Posted on 02/08/2011 11:13:51 AM PST by Immerito
Even eating ice cream is off-limits for 9-year-old Priscilla
Nine-year-old Priscilla Pomerantz can't play in the snow, eat ice cream or walk her dog during the winter. She can't get cold at all, because she suffers from an allergy called cold urticaria. For Priscilla, air temperatures below 70 degrees -- or even eating chilly foods -- trigger an allergic reaction of hives, swelling and difficulty breathing. Left untreated, the cold could literally kill her.
(Excerpt) Read more at today.msnbc.msn.com ...
It is very real and can range from mild to life threatening.
How?
“Cold is the absence of heat”
Not really. Both cold and hot are relative. 100 deg is cold compared to melted steel.
Geek joke ... Cold is the absence of heat. You can't make something colder; you can remove heat. There is no such thing as 'negative heat', which is what 'cold' would be. Hence, there is no such thing as 'cold'.
“Left untreated, the cold could literally kill her.”
Ya think?
“Cold urticaria affects 15 to 25 percent of Americans at some point in their lifetime”
Wow. You’d think that the existence of this disease would be common knowledge with those sorts of numbers. Of course, it might be that vast majority of cases are far less severe than what this poor kid is dealing with currently.
Have an example for you.
If it is 0 degrees and it gets twice as cold, how cold is it?
There was a time when I thought ADHD was a ‘made up disease’, also.
You’re being pedantic too a fault. You know damned well what they were saying.
This sounds like another made-up “disease” like ADHD and ADD.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Except that hives and the allergic response can be objectively measured.
I have idiopathic dermagraphism. Until the source of the allergy was found I was a mess! Thankfully, the allergist figured out that I was allergic to mold and just about every plant and tree east of the Mississippi.
Hepa-filters in the house have “cured” it, and I live a lot more comfortably.
What an ignorant thing to say after reading that her airway swells in the presence of hives. Yeah, that’s made up.
There is a freeper named Metmom who has dealt with the same thing. There are some lengthy threads about it. If you search her name, you will find them. She was eventually diagnosed with a mast cell problem. Perhaps there is something there that may help your friend.
Di-hydrogen monoxide can kill you too... if you get enough of it..
hey me too! When I’m exposed to one I start gnashing my teeth and clenching my fists uncontrollably.
And then my friend there is the vernacular. When it’s cold outside, it means your body will not comfortably be able to sustain it’s temperature, so wear a sweater. If someone offers you a cold drink, expect a beverage slightly above the freezing point of water. If you’re pouring your child a bath, and she request that you make it colder, add more water from the tap marked “cold”.
It’s like knowing the difference between fruits and vegetables AND knowing the difference between knowing the difference between culinary fruits and vegetables. No one gives a crap if the string bean is botanically a fruit, it’s a vegetable.
Celsius or Farenheit?
Sounds like something akin to Raynaud’s, Scleroderma, etc.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.