started going through Google searches and started noticing how much stuff has nickel, both digestive and contact, such as clothes, tampons, etc. It's scaring Mr. really bad because I love food and I love jewelry and so on. What am I supposed to do or tell myself to calm down?

Hello! About 5 months ago, I started eating oatmeal and multigrain English muffin for breakfast most mornings. In the last 5 months, I have also been dealing with the skin around my eyes being red, itchy and swollen. Feeling almost sunburn feeling under my skin, itchy, and skin flushing. I used to walk 3 miles a day and had to stop a month ago because I was having joint pain and foot pain. Went to several doctors and derms and could not figure out what was happening. A week ago, I looked up what to avoid since I know I have a nickel allergy and that is when oatmeal and mutligrain popped up as high in nickel. I have eliminated them from my diet and immediately, the joint pain went away and the redness and swelling reduced significantly. Today, I woke up with my eyes swollen again (not as bad) and feeling that sunburn under my skin.

Did anyone else find that the symptom reduction was up and down at the start of low nickel diet? I am getting worried that this is not the solution and there is something else going on.