Maggie
Dear person with hives -- this happened to me too -- I had a bilateral removal of my ovaries thru a laparoscopic procedure. From after the surgery, I began itching and breaking out in hives My name is MaggieFuss --MaggieFuss@aol.com is my email address. What they did not tell me (nor do they tell many patients) is that during these surgeries they use permanent stitches or "staples" or "clips" actually made of metal -- my doctors were stumped and the doctor who operated on me actually alluded to the fact I might be imagining the itching and hives. Then the following year I had another surgery -- a laparoscopic gallbladder removal and my hives and itching got worse -- I went to the library every chance I got and found finally an excerpt in an allergy book about people being allergic to metal implants left during surgery. I got my records as well as the x-rays themselves -- and there they were -- you could actually see the metal -- they look justlike staples -- I had them removed from all over my abdomen in an extensive laparotomy in 1994 and it stopped the itching and hives. I also cannot wear pierced earrings -- I had never made this connection before finding this out. This is a more known problem now than it was back in 1992-1994 when I was suffering from such a medical mystery. While I did not see him, Dr. King at VanderBilt University in Tennessee gave me a lot of help -- he seems to be the world's expert on this -- Department of Dermatology there -- He told me I needed to see a dermatologist as they were more familiar with this kind of problem. The surgery removing the metal (they were titanium) solved the problem -- Your doctors will not want to admit to this -- Write if I can be of any further help - MaggieFuss@aol.com