Tessa Hansen Smith is a 22-year-old American girl who has suffered from aquagenic urticaria since she was eight, a strange condition that makes her allergic to water
Enjoying a good bath, plunging into a pool, or feeling the rain on your body are pleasures that many experience everyday. However, for Tessa Hansen Smith, these activities can become quite a challenge.
Tessa Hansen Smith is a 22-year-old American girl who has suffered from aquagenic urticaria since she was eight. This rare condition manifests itself in allergies, hives, and itching in the body of people who suffer from it, when they have contact with a liquid. Simply put, this young woman is allergic to water.
AQUAGENIC URTICARIA
Aquagenic urticaria is a rare condition whose origin is still unknown. The little data that have been collected on this disease is that it is usually more common in women.
The symptoms of this condition begin to manifest between pre and adolescence. Due to the little information available on this condition, there is little data on the efficacy of individual treatments.
However, there are those who have managed to recover from aquagenic urticaria. Usually the medications prescribed for patients with this condition are H1 Antihydtamines, Propranolol, and ultraviolet light treatments (phototherapy).
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Despite the fact that there are treatments to cure this condition, Tessa Hansen Smith has had no luck. On her Instagram account, she told her followers that when she was eight years old, taking showers or getting into a pool caused an intense rash.
Initially, her doctors began prescribing medicated soaps, believing that Tessa’s problem came from some chemical. It took them two years to discover that the girl actually had aquatic urticaria.
Tessa Hansen’s problem intensified over the years. Today she is also allergic to her tears and her own sweat.
«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.”, Tessa told the Mirror, an English media.
Currently, Tessa Hansen is pursuing her university studies. The young woman has to use a car to get around the campus to avoid sweating.
«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.» she added.
THE EVERYDAY LIFE OF TESSA HANSEN
Without a doubt, many of us at this point analyze all the daily activities that we do that involve water, which Tessa Hansen cannot do. For example, the student confessed that she can only bathe twice a month.
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Drinking water is a challenge. She must do it with a straw and only for sheer survival, since her tongue is cut once the water makes contact with it. She regularly suffers from nausea and muscle fatigue due to not being able to hydrate adequately.
«Having aquagenic urticaria can be a mental game at times – it’s hard to take so many tablets everyday knowing that it’s not actually ever going to stop”, she said.
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BUT WHAT ABOUT BODY WATER?
The human body is made up of 70% water. It is normal to wonder if once the water is ingested, it could have problems for Tessa Hansen. The truth is, no.
In her Instagram account, the young woman explained that her condition is an allergy and not an autoimmune disorder.
“If I had an autoimmune disorder, my body would attack the water in my own cells and I would probably not be here. My allergy only sees the foreign water entering my body as a threat to my immune system, «she added.
Tessa Hansen’s story has become popular on the internet. More than 86 thousand people already follow her on social networks, where she constantly talks about her condition. Meanwhile, she wants to lead her life normally and without limitations.
«I try my best to take things one day at a time because some days are better than others. If I’m able to see my friends and loved ones without having to leave early due to feeling sick, or make it to all my classes in one day, I see that as a win in my book.», she said.
