A woman who suffers a severe allergic reaction when she is exposed to the cold fears for her life after a huge energy price hike was announced.
Painful rashes break out all over Nyree Clark’s body whenever the temperature drops and when she is having a severe reaction, her mouth and tongue begin to swell.
The married mother-of-two, who has been diagnosed with a rare condition called Severe Idiopathic Cold Urticaria, said she is already struggling to pay the heating bills and she will soon have to decide whether to “go into debt or to live”.
It comes after the Government announced the energy price cap will be lifted in April, meaning around 22 million households will see their bills rise by £693 a year.
"I felt very scared, as it is a life or death situation for myself and other sufferers,” she told YorkshireLive.
"To put into perspective, if it was a peanut allergy when the energy bill hikes up, you are placing someone in a room full of peanuts.
"That is what is happening to Cold Urticaria sufferers if that makes sense."
"We are on the edge of paying our way, but how much further can you make your wages go?”
Ms Clark currently aims to keep the temperature in her house between 16°C and 20°C to avoid debilitating flare ups
"It feels like I'm on fire and you can feel the heat from my skin as it goes into overdrive,” she said.
"Also, you get the pain which feels like itchy nettle stings - your mouth, throat and tongue swells and you struggle to breathe and even walk.”
Jackie Thompson, a mother and wife in Scotland, suffers with the same condition and said the stress of the energy price rise is having an impact on her mental health.
"We are not just allergic to cold - it’s much more than that our bodies struggle to cope with different temperatures,” she said.
"Some of us - myself included - have periods of excessive sweating where the cooled sweat reacts and makes us itch."
She added: "The price hike for me is an additional burden as I am presently fighting my own battles due to my condition.”
