Metallosis of cervical disc replacement

@maldokat Welcome to Connect. I am a cervical spine fusion patient and I had concerns about immune responses to metals and had my fusion without hardware and stayed in a neck brace for 3 months. I’m sorry you are having trouble and I know rashes and pain are hard to live with. I broke my ankle and had chronic hives from the titanium hardware and eventually had that removed. Have you consulted another spine specialist? If your hardware is migrating that does not sound good. Another recommendation I could give you is to contact the Environmental Health Center Dallas. They treat allergies to survival implants. If you search for them here in Connect, there is a member posting about being treated there. Are you going to consult a spine surgeon about revision surgery?

@maldokat Welcome to Connect. I am a cervical spine fusion patient and I had concerns about immune responses to metals and had my fusion without hardware and stayed in a neck brace for 3 months. I’m sorry you are having trouble and I know rashes and pain are hard to live with. I broke my ankle and had chronic hives from the titanium hardware and eventually had that removed. Have you consulted another spine specialist? If your hardware is migrating that does not sound good. Another recommendation I could give you is to contact the Environmental Health Center Dallas. They treat allergies to survival implants. If you search for them here in Connect, there is a member posting about being treated there. Are you going to consult a spine surgeon about revision surgery?

So please share with me how you had your cervical fusion done with no metals? Where did you have it done? Who was your surgeon? Thank you

@maldokat Do you have a problem with hardware placement or migration of parts or screws that would require a revision if it was not for the metal immune issues? What levels have the artificial discs?

Revision would probably replace the artificial discs with fusions. I had come to Mayo and after 5 local spine surgeons wouldn't help me, and the surgeon I saw at Mayo Rochester liked difficult cases, so that may have helped me be accepted because my symptoms just confused 5 other surgeons who saw me. I don't know, but if you wanted to apply to Mayo, you should write a letter with all the details and explain how all the surgeons refused to help you if you apply to Mayo.

You can request that your imaging, and information be sent to my surgeon, Jeremy Fogelson. He does both fusion and artificial discs for cervical and teaches in the Mayo neurosurgery program as well as bigger cases for spine deformity. I know that surgical prep for artificial discs is specific to the implant as to how the bone is prepared and what may be removed. If you undo all that and fuse it instead, you are starting with the modifications that exist when that hardware is removed. That may be a tricky situation and a lot of surgeons probably don't want to risk failing at something like that, so you need to go somewhere where there are a lot of experts doing difficult surgeries. Mayo sounds like a good choice to me.

Fusions were done without hardware and metal plates before those were invented. It requires staying in a hard collar neck brace 24/7 until the fusion process begins which is about 3 months. Then after an X-ray demonstrates that fusion has begun, the patient can wean out of the collar. Bone building will go on a lot longer for at least a year or more making it stronger. To do this, the surgeon needs to know that they can trust a patient to follow instructions to tee. With your need of 2 levels, that may complicate this. I think my surgeon would only do this on a one level fusion without a plate, but he would have to answer that himself.

I am a "Sharing Mayo Clinic" story which you can see at
https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/using-the-art-of-medicine-to-overcome-fear-of-surgery/
Here is Dr. Fogelson's profile
https://www.mayoclinic.org/biographies/fogelson-jeremy-l-m-d/bio-20055624
I had a problem with metals in my body because of titanium plates holding my bones together after an ankle fracture 3 years ago. I had constant pain, skin discoloration and hives that would come up all over my body that started about 6 months after the ankle surgery. I had to stay on antihistamine all the time. After I had those plates removed, all of that resolved itself. There is a lab in Chicago https://www.orthopedicanalysis.com/ that tests for allergies to implant materials if you need proof of an issue, but I think you already know this.

This is the practice that treats immune issues from surgical implants that I mentioned before. https://www.ehcd.com/

If you want to apply to Mayo, first I recommend calling the Billing department and make sure that your insurance is accepted as in Network.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/billing-insurance
You may use this link to request an appointment, and someone will call you back to discuss the details and help you send in records for review. There is no charge to do that much when requesting an appointment. http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63

This is a discussion about metal allergies that may be of interest.

"Is There a Hospital or Doctor in the US who Understands Metal Allergies?"
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/is-there-a-hospital-or-dr-in-us-who-understand-metal-allergies-in-tkr/
Here you can connect with @moprea who is undergoing treatment now at the Environmental Health Center Dallas.