\u00ab\u00a0I just want to be able to do normal things and have a normal life and not have to worry.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
A 16-year-old girl from north Wales says she is \u00ab\u00a0always scared\u00a0\u00bb of having an allergic reaction after being diagnosed with a rare condition which sees her experience hives and swelling triggered by cold temperatures.<\/p>\n
Amber Woodward said it has happened since 2022, whenever the temperature falls below 12C (53F).<\/p>\n
She has cold urticaria, a rare allergy which can cause her to have a reaction to as little as a gust of cool wind in summer.<\/p>\n
The A-level student hopes new antihistamine injections every four weeks will improve her symptoms, which cause her to miss out on plans with friends and leave her feeling self-conscious.<\/p>\n
Amber, from Abergele, Conwy county, said: \u00ab\u00a0There is no cure and I’m always scared because there’s a lot of people [with the condition] who have said that they get anaphylactic shock.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
She has to wear leggings under her clothes almost all the time and said she often felt as though \u00ab\u00a0everyone is looking\u00a0\u00bb at her.<\/p>\n
Cold urticaria can be triggered by swimming or other water activities, as well as touching or eating cold foods and drinks, according to Anaphylaxis UK.<\/p>\n
The charity said the underlying cause was unknown and the condition was often difficult to diagnose and manage because symptoms varied widely.<\/p>\n
Amber, who has a part-time job as a waitress, said she was walking back from work the first time she had a breakout.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0I had bumps and was red all over my face, ears, legs and arms and was itchy,\u00a0\u00bb she said.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0I thought it might have been the food I’d eaten, so I didn’t eat anything at home and I got another rash.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
When the symptoms later returned, she went to her GP who suggested her skin was reacting to pollution and did not prescribe any medication.<\/p>\n
With Amber having an almost daily reaction, her mum, Dawn, became \u00ab\u00a0very worried\u00a0\u00bb.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0She always made me wear double layers and she was always scared of what could happen because obviously we didn’t know much about it,\u00a0\u00bb Amber said.<\/p>\n
Amber did some research herself and when she came across cold urticaria, she was referred to a dermatologist.<\/p>\n
She said she was initially shocked by the diagnosis in 2023, because the condition was so rare.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0But I was kind of relieved that I had support, I was happy that someone actually believed me,\u00a0\u00bb she added.<\/p>\n
However, Amber’s symptoms have not improved with medication.<\/p>\n
She also develops hives and a rash when coming out of water, whether from a swimming pool, the shower, or the sea, regardless of the outside temperature.<\/p>\n
Amber said she often arrived at work and school with redness and hives, and has had to turn down plans with friends.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0When I go out, I always have a reaction – I walk about 20 minutes to the bus stop and I get a reaction,\u00a0\u00bb she said.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0My friends are always out, and they’re always inviting me out, and I can’t really go out because of it, so I feel left out.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0We have to plan around where we go. If it’s somewhere inside or at someone’s house that’s fine, but if it’s outside, then I can’t do it.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
But Amber remains hopeful about the future.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0I’m hoping there’s going to be a lot more research going into this and hopefully there’s more medication out there for me.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0I just want to be able to go about my everyday things that other people can do.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00ab\u00a0I just want to be able to do normal things and have a normal life and not have to worry.\u00a0\u00bb A 16-year-old girl from north Wales says she is \u00ab\u00a0always scared\u00a0\u00bb of having an allergic reaction after being diagnosed with a rare condition which sees her experience hives and swelling triggered by cold temperatures. Amber […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9667","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9667"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9667\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}