Mango Allergy

We have hundreds of mango trees, which are full of fruit making them the perfect way to make money. Harvesting has begun, and we have all spent hours picking and boxes the mango's for various different places. However, this could be an issue in the future as it appears I am allergic to Mangos!!! Only me, and yes I am allergic to the sap, leaves, branches and skin of the fruit....fanf**kingtastic!

A couple of weeks ago I woke up and my head was the size of a small country, my lips, eyes and throat were swollen, and I was covered in hives. For two days I tolerated the itching and swelling, however, it got a lot worse and I ended up in hospital. The doctor was horrified at the size of my head, as was I and prayed that no one I knew saw me!

The hospital confirmed that I had an acute allergic reaction to something, and to avoid it in the future....well not knowing what it was this was going to be tricky. I blamed the fact that I had left the house for a long period two days previously, my son blamed drinking my best friends Desperado...(sorry will replace) and my husband blamed the cheap Baileys I had consumed...it was none of the above.

Just as my head begun to shrink, a week later it exploded back up and the itching was unbearable, this had to be something that I come into contact with every week. Then it dawned on me like a penny dropping through the money machine..clunk...clunk...clunk.it had to be Mangos!!! Sure enough through the power of Google it seemed I was not alone, and that millions of people suffer from the same allergy, however, I bet they don't live on a mango farm,

Mangos contain Urushiol, which is the same as poison ivy, and when this substance comes into contact with your skin it can have the same unbearable results as dancing through a patch of poison ivy! Surprisingly I can still consume Mangos, and once washed and dried I can touch them. However, I can no longer wander through the orchards, or help to harvest them without gloves on.

My husband has been his ever supportive self, which involved a huge amount of laughter and then the realisation that he may have to harvest all the Mangos by himself...he offered to buy me a bee keeping suit, so I can continue to pick the fruit....