A mother has revealed how she developed an allergy to water that left her body covered in painful red welts.
Stacey Gilkes, 29, of Bury, Greater Manchester, first developed a rash on her hands after doing the washing up last summer and the condition worsened to the point where she would avoid showering and started drinking milk instead of water.
Her skin was so sensitive that it could break out when exposed to sweat or tears.
The mother-of-two turned to the internet for answers and diagnosed herself with aquagenic urticaria, a condition causing hives to develop rapidly after the skin comes in to contact with water.
Painful condition: Stacey Gilkes, 29, of Bury, Greater Manchester, first developed a rash on her hands after doing the washing up last summer. She believes the condition was caused by hormones linked to the pregnancy and birth of her daughter Annabella, pictured, now one
Rash: Stacey found her skin breaking out every time she came into contact with water
Agony: The mother-of-two would avoid showers as the water caused her skin to burn
After months of agony, and before she could be treated by a dermatologist, the symptoms cleared up.
Miss Gilkes believes hormones triggered by pregnancy and the birth of her daughter Annabella, now one, might have been to blame and that the condition was exacerbated by the stress of grieving for two grandparents.
Describing the early stages of the condition, she said: ‘It all started in the height of summer, so I’d wake up in pools of sweat, with my skin itching terribly. I’d break out in these welts, which were almost bubbly to touch.
‘I cut down on showers, only having them around twice a week, instead of every day. The pain was just agonising otherwise. But I still had to press on and be a mum to my little ones – bathing them and washing up. I didn’t have a choice.’
Mysterious condition: Stacey resorted to looking online to find out the cause of the rash
Self-conscious: Stacey eventually avoided leaving the house because of the rash
Whole body: Stacey initially thought the symptoms were caused by washing powder
Miss Gilkes, who has another daughter, Lilly, five, with her partner Tom, initially thought the symptoms might have been caused by washing powder, or chlorine in the water.
She continued: ‘But, even after changing washing powder, shampoos and other skin products, the rash would continue.
‘It would be there every single day, all over my face and body. It got so bad my skin reacted if I even touched anything a bit damp.
‘I ended up feeling really quite depressed over it. I was also grieving my granddad and great grandma, so I was crying quite a lot – which of course left my face red and patchy.’
When a heatwave struck Britain last summer, Stacey’s problem grew worse and worse, plunging her into a miserable situation where sweating would bring her out in a rash – but so would showering to cool herself down.
In a bid to control her symptoms, Stacey cut down on showering, would only wash her face with baby wipes and even started drinking milk instead of water.
In autumn 2017, she visited her GP and was given antihistamines.
‘I don’t think a water allergy ever crossed anybody’s mind,’ she said. ‘I certainly never dreamed it could be that.
Heat wave: In the height of summer Stacey found herself breaking out every time she sweated but also had to avoid showering as the water would cause more problems
Painful chores: The rash first emerged on her hands when she did the washing up, pictured
‘The antihistamines worked to an extent, in that they stopped me reacting to sweat and tears. But, if I ever came into direct contact with actual water, my skin would be covered within minutes.
‘Showers were still agony. My body felt as if it was burning. Pots and pans would pile up in the kitchen too, as I braced myself to wash them up.’
Exhausted and desperately self-conscious, Stacey started to avoid leaving the house, looking on the internet for answers and finding that her symptoms matched a condition called aquagenic urticaria – a kind of allergy to water.
Drastic measures: In a bid to control her symptoms, Stacey cut down on showering, would only wash her face with baby wipes and even started drinking milk instead of water
Mystery cause: Stacey did not suffer symptoms following the birth of her elder daughter daughter, Lilly, five, but did following Annabella’s arrival
In December 2017, seeing her doctor for confirmation, she was asked to run her hands under a tap so the GP could see her reaction.
When her skin broke out in welts within minutes, she was referred to a dermatologist for further investigation.
But in January 2018 – before she had her appointment – her condition started to clear up, almost as suddenly as it had started.
Stacey has no definite answers as to what cured it, but believes it may either have been the colder temperatures, or the fact she no longer had so many pregnancy hormones in her body.
Concerned: The mother-of-two is fearful the warm weather will trigger the symptoms again. Pictured, her daughters Lilly, five, and Annabella, one
Now, still enjoying being back to normal, she has admitted that the current heatwave has left her feeling nervous in case the horrible reaction returns.
She explained: ‘I’ll never know what started or stopped it. I didn’t have this after having Lilly, but the only thing I can think is that I breastfed Annabella for slightly longer, so maybe the hormones remained in my system for longer.
‘I’ve been absolutely fine for months now, but in the recent hot weather, I’ve noticed my feet itching. It sounds strange, but that was one of the key symptoms last time, so I’m praying it won’t start again.
‘I felt very alone with it, as it’s not a condition many people know about. What was worse was that water is unavoidable. I still had to keep the house in order and look after the kids, so I pressed on despite my severe reaction.
‘I hope now that by sharing my story I can raise awareness of the condition. If I can help just one person out there, I’ll be happy.’