Forgotten allergies

I only bring this up because I thought about it last night. A few years back after getting back from our first Hawaii vacation I discovered I was allergic to nickel. We had purchased a necklace that had the appearance of hematite beads alternating with carved wooden segments and small black disks. After wearing it for a while I got an itchy rash on the back of my neck, right where the catch was. I didn't think anything about I figured something in the salt water or the change in tap water was the culprit. Odd place for a rash but I was on vacation... After coming home and doing some research when the rash didn't go away, I discovered that it was not an uncommon occurrence for people to be allergic to nickel. Nickel is usually mixed with other metals to produce alloys or is used as a plating material. It is found in many common, everyday items... like belt buckles. Several years ago I had an annoying rash just above my belt line that

renniemom and I attributed to a change in detergent. Turns out it was the nickel plated buckle on the belt I had been wearing.

Anyway, I bring this up because I referee for the Dead Girl Derby, and after our first game I had an odd tingling on my lips and a mild rash just below my lips. I thought it might have been something I ate or maybe I had irritated the skin when I shaved. It didn't even occur to me that I might be allergic to my whistle...

That's right, my whistle; the one I've had for 2 decades since working at the other skating rink. Last night during practice I was looking at my whistle and it was like a light bulb had exploded in my head. "Well fuck." I said to myself, "nickel plated." Guess what? Today I have a mild rash below my lip and my lips have that tingly, chapped feeling. Now I need to go and buy a new whistle with one of those rubber cover things before Sundays game.