Not to my knowledge,no testing for allergies was done prior to the surgery. However, I'd assume it's probably not protocol to do so since such a small percentage of patients experience an allergy to the metal itself. I've also been researching the effects of long-term gabapentin use(he's been taking it for years) and seem to see some possible correlation there as well,with this and other symptoms he's experiencing. Hopefully the d/c of the gabapentin will tell us what we need to know. He's been tapering the dose for a couple weeks now. Also thanks for taking the time to talk w me /trying to help figure something out. My dad is just miserable, his whole body is covered with this 'irritation' so I'm thankful for any help in the right direction we can get