‘One day I may not be able to drink it’: New mum, 25, who became allergic to WATER after…
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‘One day I may not be able to drink it’: New mum, 25, who became allergic to WATER after giving birth reveals she can’t even shower without breaking into an intensely painful and itchy rash.
Cherelle Farrugia, 25, gave birth to her little girl in January, 2018
She started to develop severe hives in the shower two months after giving birth
She soon realised these hives developed after any water or sweat hit her skin
Ms Farrugia was diagnosed with Aquagenic Urticaria – a rare condition
There is no cure and Ms Farrugia can only shower between 3 and 5 minutes
A young mother who became ‘allergic to water’ after giving birth for the first time has shared how the rare condition has completely changed her life.
‘At first I thought I must be allergic to a product that I was using so I changed all of my products… but I noticed I was still reacting,’ the counselling student told Daily Mail Australia.
Cherelle Farrugia, 25, from Cardiff, Wales, gave birth to her little girl Willow in January and two months on started to experience painful and itchy hives every time she had a shower
‘I then assumed it was the temperature of the water but after playing with the water I realised I reacted to cold, hot, warm, lukewarm, and body temperature water.
‘I then tried the swimming pool, bottled water and filtered water and to my disbelief, I reacted again.’
Ms Farrugia also crossed chlorine allergy and bacteria in the shower head off her list of possible causes and was about to give up when she stumbled upon a condition called Aquagenic Uticaria – a rare condition with only 35 reported cases worldwide.
Ms Farrugia stumbled upon a condition called Aquagenic Uticaria – a rare condition with only 35 reported cases worldwide
What is Aquagenic Uticaria?
Aquagenic Urticaria is a rare condition in which urticaria (hives) develop rapidly after the skin comes in contact with water, regardless of its temperature.
It most commonly affects women and symptoms often start around the onset of puberty. Some patients report itching too.
The exact underlying cause of aquagenic urticaria is currently unknown. Due to the rarity of the condition, there is very limited data regarding the effectiveness of individual treatments; however, various medications and therapies have been used with variable success.
Treatment options can include H1 antihistamines, Ultraviolet B (UVB) light treatments, creams that serve as a barrier between water and the skin and others.
‘I knew straight away that I had it and that’s when I booked an appointment with my doctor,’ Ms Farrugiasaid.
There are some people with the condition who can’t drink plain water as their throat swells.
‘It took a while because the first doctor I saw hadn’t really heard of it and thought I had heat-related hives so it took about three months for me to get an official diagnosis.’
Ms Farrugia was diagnosed with postpartum depression after birth and doctors believe this and the pregnancy altered her hormone levels significantly which in turn led to her developing the condition.
The painful rash Ms Farrugia experiences appears after about five minutes in water at which point it becomes ‘uncomfortable and very very itchy’.
‘It tingles at first and that’s how I know that I am about to react. Once the tingles start about a minute later my whole upper body is covered with hives which last anywhere between 30-60 minutes before they go back down again.’
When they first started appearing, Ms Farrugia became very anxious when showering and would burst into tears the minute the ‘unbearable’ rash started to appear.
‘I started to reduce my showers but about a month in I just felt like I’d had enough and now I usually shower daily and then wrap myself up in my dressing gown so that I can’t see the hives,’ she said.
Once the tingles start about a minute later my whole upper body is covered with hives which last anywhere between 30-60 minutes before they go back down again,’ she said
The ‘intensely painful and itchy’ rash appears whenever Ms Farrugia bathes, showers, gets rained on, sweats or goes swimming
‘I then make sure I am busy for the next hour or so because if I sit there and think about it I get really upset over it. So I usually play with my daughter or take the dog out for a walk to distract myself.’
I have to be mindful of the weather to not get caught in a downpour as I don’t fancy reacting in public.
‘I can drink water fine as I’m not affected internally however I have read that there are some people with the condition who can’t drink plain water as their throat swells,’ she said.
‘The condition tends to be degenerative so one day I may not be able to drink it either.’
Sadly, there is no cure for the rare condition and Ms Farrugia is yet to find a medication that helps.
‘I am currently on a medication that I take about 20 minutes before the shower and it sometimes helps to make the reaction a little less itchy but to be honest it doesn’t help a whole lot,’ she said.
‘I find that Aloe Vera can be quite soothing on the skin afterwards which is ironic really as it contains a lot of water. I also try to dry myself as quickly as possible to get the water off. If I delay getting dry I react worse.’
Ms Farrugia hopes that by raising awareness she can help others and, ideally, find some form of cure
‘I also have to be mindful of the weather to not get caught in a downpour as I don’t fancy reacting in public,’ she said
‘It’s impacted my life a lot. I used to love hot bubble baths with bath bombs but now it’s quick three minute showers and I’m now used to washing myself very quickly,’ she said.
‘I also can’t take my daughter swimming which I’m really upset about as this was something that I was really looking forward to when she was born.
Ms Farrugia has also started an Instagram account in a bid to find other sufferers and share what she has learned from her diagnosis so far.
It’s a crazy condition but it could be way worse – it’s not going to kill me,’ she said
‘I couldn’t believe my bad luck when I read that there are only about 35 people with this condition,’ she said.
‘I already suffer with mental health issues and terrible health anxiety and this condition just made everything so much worse.
‘However, once you accept that you have the condition you can then find the strength to learn how to cope with it.
‘I am currently having CBT therapy (cognitive behavioral therapy) and I find that really helps. Also, feel special! It’s a crazy condition but it could be way worse – it’s not going to kill me!’
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