u/AgenderAstronomer

Found out last year that I have mild sleep apnea. My brain fog and fatigue are really bad. I went to an apnea-specialized dentist who made me an oral appliance. Fit perfect, was excited to try it out.

I got it home and looked at the booklet it came with. It said on the first page to not use the appliance if you're allergic to nickel, as there's exposed metal that contains some undisclosed percentage of nickel. I'm unfortunately very allergic to nickel. At no point did my dentist ask me this, and I found that baffling as it's a common allergy. Thankfully, he agreed to make me a new appliance in a style that doesn't have any exposed metal, without charge.

Second appliance came in and it didn't fit properly. It felt like it was pulling on my front teeth. My dentist shaved a significant portion of the (acrylic?) mold down, but it continued to be very uncomfortable. Nothing like the fit of the first appliance. I think the mold shrank during processing or something. Eventually the dentist told me that he couldn't remove more material or he'd compromise the structural integrity of the appliance. Told me to go home and try wearing it. I lied and said I would (I'm not going to wear something for hours that feels as though it's pulling my teeth out of my skull).

A few weeks later I reached out to the dentist via email and told him that I had tried wearing the second appliance a few times but that it caused too much pain. I offered to bring both appliances back so he would know I'm not trying to get free stuff. I just want an oral appliance that won't trigger my allergies or fuck up my teeth. The dentist replied, telling me to bring the second appliance back and that he'd shave more off. I reminded him that he said he shaved as much as he feasibly could off at our last appointment. It's been a few weeks and he never responded.

At this point I'm extremely tempted to dispute my $400 copay from months ago. He's continued to fail to deliver what I paid for. And I can't find any other sleep apnea dentists who make oral appliances here in MD. Please give any advice if you have it.

I'm diagnosed with dysautonomia (inc SFN) and possibly hEDS (one doctor said I don't have it, another said I do, so I need to follow up on testing).

I've had weird stuff happening on and off for years:

- Had a bodywide bout of hives that lasted for a few months about 12 years ago. Steroids didn't help. Eventually they went away and haven't come back.

- Sometimes I wake up with swollen fingers or toes. Usually goes away within a few hours. In one incident, during the middle of the day, one of my fingers swelled up for hours before going back down.

- Once or twice a month I'll feel as though I'm having an allergic reaction. My throat gets tight and kinda itchy. Notably different from the feeling of a panic attack. Usually I take some hydroxyzine and that takes care of it. Sometimes it's directly after food/drink, sometimes not. Haven't been able to figure out a pattern.

- Constant post nasal drip, ENT hasn't been able to find a reason.

- Sometimes my eyes start burning and tearing up something awful out of the blue. Lasts a few mins then settles.

- Mouth burns from certain foods, and the list seems to be growing, though it's not always consistent. Unripe bananas usually make my mouth burn but didn't the other day. Lo mein makes my mouth burn only since the winter before last. There are definitely more but I can't remember atm.

- I've had allergic reactions to b12 shots, specifically hydroxo and methyl forms. These varied from localized skin reactions to systemic reactions. Dr and I attempted to narrow down the ingredient causing it but couldn't.

- Skin is very sensitive and hates most products as well as heat. It gets irritated and itchy if I'm overheated.

I've been allergy tested and absolutely everything was negative, despite them doing both the trays and shallow injections during my appt. My only confirmed allergies are to nickel (weeping rash) and cefaclor (hives). I used to be allergic to oranges as a child but outgrew it.

Most antihistamines make me dissociate and pass out, and/or they interact with my current medications, so I haven't tried adding a daily one to my regimen yet. I'm thinking of trialing fexofenadine or loratadine.

I know I'm forgetting symptoms but wanted to get some feedback on this list. Thank you.

ETA-- Another thing, if I scratch the colored parts of my tattoos they burn for a few mins. The skin is like permanently sensitized or something. Doesn't happen if I scratch the black areas of my tats. All are fully healed and have been for years.