Oh my, I misunderstood :o Thought that med was given to another doc and no the skin guy LOL

Sorry, my mind is like an air bag today :o

Glad you went Mari :hug:

Everything is gonna be alright. :hug:

mango rash maybe
 

That derm doc was weird. I am only going to deal with with women docs from now on.

I looked up pictures of the mango rash. Some pics looked like my rash but maybe all rashes have at least some similarities.

IF I am allergic to the skin of the mango . . . that would not be good. Mangos are somewhat related to bananas, poison ivy, and latex.
And although I have enough sense not to rub against the skin of the fruit now, the juice and flesh shows up in odd food mixes so I will have to be watchful.

Hubby is very confused . . .. he does not see how I could possibly be o.k. with mangos one day and than not o.k. two days later. I am done explaining this to him.
Next time I will make him come to future doctor appointments with me if he wants explanations and assurances.

I do not feel good.

M

Hahahaha I hate weird docs yes... Cant really trust them.... Hehe
But how is the rash today ? Any better ?

I like your idea Mari, if hubby doesnt get it just whatever... I really get tired (and ******) when people just dont get a health problem I have and keeps asking at the same time.... :o

Sorry to hear you are not feeling alright. :hug: :hug: :hug: Feel better soon.

mango peel esp. responsible for allergic reactions
 

Hi Mari,

Well, mangoes in particular do cause a lot of allergic reactions, especially the fruit peel. Some people are ok eating the pulp as long as they don't touch the peel. Maybe you are aware of whether you had more contact with the peel than usual in your recent handling of mangoes.

If you consumed the fruit, you are almost certainly not allergic to the pulp as you should have broken out around the lips and/or in the mouth. In this case, you should be ok eating mango, provided you don't handle the peel.

A frequent manifestation of mango peel allergy occurs when people eat the fruit right off the peel instead of peeling the fruit before eating it. In this case, they break out around their mouth, where there was contact with the fruit peel. The skin around the mouth is more susceptible to reactions than are the palms and fingertips. The tops of the hands and arms might have a similar susceptibility - I'm not sure.

----------------

How interesting that mango is related to poison ivy and latex! I am surprised to hear it is also related to bananas, though. While poison ivy is well known for the nasty dermatitis it causes and latex allergy is not infrequent, I've not heard of bananas being particularly problematic. (I may be underinformed in that regard.)

=================

I agree that if hubby wants to "get things" he can come with you next time. What he needs to do now is be supportive, period. You have enough on your hands. If he wants more explanations here and now, he can use Google.

I hope you feel better soon in every way. Let us know how you are doing, and how the rash is. :hug::hug::hug:

waves

Waves,

I had a delayed breakout around the edges of my mouth. It happened after the rash on my hands.

Bananas and Latex: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8006321

Capers: Capers Cashew: Cashew, Mango, Pistachio: http://www.foodallergygourmet.com/Fo...20Families.htm

Urushiol: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urushiol

I have to go to another MD today so I cannot read all of this carefully right now.
It appears that bananas and mangos are not as related to each other as I thought although they both can be related to latex -- not sure.

Mari

wow. Well then if you did not eat the fruit right off the peel, it does sound like you are allergic to the pulp as well. You may be less allergic to it than to the peel. That could explain why the rash on your hands appeared first. Also I wonder if you didn't handle the fruit well before you ate it (during shopping, unpacking and/or moving it at home).

=================
I took a look at your links. Here are my observations.

Bananas and latex:
The study you cited clearly indicates some degree of cross-allergy between latex and bananas. It would imply that if one is allergy-prone, and has a known allergy to one of the two, they should be cautious about contact with the other.

Latex and other saps:
Latex is the congealed sap of the "Rubber Tree", a member of the Euphorbiaceae plant family. Many members of this family (eg. Euphorbia (various species), mangroves, crotons) have a milky sap which is irritating to varying degress, and with which contact should be avoided. Wiki claims the Crotonideae are innocuous - my mother grew them and claims the contrary. I believe my mother.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbiaceae
Btw, ricin is a toxin found in castor oil. ;)

Poison Ivy, Cashew, Mango, Pistachio:
All are members of the Anacardiaceae family of plants. Some are more likely to cause allergies. I haven't heard of anyone "immune" to poison ivy. Mango allergy is common. Cashew and pistachio allergy might be less so(?). If allergic to mango, cashew, or pistachio, you should be cautious with the others. I didn't read enough to determine whether, in all cases, the allergy is produced by urushiol content.

Capers:
No idea how capers enter into this, as they belong to neither of the groups of indicted plant families. I have encountered people who are allergic to capers but I don't think it is particularly common.

----------------

I am going to watch Sherlock Holmes now. I might post later if I think of something else, or find something else. I didn't cross-check latex and mango, but they are in distinct plant families as I stated above.

waves

Anacardiaceae do contain urushiol. Oral Benadryl.
 

http://wearenotfoodies.com/the-nutty...d-mangoes.html

Now I understand why some people can eat the fruit it is peeled - relatively small amounts of urushiol. Those who react to the peeled fruit are clearly more sensitive, so they react even to the small quantity that has contaminated the pulp.

Mari, urushiol can be transferred from one surface to another. Repeat exposure can occur via contact with previously exposed clothing or surfaces. Ask hubby to clean areas any areas where the mangos have been; also wash any possibly exposed clothing. If hubby eats mangos in future, he needs to keep these things in mind too.

The wiki article on urushiol mentions that the odds of reacting increase with each exposure. Some do not react with their first exposure. (sounds like your case). Once a reaction occurs, subsequent exposures tend to produce progressively greater reactions.

One last thing. The additional rash around the mouth makes practically certain this is a mango allergy. In light of that, taking Benadryl by mouth might be very helpful, especially if the rash is still developing at all. (Do not use Benadryl cream - only use the prescribed steroid.)

waves

What a shame, mangos are my favorite fruit. I have a mild reaction to them if I eat it off the peel and get some of the peel in my mouth....makes my mouth tingle. also one time I sucked on the giant pit and had that same tingling sensation. Mango chutneys are good on fish.
Does this mean you can't eat mangos anymore?
I am sorry if that is the case.
(((((HUGS)))))
bizi

With that kind of reaction Bizi, it would be a bad idea to have mango any time soon. :( Maybe after waiting several years, it could be tried again. The immune response sometimes settles down if it is not solicited repeatedly by the same allergen.

I'd also advise you to consume them with caution, since they tingle. The peel and pit should both be removed as carefully as possible. - as I said in the above post, repeat exposures can apparently cause greater reactions.

I don't personally like mango chutney (or other sweet toppings) on fish... blechhh! :o I like the fruit though, and I looooove mango lassies! :)

waves

what is a lassies?????

Dear Bizi

A lassi is a rich, milk and yogurt-based Indian drink. It is flavored with fruit and spices.

waves

That sounds delicious!:)

Next time you go to an Indian restaurant, order one. Maybe ask what kinds they have first - there won't be just mango. And I think it's more yogurt than milk but I've never seen one made so I don't know. Just beware, they are *really* filling!

waves

Waves,

It is going to be hard to explain this to hubby but I have to.
He saw a few bumps that I recognize to be a lot like the poison ivy I got a few times when I was a kid.
Local mango season goes through the end of August and hubby has been buying the whole fruits and (recently) two quarts of mango juice.
*****

This is what the weird skin doc gave me.
Desonide Cream
http://www.drugs.com/pro/desonide-cream.html
(It has some odd and unfamiliar ingredients.)

I picked it up tonight but I did not use it. Instead I used my 2% Cortisone that the sane/ nice / usual dermatologist gave me last year for a rash.


Mari

desonide looks good to me
 

It's just a steroid, Mari. Don't fret over the chemical/structural formula. All compounds have one!

I found a Topical Steroid Potency chart.
http://www.psoriasis.org/about-psori.../potency-chart
It shows hydrocortisone 2% amongst the least potent, with desoide 0.5% being more potent - in the lower mid-strength range.

I personally would choose the stronger of the two for your rash. This isn't a mild skin inflammation - without treatment it is something that could take a couple of weeks. Even with the steroid it might. It definitely needs to prevented from worsening. Urushiol rashes can scar.

-------------------
FYI: I've experienced increased itching/burning upon application of steroid creams, particularly when used on very inflamed skin. The skin settles down soon afterwards, but it freaked me out so I asked my former doctor (who was good) about this. She said it was due to anti-inflammatory action. Beats me how, but she assured me it was perfectly ok.
===============

With hubby, take your time. Take care of yourself, right now. Reset, regroup, feel better. Explain when you are up to it. (Or hook him up to yahoo messenger sometime... and I'll try to explain it to him! ;))

:hug::hug::hug:

waves

Waves,

Thank you for reassuring me about using the "new to me" cream.
A few hours ago I tested it on a tiny patch of skin that was not part of the rash.
The patch looks o.k.
After reading your post, I applied the new stuff on the rash.
=======
Maybe I have to explain to him the science (after I learn it myself). He likes charts and diagrams and stinks about reading unless it is in tiny chunks.
http://www.google.com/search?q=flow+...=1491&bih=1025
Egads|!
=====
This is hard.
A look through youtube did not help enough.

Mari

Majo, :ROTFLMAO:

This is funny.
You would get tired (and ******) a lot at my house. :eek:

Mari

At this moment there is one fresh mango (left after a bought a pile a week ago) on a paper plate on the counter in the kitchen and a jar of mango juice in the fridge. Hubby is asleep and I will not get around to talking to him about this until the afternoon (Fri).


I wish stupid skin doc (who told me he is very allergic to mangos when he said he did not want to shake my hand on the way out) had given me a few words of advice.
M

Rashes and cream.
 

Actually, you did very well to test the cream on non-inflamed skin first. That made good sense. I am glad it worked out fine and that you went ahead to use it on the rash. :)

-- Questions:
Did the doc see the outbreak around your mouth? Are you applying the cream there too?

How are the rashes (mouth and hand/arm) now - better, worse, about the same?

Explaining things to hubby
 

We can distill the tiny chunks he needs to know. He does not need to know all the science behind allergic responses.

He needs to know:
-------------------------
-- This is not a fluke: you will react to further mango exposure.
-- You must be kept safe from further exposure.
-------------------------
-- The allergen in mango peel, called urushiol, rapidly contaminates materials it touches.
-- It is unsafe for you to have *any* exposure to mangos as well as surfaces, cloth, skin (his), that might have touched them even momentarily.
-------------------------
-- He can decontaminate exposed materials by immediately washing them with soap and water.
-- Skin is only decontaminated by 50%, at most.
-------------------------

That should be enough to put him on the right track.

Do you think he can "tolerate" that amount of text?

Next question, would he have a problem "believing" this stuff without viewing the references? If need be, we could give references but it's hard to find references that aren't text.

=============

I looked for diagrams but kept finding things on the allergic immune response; none covered progressive sensitization over time. One article expressed this concept with numerical data but within the text. Also, it was not a formal study and the number of people involved was small.

waves

Hi, Waves,

Years ago in college, hubby and a bunch of buddies caught a ton of fish and made a fish fry. One kid ended up in the ER. He remembers this clearly -- the part about someone having to go to the hospital for eating the same food everyone was eating.
Also he spoke to his gym buddy about mangos and me and the gym buddy grew up in an area where mangos were native and was aware that usually the skin is the part that people are allergic to. Hubby told me that the gym buddy himself once ate something that messed him up causing him to drove to himself to the ER. The ER docs told him he should have called 911.
I think the gym buddy helped hubby understand that this is serious.
But I am not confident that hubby "gets" it because he only half listens to people --- he sort of gets bored when anyone is talking and spaces out similar to how a person with ADHD might.

I slept until 7:00 pm so I have not talked to hubby today and will not do so until later.

Mari

update on talk therapist
 

My insurance company called me while I was sleeping all day today and left a voice mail with the name of a therapist (female) who is taking patients.

I will call her Monday. The state license page lists 2003 as the date of her original license.
When I search for her via google her address is far away and when I search by reverse phone I get confusing locations because she is apparently part of a group. I hope she is conveniently located for me. My tolerance for driving has declined.

M

Oh Mari, I hope it all goes well for you with the potential therapist. So frustrating to replace and find really good health care providers.
Crossing my fingers. Try to enjoy your weekend,
Di

I hope she is close to you and that you like her, trust her...time will tell.
bizi

Thank you, Di and Bizi, :hug: :hug:

Things work out sometimes.

Mari

therapist & rash
 

Hi Mari,

I wish you well with this new therapist.

You sounded iffy about the one you tried, even though what you said about the session sounded good, as did her location.

I guess she just didn't feel quite right? I hope this one does - and that she is nearby.

===================

How are the rashes (skin, mouth)?

Did the skin doc get to see the one around your mouth - was it showing when you went?

waves

lots going on I guess
 

Waves,

1 She did not return my two calls after I missed the appt. I feel that I could make another try at a therapist.

2 The mango rash is going away. My mouth still feels bothered. The skin doc did not look at my mouth. For some reason I did not make the association between the mouth thing and the arm/wrist/ finger thing until after the appt. Perhaps the mouth did not bother me until later that day.

3 My two acupuncturists would have known how to treat the mango and possible associated allergies. I hope that my most recent old acupuncturist will see me. I last saw her two years ago for two sessions. I am not confident that she would or could see me ( . . . but that may be my depression talking. ) I expect to call her by end of next week.

4 I am sad (in addition to the depression) right now because saying good bye to my work friends' wife and eighth grade kid will be hard. I am so teary and I do not want to upset them. I reallly want to cancel our Sun meetup rather than upset them with my crying.

5 Friday was a horrible day in part because my cpap stopped during a bleep in power. The other appliances came back but that one was broken it appeared. I got on the phone, slept between call backs without the machine, got hubby to help trouble shoot . . . . eventually hubby got himself motivated to fix the problem when he heard that I was prepared to make him drive me 1 hour and spend $800 for a cheapo machine ( - - - I am not sure if the prospect of the drive or of having to spend money was the bigger deal for him.) :) ;)

M

Hi Mari,

I am sorry things are so difficult and that you are having to juggle so many things. :hug::hug::hug:

I hate that she did not call you back. That makes me angry at her. I am glad you feel willing to try another therapist.

Good to hear the rash is clearing. :)

Ideally you should treat the rash around your mouth too. The desonide should be fine applied around the lips (not on them). If you are uncomfortable with the desonide for your face, your other cream is an option. To use a minimal amount, rub the cream into a Q-tip, then dab or roll the Q-tip over the skin.

I wonder if their treatment can reduce your sensitivity in case of future exposure.

Tears are not inappropriate here; I am not convinced your crying would upset them. But maybe this feels too hard for you? If so, by all means, cancel. Otherwise, I would not deprive them and yourself of the chance to say goodbye, merely to "protect" them from your emotions. Odds are they don't need protecting. Just my take.

Haha! Sorry your cpap c_apped out on you like that... yuck! :o Good job dealing with hubby though! :D

waves

I applied the Desonide to my wrist a little while ago. The area started stinging so I washed it off with soap and water.

It came to me from the pharmacy with a big huge colored warning to discontinue if it bothered me. :confused:
It has been d/c ed. :mad:

I might take Klonopin ahead of time and find some way to get up from the table a few times and find other ways to keep myself focused on other things or alternatively to distract myself.

I guess I want to protect myself from my own emotions.

That is true.

Hubby found the details he wanted yesterday: his gym friend was standing near fire ants at a ceremony near a gravesite and felt he could not leave to get away from the ants. After the ceremony, he drove to the hospital.
Hubby thinks my mango incident is worthy of laughter because apparently it does not compare to an ant bite. ("Mangos are harmless," he said.
I had to talk to him AGAIN. I will find a freeeking movie or something and make him watch the whole thing and pass a written exam on it. :eek:

In related news, a friend's husband reacts to the meat of mammalians. She eats vegan and apparently feeds him eggs or chicken or fish. It is too hard for me to explain so I will put it in my next post.
Mari

mammalian meat allergy
 

This seriously affects some people:

What exactly is this mammalian meat allergy?

http://allergytomeat.wordpress.com/f...ked-questions/


How many other people have this allergy?
Apparently, the almost six hour delay from consumption to allergic reaction has made the allergy difficult to recognize/ identify until recently.

This is weird and disgusting somehow.

Mari

I'm sorry. I do believe in erring on the side of caution. I don't know to what degree it bothered you and this rash has a different cause than my usual ones.

Just FYI, I usually experience burning when I apply steroid cream to highly inflamed eczemas (verrrry itchy, very red, with tiny fluid-filled bumps). Soon after I apply the cream, the area starts burning and the area can even swell a little. This takes a good 15 minutes to subside, but it does stop. My cream does caution to d/c in case of discomfort, also. I keep using it because the discomfort is temporary, the doc said it was normal (I don't know if your case is or not) and I see net improvement after multiple applications.

I don't know if you'd be willing to talk to a pharmacist about your specific case before writing off the desonide completely. I wonder how long you let the stuff sting before washing it off. The cortisone cream your dermy gave you might be helpful albeit perhaps less so, without the stinging.

Without any steroid, the rash should go away on it's own, just more slowly.

waves

Mango wood furniture
 

Hi,

I ran across furniture made from the wood of the mango tree. It grows fast like bamboo:

http://www.overstock.com/Worldstock-...1/product.html

and this mango serving bowl:

http://www.houzz.com/photos/812789/B...ary-serveware-


Mari

Waves,

The rash has stopped itching. Now it a few bumps.

It seems counterintuitive to wear a cream that causes the skin to react that way. I would not have thought to keep it on in order to let it do its healing work.

Mari

Hi Mari,

Absolutely! A cream that burns does seem counterintuitive!

That is why checked with my doctor! In my case, 15 minutes of super-inflammation 3x a day, provided it were medically safe, was a small price to pay for the relief experienced the rest of the time. My alternative was 24 hours straight of unabating discomfort.

Such choices are entirely relative to one's own situation and to one's inclinations.

==============

The important thing is your rash is getting better. I am glad to hear that.

waves

What was I thinking?
 

Hi,

We saw my friend's wife and kid for dinner.
Then I volunterred hubby and me to help them pack on Tuesday afternoon.:eek:

They have lots of stuff to do before the moving truck comes on Sat July 1 and I saw that they could use some help.
The kid (14 yrs) is especially stuck with old toys and gizmos and gadgets and computer stuff piled into a huge closet.
The kids does have insight into this -- he told me that having to go through his stuff helps him feel less judgmental towards the people on the hoarder tv shows.

I assigned these tasks for the three of us while the wife is at work on Tuesday:

1. Hubby and the kid do the huge closet which will entail the following: deciding on stuff to a) give away b) toss c) pack
2. I pack my friend's extensive album (vinyl) collection. ( she specified that the music had to stay in aphabetical order -- why wouldn't it be otherwise?)
3. I pack the cd music collection -- if there are appropriate boxes.

She is short on supplies, so, after we got home, for my own sanity I bought two rolls of packing tape and two big sharpies for packing and labeling.
I see a possible run to U-Haul for boxes.

Her house is HOT because the a/c is on the fritz.
And hubby is being hyper and obnoxious so I need a survival plan:

I plan to bring klonopin, cold drinks, snacks, headphones, radio, and swim clothes and a towel for their pool.
I also will also download a bunch of music for my phone.
And hubby had better not give me any carp about packing up our car to have what I need to pack their stuff.

Mari

:hug:Its sounds like a great plan.

You are doing a great thing.

Donna:grouphug::hug:

you are doing a wonderful thing by helping them to this overwhelming task. moving is very stressful and you are helping to lessen their stress.
bizi

Dear Mari

You are doing a great thing by helping your friend's wife.

As to what you were thinking ...
Maybe it wasn't a 'thinky' thing.
Maybe you just reached out to her instinctively.

I hope things go smoothly and that you get a good swim break.

waves

Hi,

After sleeping on it, I have backed off the plan.

I can only take so much of hubby, the kid, and a partly packed house of junk.
Also, although she is very good about cleaning, the house has one dog and three cats and I am sensitive to that.

At most, it is a three hour job and we could be home by four o'clock so I can get together with my girlfriend around 5:30/6:00 like she and I had planned.

I have to talk to hubby about how fast he thinks he and the kid can pack up that closet.

Mari

And did I mention that her house is HOT???!

I talked to hubby to ask for an estimate on that closet.
He ways that it will take 1 hour --- which means it will take 3 + hours.


Mari