Overview

• James Richardson, 33, develops hives and severe pain from any contact with water, with showers leaving him in agony for six and a half hours.
• A dermatologist confirmed aquagenic urticaria on August 22 by inducing immediate hives during a water exposure test.
• He was hospitalized after anaphylactic shock on July 9, treated with steroids and antihistamines, and later developed steroid‑induced diabetes before discharge on September 5.
• His current regimen includes four antihistamines taken four times daily plus monthly immunosuppressant injections, and he avoids plain water by drinking milk as doctors cautioned that distilled water could disrupt electrolytes.
• Signed off from his landscaping job, he is living on about £118.75 a week in statutory sick pay as clinicians investigate possible links noted in records such as prior Ramipril use or tattoos, with a follow‑up set for October 25.