Help! I'm allergic to Mangos?!?

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R

ruth

Backstory: Last weekend I spent several hours gardening with my beloved orchids. Sunday night I noticed a rash on my hands, face, neck and arms, like poison ivy. By Monday morning my eyelids were half swollen shut from the rash (I wear contacts and have a bad habit of touching near my eyes) and the rash was red and angry all over. I went to the Dr. and he put me on a round of Predisone.

I've been on a weeklong hunt to determine the true source of the rash. I've repotted orchids for 17 years, I just couldn't believe it was in them or my greenhouse.

Mangos are in season and they are plentiful, ripe and cheap here in our groceries. I had gotten some and ate one last weekend. I just read they are the LEADING cause of contact dermatitis in the state of Hawaii!?!

OMG - Am I allergic to Mangos? Could you be? I always thought they were safe? Heck, they're a FRUIT! But nooo, their skin is apparently toxic.

http://books.google.com/books?id=W4...=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result#PPA42,M1

As I sit here alternating between itching and typing.... I wish you all good health and happiness.

Peace,

Ruth
 
Papaya is the same way - the skin can cause reactions. Certain peppers also.

Not sure whether it is a true allergy or just a reaction to the skin. The only way to really be sure is to try mango again but wear gloves when handling or make sure to wash your hands well after peeling.

Is this the first time you have eaten mango or the first time you have peeled one?
 
Geebee - You're right, it may just be a skin reaction but whatever it is, it's itchy and driving me crazy (ok, short drive, lol). I'll probably do a controlled test with gloves, etc.

I've had Mango's before but only sparingly, I don't usually buy them. I also get occasional contact dermatitis episodes, of unknown origin which I'd *love* to know just what causes it. Then again I'm an ultra-white-sensitive-skinned red-headed Norwegian. I figure it just comes with the territory so I live with it. Since my surgery I'm less patient for the 'just put up with it' approach. Every new day is such a blessing I would rather live as many of them as I can without annoyances like these.

Ponymom - I guess I'm just a moron. I don't think of skin allergies and rashes when it comes to fruits. At least not from just touching the skin. I know enough not to serve strawberries to a 1 year old but that's about it. I guess I should learn more. Time to start "googling...". :)

Thanks,
Ruth
 
Ruth,

If you do try mangos again, just be very careful. Sometimes with allergies, the first notice can be skin reactions that can end up leading to an anaphylaxis reaction. I guess it really depends on how much you like mango or how curious you are to find out if it was the mango. If you do try, wear gloves and try eating only a small piece at a time to check for reactions.

I love papaya but stay away from it because I have had slight reactions in the past and am a rather chicken person. The last thing I want on my tombstone is: "She survived 3 OHS and was done in by a papaya." ;):D:eek:;)
 
Oaktree - Thx for the shared experience. It could well be. I'm starting to hate my 40's - :)).

GeeBee - ROTFLMAO - I don't need, 'she was done in by a Mango' on my gravestone either. They are looking less appealing these days. I have romantic memories of Mango daiquiris on my Caribbean honeymoon with my DH of 26 years. Other than that I can live without them (tho not HIM).

This is nuts, I'm afraid of everything I touch. Speaking of nuts, peanuts, cashews are no angels either...

I didn't survive OHS to be this paranoid. I'll get over it. Thanks for the moral support!

Ruth
 
My husband has to wear latex gloves when he handles citrus fruit. Eating it does not cause a problem, just touching it with his hands.
 
When we lived in the tropics Mango trees were everywhere including in our garden YUM YUM!...anyways at the Mango Farms all the "pickers and handlers" have to wear long sleeves and gloves because the sap can and does burn the skin...I am wondering if this is what has happened to you...so therefore you may not be allergic to this delicious fruit ...
 
My husband says that the mango skin contains chemicals very similar to those found in poison oak. He loves mangoes, but is deathly allergic to poison oak. Sooooo, guess who gets to peel them? You can buy them frozen and packed in water and syrup, and they are really not too bad. Wearing plastic gloves also helps, and I always peel them quickly and wash my hands thoroughly after peeling.

Now Hazy in Idaho,
-Laura
 
spent a good deal of my life in Miami - growing up there, etc. where there were plentiful mangoes. When my children came along, they would pick mangoes, bring then in and eat away. One of my children was allergic. The only answer was 'don't touch the peeling of that fruit'. I would peel it for her and then it was ok. She still loves mangoes and buys them all the time.

Mango poisoning can be pretty awful - do not touch the outside of it.
 
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