The landscape gardener had to leave his job to avoid rain
A landscape gardener who suffers from a rare allergy to water has been forced to quit his job as rainfall leaves him in unbearable pain.
James Richardson, 33, experiences severe hives upon contact with water and endures six-and-a-half hours of agony following a shower. His condition, known as aquagenic urticaria, is believed to have started from a suspected insect bite just three months ago. Globally, fewer than 100 cases of this unusual condition, which triggers hives when exposed to water, have been documented.
James, who is based in Nottingham, said: “I can’t do anything, if it rains I can’t go to work. I drink milk just to stay hydrated – it does have some water in it but my stomach can handle it. If I eat something with water in it my stomach swells like I’m pregnant.”
He continued: “The steroids I’m taking have given me asthma which I didn’t have before. With mine, it’s the most complex and severe case ever known because it’s both internal and external. Once I have a shower, which I don’t like doing any more, it’s six-and-a-half hours of pain afterwards.”
James first realised something was amiss on 6 July, when he noticed blisters forming around his ankles. He sought help at Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre A&E, where he claims a doctor suggested his reaction “could have been an insect bite”, before discharging him with antihistamines.
Just two days later, on 9 July, James’ lips and throat began to swell and he went into anaphylactic shock – a life-threatening allergic reaction. After rushing back to hospital, James underwent CT scans and was given steroids and intravenous antihistamines to help ease his symptoms, while doctors remained baffled as to the cause of his condition.
James says he then developed steroid-induced diabetes from the treatment, so had to be admitted to a bed on the diabetic ward of the hospital. It wasn’t until 22 August, nearly three weeks after being admitted, that he saw a dermatologist who confirmed he had the rare skin condition.
He said: “At one point I couldn’t swallow due to the reactions I was having. I had constant nebulisers four times a day to keep my throat open. They did tests and looked at different markers.”
James added: “Three weeks later, I went to see the dermatologist. He put my hand in some water and I had hives on my hand instantly. He left me in a room with a damp flannel and where the water was, hives appeared. He confirmed it then and there.”
Doctors are unsure of the cause of his condition – though noted on his medical records that it may be related to his former blood pressure medication, Ramipril, or to his sleeve tattoos on his arms, he says.
Now signed off from his job as a landscaper and living on statutory sick pay of just £118.75 per week, James’ life has changed overnight as he grapples with his diagnosis. James was prescribed four different types of antihistamines to be taken four times a day, alongside a monthly injection of immunosuppressants.
He was discharged on 5 September, nearly two whole months after he arrived at hospital. James said: “I’ve been living on burgers and chips – fatty foods that don’t have high water content. I can’t drink water because it burns. What my doctors say is to drink distilled water, but they also advise not to as there is a chance it can affect the electrolytes and sodium in your body and make you more ill.”
James says the condition is “incurable” as he awaits a six-week review with his dermatologist scheduled for 25 October. With his future unclear, he is finding his feet after his life altering diagnosis.
He said: “I’ve gone from doing all the cooking, cleaning and washing and now I can’t do that. I feel like a let-down. It’s hard day-to-day life at the minute.”
James continued: “It’s only been two weeks since I was discharged and I’m still not adjusted to it. It’s one of the rarest things you can have and there’s no research into it. That’s why I want to raise awareness, so hopefully a cure can be found.”
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