A California woman with
a rare allergy to water shared her daily struggles as she tries to avoid any
contact with the vital substance.
Tessa Hansen-Smith, 25,
was diagnosed with aquagenic urticaria and is trying to tell people about one
of the rarest allergies that people can suffer from.
Recently, complications
from her allergy sent her to hospital after she became so dehydrated that part
of her large intestine decreased blood flow causing ischemic colitis.
“I’m always dehydrated
and prone to fainting,” Hansen-Smith said.
The rare condition of
Hansen-Smith came to doctors’ scrutiny when she was 8; She recalled suffering
rashes and cuts after showers with physicians blaming soaps and shampoos.
Hansen-Smith said that
her condition became worse as she grew up, now she avoids drinking water or
eating food with high water content.
“I’m allergic to all
sources of water – this includes rain, tap, distilled, ocean, bottled, and even
includes bodily fluids like sweat, tears, and saliva.”
The woman only drinks
dairy milk because of its high fat and protein content and eats dry foods such as
granola bars, bread, potatoes, and beans.
But when it comes to
hygiene, Hansen-Smith’s struggles are just unbearable. That is why she tries to
limit her activities.
“Showers take a lot out of me already, but over the past year, they’ve become an impossible hurdle to jump,” she said.
“So standing in a
shower for more than five minutes, while also trying to not pass out as I
hyperventilate while there’s water hitting me, is not a relaxing self-care
experience like it can be for others.”
“Believe me, I’m doing more than enough to be clean
enough that no one notices – I haven’t had a proper shower in over a year-and-a
half.”