A nurse has been told she needs a pacemaker made of gold because she is allergic to her current one.
Chandra Taylor was given the life-saving device after being diagnosed with a heart rhythm disorder last year.
The 51-year-old claims she told medics about her allergy to many metals - but was reassured that a titanium-coated one would be fine.
However, Ms Taylor - who develops a rash when she wears metal earrings - suffered a rare reaction to the device which keeps her alive by ensuring it keeps beating.
She said: 'They said the only option is to have a gold-plated pacemaker but most companies they don’t make them now.'
Chandra Taylor was given the life-saving device after being diagnosed with a heart rhythm disorder last year
But Ms Taylor, from Rackheath, near Norwich, added: 'There’s little demand for it so most places don’t do it.
'I think the trust went back to to the same company and asked them to make one for me, and they said yes but then they said they can’t do it.
'So now they are searching for alternatives. I really want a gold one as that’s what the doctors were looking for.'
Ms Taylor has given up her job as a stroke nurse at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital because she is unable to work.
Ms Taylor, a nurse for 20 years who has sick sinus syndrome, almost collapsed on a night shift at the hospital after her heart rate became irregular.
She was discharged from A&E but just days later she was left screaming in pain and bed-bound at home due to the mystery allergy.
Ms Taylor said: 'For the first few days, I was just in constant pain, it was so extreme. I literally couldn’t get out of my bed and it took three friends to help me out.
'It was like I had a fever, I was so disorientated I was screaming at my friends, I didn’t know what was going on.'
The 51-year-old claims she told medics about her allergy to many metals - but was reassured that a titanium-coated one would be fine (pictured with fellow nurses)
However, Ms Taylor became one of only a handful of people worldwide to suffer a rare reaction to the device keeping her alive (pictured, her heart medication)
A pacemaker is a small device about the size of a matchbox or smaller that weighs 20 to 50g.
It consists of a pulse generator, which has a battery and a tiny computer circuit, and 1 or more wires known as pacing leads, which attach to your heart.
The pulse generator emits electrical impulses through the wires to your heart. The rate at which the electrical impulses are sent out is called the pacing rate.
Almost all modern pacemakers work on demand. This means they can be programmed to adjust the discharge rate in response to your body's needs.
If the pacemaker senses that your heart has missed a beat or is beating too slowly, it sends signals at a steady rate.
If it senses that your heart is beating normally by itself, it doesn't send out any signals.
Most pacemakers have a special sensor that recognises body movement or your breathing rate.
This allows them to speed up the discharge rate when you're active. Doctors describe this as rate responsive.
Source: NHS Choices
A week after the operation, Ms Taylor's symptoms became more severe as the left side of body began to swell.
She said: 'I couldn’t move my neck to the left and my ankle became very stiff and
