A woman who is allergic to water is forced to hold back the tears during painful reactions because crying causes further agony.
Abbie Plummer, from Maidstone, Kent, breaks out with painful and irritating hives whenever her skin comes into contact with water.
The rare condition leaves the 19-year-old forced to avoid the liquid at all costs – including being ultra-diligent on rainy days, and limiting showers to no more than 10 minutes.
She can only go out in the rain with a rain coat or umbrella, as she risks experiencing painful symptoms when the rainwater hits her skin.
In the event of a storm, she avoids going out altogether.
Abbie is even allergic to her own tears, which can cause her eyes to itch and puff up.
Doctors initially thought she was allergic to her shampoo or conditioner but after switching to skin sensitive cosmetics, she was later referred to a dermatologist in 2018.
Nine months later, Abbie was sent for tests at her local hospital where a doctor diagnosed the student with Aquagenic Urticaria — a rare disease which sees a person break out in hives after contact with water, regardless of its temperature.
"I'm perfectly fine drinking water as it does nothing to me internally," she told Jam Press.
"It's just on my skin. If it is heavily raining I do see my skin start to flare up.
"When I bath and shower, I just have to try and be quick when doing so.
"I can usually tell when there's going to be a breakout of hives as my skin gets itchy and red.
"The longer my skin is in contact with water, the more it develops hives.
"It is a bit annoying having the condition but there's not much I can do.
"I have learned to live with it now."
Abbie is even allergic to her own sweat but says it is not as severe as other interactions with water.
Although breakouts usually only last 30 minutes, the pain is stressful for the young woman, who then has to hold back the tears to not cause herself more discomfort.
Thankfully however, she is still able to process water normally inside her body.
Abbie also takes prescribed medication to make her life a little easier when it comes to dealing with water.
Tanning and working out regularly can also help her manage symptoms.
She added: "With sweat it's a bit more manageable as I don't break out in hives.
"I usually get a tan and the UV rays from the sun help my skin to not come up in hives.
"It's not so bad when I go to the gym but I do notice my skin starts to itch.
"Without taking medication it means my reactions can be a lot severe and painful."
