Immune system post Nuss
I have posted this on Facebook as well, so sorry if anyone reads it it now a second time - but I'd like to see if there is anyone else out there having the same issue with Nuss bars.
Before my Nuss procedure (November '25) I felt as if I was invincible... I never got ill. No matter what my kids brought home. Everyone would get the bug - except me.
For a very long time.
I started to ask myself how it actually feels having a sore throat. Or a flue, fever... I had basically forgotten about it because my immune system was a maniac (I think due to some good lifestyle changes during the last years).
Now, after Nuss... I don't recognize myself. I'm getting ill, every month. Sore throat, coughing (so much coughing), lost my voice three times for a few days.
And it just continues, it doesn't stop. I currently have a sinusitis that I surely haven't had for more than 6 years.
Has anyone felt like this? That the immune system is so much weaker after this surgery? I found some information online that metal implants can have an effect on the immune cells.
Here is what I found so far:
Metal ions from stainless steel implants — primarily nickel and chromium — suppress T-lymphocyte and NK cell proliferation. Cells remain viable but function less effectively. NK cells are particularly sensitive. This is lab-confirmed, not theoretical.
Metal ions do not stay local. They distribute systemically via the bloodstream and accumulate in distant organs including liver and spleen.
In orthopedic patients, activated T-cells in peripheral blood declined after implant removal, suggesting the immune activation is driven by the implant and is reversible.
Established in patient populations:
34–58% of hip and knee replacement patients show measurable immune reactivity to their implant metals. Sensitization rates increase with implant duration.
Regulatory status:
The FDA considers the immunological effects of chronic metal implant exposure insufficiently understood and is actively researching it.