A young woman has spoken out about her rare condition and explained she develops itchy rashes every time she showers, cries, sweats, or drinks water.
21-year-old California-based Tessa Hansen-Smith has been suffering from aquagenic urticaria since she was only 10 years old.
The condition makes her allergic to water, whereas she develops severe rashes every time her body comes in contact with water – may it be sweat, tears, or pipe water.
“It’s a really difficult condition to have as I’m even allergic to my own tears, saliva and sweat. I’m really prone to heat exhaustion and have to avoid physical activity,” the university student said.
“I even have to be shuttled around my campus at college because otherwise I show up to my class with a fever, migraine and rashes making it really difficult to concentrate.
“I suffer from a lot of muscle fatigue and nausea too; the sickness is usually caused by me eating something with a lot of water in foods like some fruits and vegetables. Even drinking water can cause cuts on my tongue.”
The girl’s family first noticed something was off with her after she developed rashes following a bath when she was just 8.
While they initially blamed the shampoo, the family soon discovered something much worse was at work as her condition continued to deteriorate.
Nowadays, the 21-year-old takes nine pills per day to help her keep the disease at bay.
“Having aquagenic urticaria can be a mental game at times – it’s hard to take so many tablets every day knowing that it’s not actually ever going to stop. At one point I was taking 12 tablets a day; currently I’m taking nine,” Tessa added.
“I’m frequently reminded that there’s no cure to aquagenic urticaria and that I’ll never really be fully better which is definitely a difficult thing to hear sometimes.”
Despite all the obstacles, Tessa remains “determined to be independent,” whereas she tries to manage her life to the best of her ability.
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Replaced!