A rare immunological condition makes a Florida woman allergic to her own sweat and tears. The condition makes her break out in hives when she sweats, cries or even when she takes a hot shower.
Julie Reid is suffering from a condition called cholinergic urticaria. This unusual and devastating condition makes her skin hypersensitive even to exercise and emotional stress.
"I am allergic to my own sweat (and tears). Me, out of all people. Someone who was so physically active every day," wrote Julie on the personal website she made to share her story.
Reid developed the condition when she worked at a gymnastic gym three years ago. Due to her condition, she had to quit her job because sweating causes her to break out in severe hives for hours, even days.
Unable to exercise, she gained a substantial amount of weight and had to make ends meet by selling out most of her furniture. The condition also prevents her from leaving her house. She even breaks out in hives when she's vacuuming in an air-conditioned room.
The hot Florida sun is making things worse for Reid. There were times when her body is completely covered in painful, itchy hives.
As a former dancer and gymnast, the rare condition has not only affected her professional life, but her personal life as well. She has lost the ability to walk to the grocery store without suffering from stares from the public. For Reid, the rare condition is both physically and emotionally painful.
"Currently, there is no cure. And I have no money to continue living like this, nor pay my medical bills. Especially without any health insurance. I cannot work and I am still fighting for disability assistance," wrote Julie on the GoFundMe page.
Cholinergic urticaria causes histamine and several other chemicals to be released underneath the surface of the skin. This reaction causes the tissue to swell and cause tiny, bumpy and reddish rashes.
The immunological disease is a result of a physical stimulus. While heat is often considered the cause, the actual stimulus is sweating.
Short-term or acute urticaria can be triggered by food allergies, insect bites, emotional stress, specific medications and skin pressures such as sweat and temperature changes.
On the other hand, chronic urticaria can develop when the body's immune system attacks the tissues. While the causes remain largely unknown, it is believed that the chronic urticaria is linked to other conditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, viral hepatitis or liver infection and hypothyroidism.
