I am highly allergic to anything cold! I know It's hard to believe.
I haven't talked about this much Because People don't believe me. It's also a little embarrassing to talk about. But at the same time, I'm sick of mentioning it to people, And they assume that I'm lying, And trying to get attention for it When it's A REAL THING! Or other people claim to "have it too." But they know nothing about it.

The photo above is a photo of me and my sister, I'm on the Left :) I was in Kindergarten at the time. My sister was still not in school yet.

It's hard at times, To be allergic to just about everything. I am allergic to anything below 60 degrees.
ANYTHING.
I'm allergic to cold water, My sweat, My tears, Ice Cream, Snow, Ice, You name it! If I am outside working out, And I go somewhere cool to cool off. My sweat becomes cold, Which causes hives.
When I cry my tears sometimes are too cold, Which causes my eyes to swell up like a balloon! Cold food makes my tongue, Mouth, and throat swell. And cold wind causes my skin to bust up with hives or strange polka dots.
Here is a photo of my legs after I went outside for a jog.

What is Cold Urticaria?

According to Google:
Allergic urticaria in the form of hives induced by cold. Cold urticaria (essentially meaning "cold hives") is a disorder where hives (urticaria) or large red welts form on the skin after exposure to a cold stimulus. The welts are usually itchy and often the hands and feet will become itchy and swollen as well.

And According to the Mayo Clinic
Cold urticaria is a very rare condition affecting about one in 100,000 people, according to ABC News. ... People with cold urticaria can develop redness, itching, swelling and hives on the skin after coming in contact with cold temperatures, according to the Mayo Clinic.

My Childhood

My childhood was complicated...
I was born and raised in Utah. So we have pretty cold winters! Lots of snow.
I always got so ichy after playing in the snow.
It was uncomfortable. But I always thought it was normal as a kid.
Until one day we went to my grandmas. While she was making us a chili dinner, My sister and I were in the backyard playing in the snow. I remember my body burning, Everything was tingling and on fire. I started to feel dizzy. So I went inside.
I was disappointed when I saw the chili that my grandma had made; I hate chili. It wasn't the actual chili part, That part is good, But I hate beans! Yuck!
A Picture I colored out of one of my coloring books as a kid!

My grandma forced me to eat it, Even though I didn't want to. Shortly after being forced to eat the beans, I broke out in a horrible amount of hives,
I was sick and swollen, My grandma and mom immediately put me in a hot baking soda bath, And gave me some Benedryl. The hives quickly went away.
I sat in the bath tub miserable, Thats when I overheard something amazing,
My parents and grandma were talking about what I could be allergic to. And I overheard my grandma say: "She must be allergic to beans! " I wanted to throw a freaking party!
I Might be allergic to the one thing I HATE!
But overtime, I started noticing something odd.
A drawing I did as a teen

Water balloon fights led to hives...
Swimming, Led to hives...
Rain led to hives....
Snow Led to Hives...
As a child I then came to the conclusion, I must be allergic to the cold. Not beans. But of course i wasn't going to tell my parents that. They'd make me eat beans again.
But Little did I know, My mom was suspicious.
Whenever they made meals with beans in it, My mom would make me a separate batch without beans. But she'd slip one or two beans into my food to see if I had a reaction.

Welts On my Leg

I Never did...

Finally we went to the doctor, Just to get me a checkup. I was now 13.
My mom brought up that I was always getting allergic reactions and she didn't understand why.

I was pissed!

Right in front of the doctor, I yelled at my mom, "ITS BECAUSE I'M ALLERGIC TO THE COLD MOM, I TOLD YOU!"
My mom looked at the doctor and asked: "Is that even possible."
That's when my doctor said that "Yes" It was! He then gave me the ice cube test And confirmed it.

I was born with an incredibly rare allergy, That causes me to be allergic to anything cold.
The doctor told me that It would be a life long condition. But I could get lucky, and I have a chance of it going away Every five years.
But I'm now 24, and I still have it.

My Hike Yesterday

After being cold in the water, and dealing with the cold air of the hike, We got into my boyfriend's car, I then was reminded of something. As my entire body broke out in really bad hives and became extremely itchy. My whole body was burning, And I was an in an extreme amount of pain and discomfort. I had almost forgotten about my allergy, Because other than when I eat cold foods it hasn't bothered me. Sometimes my sensitivity dies down for a while; Then it spikes up. It's random and annoying.
Everytime my boyfriend and I get ice cream or frozen yogurt, My tongue and throat swell up, So I have to eat it very slowly. (I love Ice cream so I can't give it up completely). But as long as I keep my throat pretty warm I can handle it.

The goal of this post

The goal of this post is to raise awareness on my disorder! Not to get you to feel sorry for me. I live a very happy and healthy life, But sometimes I have to make adjustments to make life easier for myself. (Waterproof gear is my best friend).
Or by drinking warm water as I eat cold foods.

This rare condition, Many have never heard of.
Usually, to treat it I need an over the counter allergy medicine. Perscription meds are an option but I always avoid taking medicines as much as possible!

I Live a Healthy and happy life, But I want to raise awareness on my disorder :)