The moving story of the young woman allergic to water and her tears

Tessa Hansen Smith is a 22-year-old resident of California, USA, who since childhood has suffered from aquagenic hives, a rare condition that makes you allergic to water. Actions such as bathing or drinking water are a challenge for her.

Tessa had the first symptoms of the disease when she was eight years old. At that time, taking long showers or going in the pool caused a severe rash

In his Instagram Stories, he said doctors advised him to stop using certain soaps or shampoos, but the problem persisted. AT It took two years of research for experts to find out that he was suffering from aquatic urticaria.

“It’s a really difficult condition to have, because even I’m allergic to my own tears, saliva and sweat. I am very prone to heat exhaustion and I must avoid physical activity ”, assured Tessa for the English medium. The mirror.

Tessa said she can only shower twice a month. Drinking water causes cuts on his tongue, and he regularly suffers from severe muscle fatigue and nausea.

She usually takes several pills to relieve allergic rashes, but said aquatic urticaria gets worse with ageAs a result, the drugs no longer work for him as before.

“Having aquatic hives can sometimes be a mind game. It’s hard to take so many pills every day knowing that it will never really stop, ”he said.

On his Instagram account, with more than 83,000 followers, shares various aspects of her life with her condition. Some of the titles of his videos are “How I cope with my period being allergic to it “ O “Shower water allergy edition “.

In a post, he answered one of the most asked questions: “How can I be allergic to water when the human body is 70% water?”. She explained that it all lies in the difference between a allergy and autoimmune disease.

If you have an autoimmune disease, “My body would attack the water in my own cells and I probably wouldn’t be there”. Instead, your allergy “He just sees the strange water entering my body as a threat to my immune system.”

Although he knows that his condition, as of now, has no cure, he usually shows a positive attitude, putting all your efforts to let the allergy not control your life.

“I do my best to take things one day at a time because some days are better than others. If I can see my friends and relatives without having to leave early because I feel bad (…) I see it as a victory in my book, ”he says.

THE NATION