SUN ALLERGY SHOCK 'I LIVE LIKE A VAMPIRE'

Bex loved the great outdoors, until it turned against her

- SARAH FITTOCK

Bex Bergman, 31

Are you ready to go?' I yelled out to my oldest son, Alek, seven.

Along with my husband, David, 39, and our little boy, Jude, two, we were getting ready to go on a hike.

We'd just moved to a new area and I was keen to explore our surroundings.

As we headed off, I was in my usual get up - a tank top and shorts.

We had a great time and the boys loved racing between the trees.

But when we got home, my back began to tingle.

Heading into the bathroom, I lifted my top with my back facing the mirror. Contorting to catch a glimpse, a red, lumpy rash.

But the rash was only in the areas where my shirt hadn't been, like a perfect outline of my tank top.

It was also my body I noticed itchy and painful.

Heading to the doctor that afternoon, he was equally as confused.

'I'm sorry, this isn't something I've come across before,' he said.

Visiting another doctor, his reaction was the same.

'Maybe change your washing detergent,' he suggested.

But nothing I did worked.

In fact, it just got worse.

Every time my skin was exposed, it became unbearably painful.

After a few months of this, I was no closer to finding an answer for my mysterious condition.

One day, the sun was beaming down as I stood feeding cows on my family's farm, when I felt the familiar tingle again.

Between the straps of my top, the itch began to worsen.

It must be mosquitoes, I figured, scratching the spots of my back I could reach.