Katherine McKinnon is so allergic to water her own sweat can cause her to break out in a painful rash.
The mother-of-three told that's life! magazine she was diagnosed with the rare condition aquagenic uriticaria last year.
The condition means simple tasks like washing the dishes can induce redness, a rash, itching, pain or hives and at times renders Ms McKinnon housebound.
Allergic to water: Katherine McKinnon, 41 (centre) suffers from the rare condition aquagenic uriticaria (pictured with her partner Lindsay, left, and her children Steven, Shaun and Stephanie)
Ms McKinnon, 41, lives in southern New South Wales with her partner Lindsay, 36, and three children: Stephanie, 21, and twins Steven and Shaun, 13.
The chronic condition means simple tasks like washing the dishes are impossible without pain, prompting Ms McKinnon to joke to her partner she is 'allergic to housework'.
'When I said that even doing the washing up brought me out in a rash, I'm sure he thought I was trying it on,' she told that's life! magazine.
The seriousness of her condition means she is unable to go out in the rain or swim.
Even on hot days she is forced to stay inside as her own sweat can cause a painful reaction.
Painful reaction: Her condition means exposure to water causes her skin to become red, itching and painful causing a rash or hives
'Allergic to housework': Something as simple as washing the dishes can cause her skin to become irritated
Taking a shower is a race against time as exposure to water for longer than four minutes can bring on a rash.
And the condition only worsened when she lived in Alice Springs.
'With the temperature regularly reaching 40 degrees, there was no way to avoid sweating,' she told that's life! magazine.
'My skin turned the colour of beetroot and often the itching was so bad I'd draw blood.'
The only relief she found was to spend time in an air-conditioned room.
Ms McKinnon first noticed there was something wrong when she took baths as a child.
Time in the water would make the back of her neck burn, and she would instead scrub her limbs in the sink to avoid the pain.
She would experience the same reaction when she became sweaty playing sport.
She visited a number of doctors who suggested she change her soap or referred her on to a dermatologist who prescribed creams that only made the condition worse.
Luckily drinking water has no side-effects.
Raising awareness: Ms McKinnon told her story to that's life! magazine and said she hoped one there would be a cure for her condition
While she now knows what causes her painful condition, there is currently no cure.
To help her cope with the diagnosis Ms McKinnon started the Aquagenic Uriticaria Facebook group where she finds support from other people who suffer from the same condition.
'Hopefully one day there will be a cure, but in the meantime I'm trying to raise as much awareness as I can,' she told that's life! magazine.
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