Ivy Angerman, 1, has been diagnosed with aquagenic urticaria, an extremely rare condition that affects less than 100 people in the United States.
Like most toddlers, little Ivy loves the water, but in the case of this 1-year-old, bath time can only last a few seconds.
Ivy Angerman, of Hastings, Minn., is allergic to water.
It doesn't matter if it's hot or cold — all water causes Ivy to have a severe allergic reaction. When she takes a bath, her skin turns red with painful blisters at the waterline.
"She can feel the reaction coming, she can feel the heat," her mom, Brittany Angerman, told Inside Edition. "She says, 'Mommy, ouch, it’s hot, touch it.'"
Brittany and her husband Daniel limit her outdoor play so she stays clean, and instead of a bath, Ivy’s parents clean her with wet wipes.
"I can’t even put into words how that makes you feel as a father," Daniel Angerman said. "It’s devastating."
Ivy’s allergy to water is so severe that it even impacts her when she cries, as she's allergic to her own tears.
Her allergist, Dr. Douglas McMahon, says Ivy has aquagenic urticaria, an extremely rare condition that affects less than 100 people in the United States.
"I’ve actually never seen a case of it," Dr. McMahon said. "I think it’s baffling. People think our bodies are made of water — we need water. That’s why there’s so much intrigue about it."
Before that, Ivy loved water as a baby, and the condition has so far not shown up for her baby sister, Grace, her parents said.
But mysterious red hives began appearing on her skin when she was 8 months old.
"I did all things every mom would do," Brittany said. "Eliminate bath products, check laundry detergent, check fabric softeners."
She even tried using distilled and purified water, but nothing worked until Dr. McMahon determined it was an allergy to the water itself.
The one exception to her allergy is that she’s able to drink water without any negative reactions.
Ivy is now prescribed antihistamines to help control the severity of the flare-ups and doctors believe she will eventually grow out of the condition
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