Being “allergic to water” isn’t just an excuse for those of us who prefer to sit poolside. Alexandra Allen is one of the rare people diagnosed with the condition, called “aguagenic uticaria.” She’s one of 35 known cases in the world, says the Inquisitr.
According to Yahoo Health, 17-year-old Allen first noticed her reaction to water at age 12. After swimming in a pool on a family vacation, she woke up later that night itchy and covered in hives. Still, she wasn’t diagnosed with her condition until age 15. Today, she has learned to avoid water and must shower rapidly in cold water. She’s also allergic to her own sweat and exercises only in cold weather to avoid excess sweating.
Allen chronicles her health on her personal blog. She writes:
“There will be days when you lay in bed covered in hives or whatever your symptoms may be and think that maybe I’m a mess up, a flaw in the assembly line of humanity, a printing error in the contract of life.”
Allen has found a way to live with her incurable condition. She tells the Inquisitr, “I think I’m lucky, compared to a lot of other diseases I could have had. At least this is tolerable and manageable.”
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