A young woman in Hampshire, England, suffers from allergies to about 40 different things, including many common fruits, with the most bizarre being water. Whenever she showers, she breaks out in hives, causing her so much discomfort that she feels like scraping off her own skin.
Chloe Ramsay, a 19-year-old woman from Hampshire, has been allergic to many foods since birth. Eating certain foods like bananas or potatoes can trigger an allergic shock in her.
Although childhood treatments prevented her from being hospitalized due to allergic reactions, she still faces the possibility of swelling in her mouth and throat or developing hives on her skin from about 40 different substances, such as strawberries and grapes.
However, her most unusual symptom is an allergy to water, known as aquagenic urticaria. Without medication, taking a shower causes hives to appear, and being caught in the rain makes her feel like she wants to “scrape off my skin.”
Currently studying at university, Ramsay recalls being diagnosed with allergies at six months old, and over time discovered she was allergic to more and more things.
Regarding her allergy to water, she suddenly realized one day that she was allergic to it. She initially thought it was due to a body wash or shampoo that triggered the reaction, but the situation worsened even with changing these hygiene products.
Every time she washes her hands, Ramsay develops large areas of rashes, describing it as feeling like ants crawling on her skin. Fortunately, drinking water does not trigger any distressing symptoms.
She remembers visiting the hospital often in her childhood to receive adrenaline and medication. She has had to rely on injections throughout her life to treat her allergies.
Over the years, the hospital has used “micro-dosing” techniques to help regulate her body, aiming to prevent allergic reactions and reduce her severe responses.
While some allergies have disappeared, new ones continue to emerge, including swollen lips, redness, and a “hoarse” feeling when breathing. She has completely stopped eating fruits to avoid any allergic reactions.
Moreover, she also suffers from pollen-food allergy syndrome, requiring her to avoid perfumes, soaps scented with wood smoke, as the trees used for smoking contain pollen.
Last year, she started receiving injections twice a month to treat her various allergies, a routine she may need to follow for the rest of her life.
She mentioned that so far, no one has been on these injections for life. “I feel very unlucky—I used to get quite down about it, but now I just laugh it off.”
She added, “I am allergic to so many things. My parents joke, ‘What’s next, will you be allergic to oxygen?'”