Yep—as in, the stuff we all drink to survive.

Got allergies that really suck? You have no idea.

An 18-year-old woman in Utah has everyone beat: She’s allergic to water. Yup, water.

Alexandra Allen suffers from “aquagenic urticaria,” a rare condition that causes her to break out into hives when she’s exposed to water.

“I describe it as like the top layer of your skin getting sandpapered off—you feel very raw,” Alexandra tells Science of Us. “And there’s an incessant, burning itch. If I’m not taking anything whatsoever, I will have hives every day.”

Alexandra says she typically has hives every other day, depending on what she’s doing. Her skin also reacts to her own sweat, so if it’s hot out and she gets sweaty, she can end up covered in hives.

“I try so hard not to be awkward, and sometimes I’ll be in a social situation in pain and itching, but I care more about how the hives look, so I focus on trying to cover them up,” she says. “A teenager doesn’t want to have to keep explaining to people, ‘Sorry, I have a rare medical condition that makes me look like a freak.’”

The hotter the water, the worse her hives, so she takes one cold two-minute shower each week. “I move as quickly as I can and then get out of there,” she says. On a daily basis, she cleans her hands with hand sanitizer and her face with a cleansing wipe. “I just pretend I’m permanently on a camping trip,” she says.“I describe it as like the top layer of your skin getting sandpapered off—you feel very raw."

Alexandra drinks water but says it’s possible it can impact her throat, as well. “Technically, your esophagus has the same sort of glands as your skin, so it is possible that you could have that reaction,” she says. “I’m constantly dehydrated because I don’t want to drink too much water and cause problems.”

While her condition sounds insane, Alexandra isn’t the only one to suffer from it—a 2011 case study published in the Annals of Dermatology documented stories of a 19-year-old man and 4-year-old boy who also suffer from the condition. According to the paper, fewer than 100 cases have been reported in medical literature.

Dermatologist David E. Bank, M.D., director of the Center for Dermatology in Mount Kisco, New York, calls the disease “beyond rare,” adding, “I’ve seen one case in a quarter of a century.”

“The idea of being truly allergic to water seems almost inconceivable, and yet it happens,” he says.

While there’s no cure, Bank says doctors simply try to treat the symptoms. They typically start with over the counter antihistamines like Claritin or Zyrtec and see if that helps diminish, block, or blunt some of the intensity of the reaction. “If you get some success, you might add topical cortisone cream to use on an as-needed basis when they erupt,” he says.

If it’s more severe than that, Banks says doctors may try more potent anti-inflammatories, like immune suppressors.