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Nickel Allergy And Celiac Disease

MollyBeth

By MollyBeth
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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MollyBeth Contributor
MollyBeth
Posted

Hello All!

It's been a while since I've been on here. Life has been going well and two years in I'm finally feeling like this gluten free stuff is getting almost easy!

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. I've been struggling with allergic reactions lately and testing confirms that I am allergic to nickel which is found in a surprising amount of foods. The foods that I've used to replace the glutenous foods I used to love. Potatoes, beans, chocolate... these are just a few of the items on the list. I'm also supposed to avoid hot water from the tap? I don't know if that means I need to start taking cold showers or what? So anyway, I'm just two days into this and am obviously still doing research but I thought I'd drop by here and see if anyone else has this strange combination of Celiac disease and a nickel allergy. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. I hope this message finds all of you in high spirits and good health!

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missy'smom Collaborator
missy'smom
Posted

Sorry you have this additional challenge.:( Those of us with gluten issues seem to have sensitive immune systems! Don't know about nickel but I have a recent latex allergy dx and in latex allergy forum some have nickel allergy as well. Not familiar with the nature of the connection. I recently had a dx of chocolate allergy too and it's one of the very few indulgences I had left, the only "sweet". In our family, we tend to become allergic to the things that we eat often. Sigh...

snifter Apprentice
snifter
Posted

Yes I Do!! My sister gave me a watch and it had nickle on the backplate. It made me break out in a rash, I had to stop wearing it :(

Hope this helps, I've just been diagnosed with celiac and still have a lot to learn

sa1937 Community Regular
sa1937
Posted

Yes I Do!! My sister gave me a watch and it had nickle on the backplate. It made me break out in a rash, I had to stop wearing it sad.gif

Hope this helps, I've just been diagnosed with celiac and still have a lot to learn

I have the same nickel allergy problem and have never been able to wear inexpensive dept. store jewelry, especially earrings. In fact, I've had this for my entire life. And I was just diagnosed with celiac in April with positive blood tests as well as endoscopy/biopsy.

There is a company who makes inexpensive nickel-free jewelry and I'm able to wear it without a problem although it's been years since I ordered. Open Original Shared Link

dilettantesteph Collaborator
dilettantesteph
Posted

I get a rash from nickel containing jewelry. I can wear only gold, and not even white gold, which contains nickel. I have a titanium watch. The gold ones I could afford kept breaking. I take hot showers, but I do heat up water for coffee, tea etc. and don't use hot water from the tap, but cold to start. I eat potatoes without problems, but I haven't found a chocolate which doesn't gluten me as I am super sensitive. Beans I can manage too if I sort and wash. Could there be some connection between nickel allergy and celiac disease?

sa1937 Community Regular
sa1937
Posted

I get a rash from nickel containing jewelry. I can wear only gold, and not even white gold, which contains nickel. I have a titanium watch. The gold ones I could afford kept breaking. I take hot showers, but I do heat up water for coffee, tea etc. and don't use hot water from the tap, but cold to start. I eat potatoes without problems, but I haven't found a chocolate which doesn't gluten me as I am super sensitive. Beans I can manage too if I sort and wash. Could there be some connection between nickel allergy and celiac disease?

I'm a yellow gold person as I never liked white gold but wasn't aware that it contained nickel.

My daughter is also gluten free (had a very positive DGP test in late Aug. but skipped the endoscopy/biopsy) and is able to wear inexpensive costume jewelry without a problem. However her daughter (my granddaughter) has a nickel allergy. She's going to be 13 in Dec. and my daughter plans to have her tested when she has her annual check-up even though she has exhibited no celiac symptoms that we're aware of. Interesting thread and I never thought of the possible connection.

MollyBeth Contributor
MollyBeth
Posted
  • Author

It's always something. Just found out today I'm also allergic to something in rubber. My B12 and Iron are also too low again. Started dailyB12 shots today and am going in for IV iron next week. It will all be ok but this is all just frustrating.

Thanks for the jewelry site. I will look into it.

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tea-and-crumpets Explorer
tea-and-crumpets
Posted

I have a nickel allergy and I can't wear cheap jewelry at all. I once had a belt buckle give me a rash on my bellybutton -- it was awful.

As for white gold, not all of it is made with nickel. My wedding band has never given me a problem. I'm not sure how one would find out what the alloy metal is in a particular piece of jewelry, though.

I wear stainless steel (in my piercings) and sterling silver, mostly.

I wonder if it's related to celiac somehow, or if we are just more prone to these sorts of things?

Looking for answers Contributor
Looking for answers
Posted

Nickel allergy is usually caused by getting your ears pieced with nickel-containing earrings. They've banned nickel in jewelry in European countries because of the likelihood of developing the allergy, but I believe it is still legal here. I also am alleric, as many people are...this is quite common.

I've never heard of the need to cut out nickel-containing foods. In fact, it seems very difficult, as it's a trace mineral and naturally occurs in all soil, etc. Is this something your doctor recommended? Did he/she say why? Just curious for my own knowledge...

MollyBeth Contributor
MollyBeth
Posted
  • Author

Yeah he told me to try a low nickel diet but that it would be hard because I'm gluten free. He didn't say I needed to completely eliminate it though like we do with gluten. He said chocolate and tree nuts were big ones. I'm still doing research. I'm going back in on Monday so I plan to talk to him more about it.

dilettantesteph Collaborator
dilettantesteph
Posted

I had a nickel allergy before I had my ears pierced. I also eat a lot of nuts without any issues. Go figure.

WW340 Rookie
WW340
Posted

I have had a nickel allergy for as long as I can remember. I can only wear yellow gold. I had to have all the amalgum taken out of my teeth and root canals, because I had such a terrible bone and tissue reaction to it.

Here is some information on nickel.

Open Original Shared Link

shopgirl Contributor
shopgirl
Posted

Nickel allergy is usually caused by getting your ears pieced with nickel-containing earrings. They've banned nickel in jewelry in European countries because of the likelihood of developing the allergy, but I believe it is still legal here. I also am alleric, as many people are...this is quite common.

I never knew that. I can't handle nickel in jewelry

missy'smom Collaborator
missy'smom
Posted

Do be sure to look into that rubber issue. If it's natural latex rubber allergy, nrla, then there are a number of everday things that need to be looked into and it's especially important to know about and notify others of in a medical setting.

mbrookes Community Regular
mbrookes
Posted

I'm surprised so many of you can wear sterling silver with nickle allergies. Most US made sterling is hardened with nickle. I can't wear most sterling.

Birch Hills is another company that makes nickle free jewelry. I buy it at Stein Mart.

shopgirl Contributor
shopgirl
Posted

I'm surprised so many of you can wear sterling silver with nickle allergies. Most US made sterling is hardened with nickle. I can't wear most sterling.

Birch Hills is another company that makes nickle free jewelry. I buy it at Stein Mart.

I wear a ring twenty-four hours a day that was guaranteed by the company to be pure sterling silver. It's the only jewelry I wear and have never had a problem with it. I'm not picking up cheap "sterling silver" from a department store. :)

If it itches, I take it off. But I wouldn't trust anything in my ears ever, even if it was guaranteed. A ring or a necklace is very different to me.

cyberprof Enthusiast
cyberprof
Posted

Yeah he told me to try a low nickel diet but that it would be hard because I'm gluten free. He didn't say I needed to completely eliminate it though like we do with gluten. He said chocolate and tree nuts were big ones. I'm still doing research. I'm going back in on Monday so I plan to talk to him more about it.

I too have a nickel allergy. It could be related to celiac or to having my ears pierced with nickel/white gold posts: They both happened around the same time.

See this other thread:

MollyBeth, you might want to avoid mineral make-up, which has metals in it. (BareMinerals is the most common but some mainstream makeup has minerals too.)

cyberprof Enthusiast
cyberprof
Posted

I wear a ring twenty-four hours a day that was guaranteed by the company to be pure sterling silver. It's the only jewelry I wear and have never had a problem with it. I'm not picking up cheap "sterling silver" from a department store. :)

If it itches, I take it off. But I wouldn't trust anything in my ears ever, even if it was guaranteed. A ring or a necklace is very different to me.

I can wear good quality sterling in my ears - have had some bad pieces. I can even wear white gold rings. Watches, necklaces though give me a problem almost 100% of the time...I can't wear sterling or nickel or white gold - only stainless.

MollyBeth Contributor
MollyBeth
Posted
  • Author

My allergy testing is 100% complete now. My reaction to rubber is mild, as is the nickel. I had a plus four reaction to thiomersal though. That is found in vaccines, soap free cleansers, cosmetics, and some first aid products.

Thank you all so much for the information! I've continued to eat many foods for the last week that have nickel in them and I haven't had any problems. I'm going to continue to monitor myself and see what happens!

  • 2 years later...
powerofpositivethinking Community Regular
powerofpositivethinking
Posted

*I posted this info in another thread, but also thought I'd add it here.

 

"came across this article.   p. 10 and 11 beginning in section 5 especially table 5 shows that patients with allergic reactions to nickel just happen to have an increase of carrying the DQ2 and DQ8 genes   :o

 

Open Original Shared Link"

 

mamat78 Apprentice
mamat78
Posted

I am not diagnosed...yet, but I have had a nickel rash from my belt consistently for about 8 years. It is there most of the time but with regular cortisone cream, it stays under control. awful, awful place for a rash! I also get severe DH (if thats what it turns out to be!). I go to doc on Tuesday to review my results. 

LauraB0927 Apprentice
LauraB0927
Posted

I also have a nickel allergy and used to get a terrible itching, oozing rash on my stomach where my belt came in contact with my skin - I went to an allergist several months back and he explained to me that many people have a topical nickel allergy and cant wear items (jewelry, belts, etc) that contain nickel, however out of those people, there is a very small percentage of people that cannot ingest nickel in foods or water.  So based on the way he explained it (and he was VERY thorough), just because someone reacts to nickel on the skin, it does not necessarily mean that they have to avoid nickel-containing foods.     MollyBeth - if you're not reacting to nickel foods, you may be in the topical group.  Hope this helps!!

  • 10 months later...
Amelia1878 Newbie
Amelia1878
Posted

Hi there, I suffer from diatary nickle allergy and anything with nickle in it, and I have Celiac Disease. For the past 15 years I have been stuggling with sores on my arms face and neck. Had a Chemical test done on my back that took a week to do and found out the reason for all the sores was a Nickle allergy. I am stumped because all the comfort foods that I enjoy to eat I can not eat anymore.

 

Does anyone have a list of Nickle free foods that are ok to eat? Not alloud to use silverware or use stainless steal pots and pans.

 

What is really sad on my part is I had a stroke 5 years ago I can no longer work, So I recieve SSDI and help from the state. which includeds Foodstamps and Medcaid I get medicare. But they just reduced my foodstamps to 60.00 a month Right now I just buy Chicken Boneless skinless Chicken, I drink Coffee with non dairy creamer and sugar. I should weight my goal weight but I am over that by 46 pounds.

 

They say I have High Cholestrol and I do not know why I do not eat anything but chicken.

 

I can not have onions, Chocolate, No Seeds, Nuts, Garlic, Potato's, Spinach,No canned goods, No Soy, No seafood, No beans, No peas, No Dairy, I have filters on all of my water faucts Tub shower and kitchen, Because my water has a high count of Nickle in it. I know there is more to my list but what I am seeking is a list of GOOD FOOD that contains NO Gluten or NICKLE  can you help me????

GottaSki Mentor
GottaSki
Posted

Hi there, I suffer from diatary nickle allergy and anything with nickle in it, and I have Celiac Disease. For the past 15 years I have been stuggling with sores on my arms face and neck. Had a Chemical test done on my back that took a week to do and found out the reason for all the sores was a Nickle allergy. I am stumped because all the comfort foods that I enjoy to eat I can not eat anymore.

 

Welcome Amelia!

 

Just to let you know, most of the folks on this thread have not been on in a while.  Hopefully someone will be along that can help.

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

Hi there, I suffer from diatary nickle allergy and anything with nickle in it, and I have Celiac Disease. For the past 15 years I have been stuggling with sores on my arms face and neck. Had a Chemical test done on my back that took a week to do and found out the reason for all the sores was a Nickle allergy. I am stumped because all the comfort foods that I enjoy to eat I can not eat anymore.

 

Does anyone have a list of Nickle free foods that are ok to eat? Not alloud to use silverware or use stainless steal pots and pans.

 

What is really sad on my part is I had a stroke 5 years ago I can no longer work, So I recieve SSDI and help from the state. which includeds Foodstamps and Medcaid I get medicare. But they just reduced my foodstamps to 60.00 a month Right now I just buy Chicken Boneless skinless Chicken, I drink Coffee with non dairy creamer and sugar. I should weight my goal weight but I am over that by 46 pounds.

 

They say I have High Cholestrol and I do not know why I do not eat anything but chicken.

 

I can not have onions, Chocolate, No Seeds, Nuts, Garlic, Potato's, Spinach,No canned goods, No Soy, No seafood, No beans, No peas, No Dairy, I have filters on all of my water faucts Tub shower and kitchen, Because my water has a high count of Nickle in it. I know there is more to my list but what I am seeking is a list of GOOD FOOD that contains NO Gluten or NICKLE  can you help me????

This looks like a good explanation. There are some foods to avoid on about page 5.

Open Original Shared Link

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