California Woman Allergic To Water Shares What Her 'Waterless' Life Is Like
A California woman who suffers from an unusual allergy describes her experience.
In a world full of allergies, from typical peanut or pollen allergies to more uncommon ones like allergies to sunshine or even frigid temperatures, the human body never ceases to astonish with its ability to respond to seemingly innocuous items.
One such extraordinary case is that of this woman who realised she was allergic to water, a rare ailment that affects just a few people globally.
Who Is This Woman Leading A 'Waterless' Life?
Credit: Instagram
25-year-old Tessa Hansen-Smith recently opened up about her daily struggle with this rare condition that causes her to break out in hives when she comes in contact with water.
What Type Of Rare Allergy Does She Have?
Tessa suffers from one of the rarest known allergies, aquagenic urticaria. It is believed that 100 to 250 persons globally suffer from the unusual illness that creates red, itchy hives whenever there's contact with water.
Where Was This Case Reported?
This case comes from California where Tessa currently resides.
According to the Allergy Asthma Network, the allergy was first recorded in 1964. Rain, snow, freshwater, ocean, sweat, and tears can all cause hives to anyone with this condition.
When Did This Happen To Her?
Credit: Instagram
Tessa's journey with this uncommon allergy began when she was eight years old and observed raised rashes on her arms and wounds on her scalp, which she documented on social media. Her doctors initially assumed that soaps and shampoos in the shower were to blame, but her problem persisted. Her mother, Dr. Karen Hansen-Smith, a family care physician, linked the dots after two years of intensive testing by multiple doctors and discovered her daughter had a water allergy.
Tessa's list of triggers and reactions became longer as she grew older. She started getting itchy eyes, scrapes on her tongue, and hives in her mouth. Drinks with a high water content induced a burning feeling; thus, dairy milk was the most bearable alternative because its fat and protein content balanced the water content.
Credit: Instagram
However, if she goes without milk for a lengthy period, she becomes so thirsty that she feels compelled to drink water despite the resulting pain, which might result in fainting. Tessa must eat only dry foods with little water, such as granola bars, crackers, bread, peanut butter, potatoes, beans, and dairy-based soups.
How Does Tessa Deal With The Condition?
According to Healthline, there is no cure for Aquagenic urticaria, but there are a few treatment options that can help ease symptoms.
Credit: Instagram
Karen Hansen-Smith, Ms Hansen-Smith's mother, is a doctor who has seen many uncommon diseases, but watching her daughter face this battle has been difficult for her.
Ms Hansen-Smith's positive energy throughout the process aided in shifting her perspective, and sharing her story with followers enabled her to "meet so many people and getting to talk to so many people from so many different walks of life does give me a lot of joy and gives me a sense of purpose with the condition."
Ms Hansen-Smith established a GoFundMe website earlier this year to raise awareness and funds for her medical expenditures.
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