40+ Allergies, Including Water – Tracked in Excel

A Woman with Over 40 Allergies Navigates a Complex Daily Life

Chloe Ramsay, a 19-year-old from Havant, Hampshire, has an extraordinary number of allergies—over 40 in total. Among these are some that might seem unusual, such as an allergy to water. Her condition requires her to manage her health with a detailed, color-coded spreadsheet to track the various substances that can trigger severe reactions.

Chloe was diagnosed with multiple food allergies at a young age. She would experience anaphylactic shock after consuming certain foods like bananas and potatoes. Although she no longer faces hospitalization due to allergic reactions thanks to early treatments, she now has a list of 40 items that can cause her mouth and throat to swell or lead to hives. These include fruits such as kiwis, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and grapes.

In June 2023, Chloe received a diagnosis of "pollen food syndrome," which explained many of her allergies. However, her most unusual allergy is to water, known as aquagenic urticaria. This condition causes hives when she comes into contact with water, whether through showers or rain. She described the experience of being caught in the rain as so unbearable that she felt like "scraping [her] skin off with a knife."

New allergies frequently appear, and their severity can change over time. This constant evolution means Chloe must maintain a detailed record of her reactions. She uses a color-coded spreadsheet to keep track of each allergen and its impact on her body.

Chloe recalls her early childhood experiences with allergies, including frequent trips to the hospital for epinephrine injections. When she consumed bananas or potatoes, she would go into anaphylactic shock and be rushed to the emergency room. Over the years, medical professionals used a technique called "microdosing" to help her body tolerate these allergens better. Some allergies faded away, while others emerged, leading her to stop eating any fruit entirely.

Her symptoms were invasive, including swollen lips, redness, and a scratchy sensation when breathing. Due to her pollen food syndrome, she also had to avoid perfumes, scented soaps, and even wood-smoked meats because of the pollen present in the trees used for smoking.

At school, Chloe had a special blue band to alert the kitchen staff about her allergies. They prepared her meals from scratch. Now at university, she finds it challenging to navigate social situations centered around food and constantly checks menus to avoid triggering a reaction. This constant vigilance makes her feel anxious when surrounded by foods she cannot eat.

In October 2022, Chloe began experiencing hives from touching water. The intensity of her reactions sometimes made it difficult for her to focus on anything else. She was eventually diagnosed with aquagenic urticaria, an allergy to water on her skin. Fortunately, drinking water did not cause issues for her.

Her condition worsened over time, becoming debilitating. One incident involved getting stuck in the rain while waiting for a train, leading to intense itching and a feeling of desperation. She described the experience as so severe that she felt like she wanted to scrape her skin off with a knife.

Last year, Chloe started receiving a monthly injection to manage her allergies after a medical board approved the treatment due to her severe condition. She injects herself twice a month to control her allergies, but she may need this treatment for life. While the medication has significantly reduced her water allergy, she still needs to be cautious around perfumes and pollen-derived substances.

To keep track of her reactions, Chloe uses a traffic-light color-coded system on an Excel spreadsheet. She noted that very few people have been on this injection for life, making her one of the unlucky three percent who wasn’t completely cured by the treatment. Despite the challenges, she tries to find humor in her situation, often joking with her parents about what she might be allergic to next, like oxygen.

List of Allergies

Here is a comprehensive list of the substances Chloe Ramsay is allergic to:

• Peanuts
• Hazelnuts
• Soya
• Smoked meats
• Tomato
• Carrot
• Apricot
• Banana
• Blueberry
• Blackberry
• Cherry
• Cranberry
• Grape
• Grapefruit
• Kiwi
• Mango
• Orange
• Papaya
• Peach
• Pear
• Raspberry
• Strawberry
• Dried apricot
• Dried mango
• Dried banana
• Raisins
• Dried cranberry
• Tinned orange
• Tinned pear
• Tinned peach
• Tinned apricot
• Tinned apple
• Tinned mango
• Fruit pastilles
• Wine gums
• Haribo
• Skittles
• Jelly beans
• Jelly babies
• Water
• Pollen
• Dust
• Sand
• Mould
• Dogs
• Cats
• Glue
• Face paint
• Insect bites
• Perfumes
• Candles
• Air freshener
• Deodorant
• LUSH stores