A woman from South Carolina, U.S., has been left unable to shower due to an exhausting water allergy, which causes her to experience unbearable itchiness upon contact with water.
The 22-year-old woman, identified as Loren Montefusco, told Caters News Agency of her condition, saying, “It’s been difficult to navigate as a young woman”.
Loren Montefusco specifically suffers from aquagenic urticaria, a variant of hives that causes a rash to break out following exposure to water. This ailment is extremely rare, with only 37 recorded cases in the medical literature.
When Loren showers or otherwise comes into contact with water, she experiences intense itching, which can last for up to an hour.
To make the case worse, there is reportedly no way to mitigate the affliction. Becoming helpless, Loren claws at her skin to put herself in more pain so she doesn’t feel the irritation of the itching.
When Loren was 12 years old, first noticed her dermal hydrophobia, but her condition continued to worsen over the years. Three years later, she finally went to the doctor, whereupon she was diagnosed with aquagenic urticaria.
As there is no cure for the allergy, Loren strives to ease the symptoms by avoiding bathing as much as possible and showering super quickly when she has to. Subsequently, she makes sure to clothe herself as soon as possible because the cold air can heighten the pain, as can scrubbing or shaving her body.
Unfortunately, her bath rash can also be worsened by her own sweat and by being in the ocean, hot tubs, or pools.
Loren had tried washing with a cloth and water, yet she’s still using water, which causes an allergic reaction. She also uses dry shampoo to reduce her time in the shower. Loren mentioned that the only foolproof solution is using body wipes. The pain the condition causes isn’t just physical; it takes a mental toll on her body.
Thankfully, Loren has managed to find a social media group of others with her condition who also refuse to shower, which she said made her feel a lot less gross.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Komal Bhoi/MSM)
