Vancouver Washington I posted here several weeks ago asking about chest pain/burning feeling. Since bypass May 12 2003 and resulting leg incision infection surgery June 2nd there has of course been lots of pain in this 58 year old body. I am so thankful for pain medicines but one should not need them forever. 2 weeks ago I was at wound clinic having the leg wound checked. Have been using a *plain* cloth type pad that when inserted in wound turns into a gel that absorbs drainage and lets a wound heal from the inside out instead of scabing over. Had been using this type gel for the past 2 1/2 months and wound has become very small and healing nicely. Doctor wanted to try a new type pad with a small percent of silver in it. I told her I was *metal senitive* which I knew from 15 years ago when I developed ear infections from pierced earings. I had worn ear rings for 20 years with no problem then these ear infections came out of no where. Did not matter what type post surgical steel, white gold, yellow gold ect. all metals were still causing infections. Finally I gave up the ear rings. The doctor from wound clinic said this was a *different type* silver and should NOT cause any problem. Within 24 hours the silver had gone into my bloodstream (from left leg wound site) and travled to the left ear and caused infection. Toughed it out over the week end and was then able to get in to doctor and be perscribed antibotic for the infection. By then infection had caused big Red throbbing painful ear and many weeping blisters all over ear. Infection had went down side of neck to throat area. Antibiotic has cleared up that infection and ear sores have scabbed over and are healing. I *FORGOT* to tell doctors of this allergy before Heart surgery. :( When they asked about allergies I only thought of the *medicine type* I have like to sulfer and certian type antibotics. They say had I told them they have *other type* of material they could have used. BECAUSE of all this the Cardilogist has decided the buring all along the chest incision is being caused by the *metal wires* even though they use a *special type*. He said if I don't let them go in and remove the wires the tissue will not heal and pain will NEVER go away. Sooooo tomorrow is the day to have them removed. I need to be at St Vincent Hospital in Portland Oregon in the morning by 5:00 a.m. If all goes well there will NOT be an overnight stay or they said perhaps just one night. Will post results after this is over and I feel well enough to get back online. Looking forward to being *pain free* in the near furture. :) Karla from Vancouver Washington