So I posted up this fact:

http://www.omg-facts.com/view/Facts/26437

Almost 300 people have viewed it, which makes me glad. The reason I had posted up this face is because I suffer from something called
"cold urticaria" or "cold hives". It happened when I was 12. I'd go outside in cold wearther and my face would swell and become itchy. When I got inside, the bumps would remain for half an hour, and they'd get worse then get better.

The reason I wanted to post this fact is because when I was younger, I got very unpopular with my peers. See, I was the only student who wasn't forced to go outside in very cold temperatures – I was allowed to stay inside because it was deemed dangerous to my skin to be exposed in the cold for so long.

My friends got scared one day when they seen the bumps. They thought I was dying! I told them I thought it was normal and they rushed me inside.

I received an allergy test (where the allergist would put an ice cube on your arm for 10 minutes, then take it off. If the area remained red and bumpy for more than 30 minutes, it means you have the allergy.

So, literally, I was allergic to the cold! And getting people to believe me was difficult. Cold isn't a food, or a chemical. It's a temperature. And my body would react horridly to it. I remember being in a chinese buffet restaurant and having my tounge break out from the cold water! It was itchy and I rubbed it against my teeth. When I'd walk for long periods, my legs would start to burn. Sometimes, I'd have to stop, and it was exceedinly painful.

I suffered backlash for it, and I should've received support. In a way, it reminds me of OCD – where some of my friends didn't believe that I had it – that I suffered from "generalized anxiety". (Which is often misdiagnosed in people who have OCD!)

Anyway, I feel somewhat accomplished. Now 300 people know that it's a real thing and it can be life threatening.

After I turned 19, I largely grew out of it. But to this day, I still remain red longer than other people, and I experience itching in my legs. Seldom any bumps. But it's important for me to keep warm!

I'm such a fake Canadian, what real Canadian would be allergic to the cold?! XD