Most of us take a lovely shower every day or sometimes even twice a day. Freshen up and clean yourself with warm (or cold) water. We cannot imagine life without our everything shower. Yet this is reality for Kym: she is allergic to water. What a nightmare..
Allergic to water
You could have it: being allergic to water. Yet this is the reality for Kym. On TikTok she talks about her rare condition, called aquagenic urticaria. This is a condition in which you have a physical reaction when you come into contact with water. No, you don’t turn into a mermaid like in H2O, it’s a lot more miserable than that. It simply means that when your skin comes into contact with any form of water (yes, even your own sweat), it itches, burns and flakes. Worst of all: there is no cure. Kym gets these symptoms when she comes into contact with water for more than five minutes.
@everydaywithkym
Shower routine
So with Kym it is not possible to quickly jump into the shower and enjoy her shower without any worries. There is a lot of preparation involved. This also includes taking allergy medication to slow down the process, but it does not stop the itching and burning sensation. “It only starts when I step out of the shower,” says Kym. “At that moment everything starts to itch, burn and flake.” To do this, Kym applies lotion to her entire body and sprays herself to ‘cool down’ her body. This whole ordeal often lasts 1 to 2 hours, sometimes even combined with a migraine and fever. “It’s one of the most uncomfortable feelings ever,” says Kym.
Supportive responses
To encourage Kym, she receives thousands of comments under her video on TikTok. “Omg, I can’t believe you gotta go through this!! Sending you sooo much love and healing Queen!” writes one follower. “I’ll never complain again”, and “I really need to be more grateful” write other followers and we completely agree!
