Winter is a total nightmare for Jessica, 14, who has a rare temperature allergy.
It all started at a school swimming day when I was 10. I got out of the pool feeling really itchy, and my teacher was shocked to find a weird red rash all over my back, legs and arms. The lumps looked like mozzie bites.
Soon I started getting hives every time I showered or went for a swim. At first my parents thought I was allergic to water. After countless visits to the school nurse's office, my parents decided to take me to an allergy specialist. The nurse was worried my condition would develop into anaphylaxis, where your throat swells up and blocks your airwaves (potentially killing you).
There was a three-month waiting list to see the specialist. During this time I had my Year 7 camp, where I wasn't allowed to do many activities, just in case I was allergic to water. I missed out on the surfing course, which I'd been really looking forward to.
But I still couldn't escape it. One day, we had to walk for ages in the cold, and I was all wet from the rain (and falling in the river), not to mention the fact that our tent broke! I started getting hives, and became really dizzy. I was really, really scared.
Finally I saw the specialist and he discovered I was allergic to sudden temperature changes. He put an ice pack on my arm to test my reaction, and took blood tests, which confirmed my condition. The allergy is quite rare, and I was shocked to hear people can die from severe cases.
Now, I have to take an allergy medication when I swim and I can't go swimming by myself in case I black out and drown. In winter I'm not allowed to stand in front of the heater, or have hot showers!
At first, people at school thought it was really creepy. They thought I didn't shower because I was allergic to water, and even when I found out it was because of temperature change, some kids still didn’t believe me.
I don't have to avoid too many places. I love swimming and ice skating and I'm having my birthday party at the ice-skating rink! I've learnt to live with it and the doctors think I've grown into the condition so I should also grow out of it.
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