Swollen tongue misery / any tips?

[newbite]

I'm so sorry you had to go through this. I'm glad they are helping you now. I think you can get gold braces, right, that are hypoallergenic? They're also pretty

Hang in there! Glad you're ok.

[Mac123]

When I think of gold braces I had a funny image of me having this huge gold grill! Thanks for the laugh!

There are options for metal braces that don't have the nickel. There is always ceramic as well. The new ortho says he has a few options for me

[bbsadmin]

I'm so glad that you got this resolved! There are brackets and arch wires that do not contain nickel, and there are elastic ligature and power chains that do not contain latex. So you will be able to continue your treatment with no problem.

Please keep your nickel allergy in mind in the future and inform doctors about it. (Make sure it is in your charts). Also, I suppose you will need to pay closer attention to jewelry and metal surfaces that you come into contact with. Whenever you get a rash, the first thing that should come to your mind is: "is this an allergy?"

When you see the allergist, be sure to ask whether you need to carry an epi-pen with you at all times (or do you just need to keep one at work, one in the car, etc?) You may need to make sure that you always have Benedryl with you (and perhaps also Prednisone) just in case.

Remember, if you ever need to shoot yourself with an Epi-Pen, you need to go to the hospital. Sometimes Benedryl is not enough. And sometimes, one Epi-Pen shot is not enough either. I know that with food allergies, sometimes the symptoms can come back up to 24 hours later, and more medication would need to be administered. I'm not sure if it's the same with a non-food allergy like a nickel allergy.

In any case, you should always keep this in mind. Ask your allergist what other allergies a nickel allergy might also make you susceptible to.

My kids have food allergies, so I am very hyper-aware of all of this stuff. It's nothing to play around with; it could kill you. As my allergist says, "the allergy could get more severe at any time for no logical reason." (Very comforting, eh??)

[Mac123]

My husband went into major anaphylactic shock randomly one day. He nearly died. We were eating fish for the umpteenth time. Food allergies are crazy. Now he has an epi pen and we have to worry every time we eat out. I feel your pain.

My doctor said that Benadryl doesn't really work for nickel allergies. He also told me not to eat anything out of a can from now on... So before I get my new braces I am making vats of soup and freezing them! He said that nickel allergies are on the rise in America. I have never worn nickel jewelry so I guess this is my first exposure to it. My new ortho (I see Sept 17th) says he has options for me... I also got a list of every single thing they put into my mouth and that they used on me... They will be testing for everything.

I am confident that my new ortho will be able to get it sorted. He is board certified and has experience in dealing with people with allergies. He came very well recommended. I am hopeful that my second time will be less traumatizing!

Thanks for all the support everyone.

[ItsFreyja]

I'm glad that's resolved! Especially glad for you that you've got a more supportive and competent team to work with going forward.

[ruca2]

I am an anesthetist and definitely agree with the other post about taking this seriously. I deal with patients going into anaphylaxis after the medications we administer occasionally and it is a life threatening situation. Glad to hear you had it taken care of. Good luck and keep that epi pen close!