So. When I was itchy we were wracking our brains to figure out what might be different and the only thing I could come up with was mangos. I didn’t really like mangos as a kid, but I’ve developed a taste for them, particularly the fresh ones. Anyway, once all my rash cleared up, I ate some (yesterday). Today I have a slightly less dramatic replay of the facial and lip rashes, and a very slight suggestion of the finger rash. It seems I am allergic to mangos.
In other health news, my friend Aurelie, who stays with the same family, is pretty sick, probably with malaria. Yesterday she said something along the lines of “I feel like I danced all yesterday”, as in her muscles were sore. Then we were sitting around not getting our days started, and she said that she felt tired and listless. And she had a headache. At that point I said, “you know, those are the symptoms of malaria”. She poo-pooed me, but I made her take her temperature before leaving the house. It was 37. 3, which she didn’t think was a big deal. I told her to wait half an hour and see if it changed, but she wanted to get going. I convinced her to take it again in 10 minutes, and it had gone up to 37.4. I told her she had a fever, and she should rest for half and hour and take it again. She agreed. In half an hour it was just over 38. I called the doctor, who seemed relatively unconcerned. He said to take something (paracitamol) for the fever, and he’d check in later. When he came, she said “oh no, I’m fine!” and he said okay and left without even asking what her symptoms were.
Later she wanted to go to the market so I went with her in case she collapsed or something (her fever was down to 37.8). After we got back she went to her room, but came and asked to borrow a gimicky thing I have for cooling down. I took her temperature again, and it was 39. I wasn’t sure what to do because of the doctor’s earlier reaction, but when I eventually called him, h sent me to a pharmacy and called in a prescription for malaria treatment, antibiotics, tylenol, and an iron supplement. The combination was almost immediately effective on her fever, although she still feels like crap, I’m a lot less worried about her.
Aurelie and I take the same anti malaria drug, which is what I’ve taken every time I’ve come. The doctor asked me how many times I’ve had malaria, and I said never. He thinks I have some immunity. That would sure be nice.
Filed under: Africa Daily-Living
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I was very interested in your comment about being allergic to mangoes. It’s possible you are just allergic to the skin of the mango. If you just love mangoes, get someone else to peel and cut them up for you, then eat them with a fork and just pop the pieces in your mouth without touching your lips. It’s worth a try anyway. This is how your great grandpa Nave ate mangoes in India.
So you can’t eat mangoes but probably won’t get maleria. Not bad. Better than your blood cells go crazy occasionally but you won’t get maleria. I hope he’s right. (Don’t take this to mean I think there really is a connection here, but it seems the quirkiness of fate has fallen in your favour.)
Sometimes one can have a reaction to fruit when they eat a lot of it when it is in season. I have the same thing with tomatoes, which I otherwise enjoy.
But mangoes can have the same sort of acid bite.
Too bad about A., though. Malaria is a real and present problem, even with the drugs we have today.
Getting treatment early helps for adults, but especially for children and babies.
Stay safe!
I’ve had this reaction before, when I ate wild strawberries near a field of ragweed. Won’t be doing that again.
Also happens when I take penicillin, except I usually have a near-death experience.
Hope you and Aurelie are feeling better soon.
Sorry to hear about the mango sensitivity, and your housemate’s probable malaria. I also hope the Dr. was right about your immunity.
Mangoes are my absolute favourite, and I’ve never even eaten them fresh off the tree. They must be fabulous. So I hope John’s right and it’s just an overexposure thing. Though, all things considered, if the worse that happens is that mangoes are making you rashy, you’re doing pretty well! Be well!
I’m glad you don’t have malaria! And good for you for insisting on treatment for A. I can COMPLETELY sympathize with the itching. I hope both of you are feeling better. And look! I figured out this posting ka-jig-er!
Funny how you ended up with Grandpa Julian’s mango alergy – it goes along with your love of other countries & benifit of mankind or rather womankind. You have the possitive nature too. Glad you didn’t get the ears.
I’m doing pretty good on the allergy front, although rather dubious on the other health fronts…. After taking a treatment for giardia, I developed a case of my recurring laryngitis that I’ve been getting since I was 16.
Anyway, it’s nice to hear from some new people on the blog, and I will endeavour to do some good updating over the next few weeks.
I remember giardia, got it along with some amiba and disentary from eating cooked food served on a fresh leaf in India. Thought I was going to die and for a while wished I could. My sympathies. Dan said to pass on that he heard serrapeptase is used for fibroids, endometriosis, etc. to reduce or eliminate tumors. Sometimes used with vitalzyme, it removes fibrin from the blood and organs. Has been used in europe for well over 30 yrs. You may already know this.
We are thinking of you.