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Teen standing at the doctors office check in desk.
Me checking in at the Dr’s office. Do you know what cards you need to have to do this?

I’m very excited to let you hear from Teal Kid. He’s decided to start blogging for me as a special guest.

Allergies. One in thirteen Americans have them. It would not be a surprise that while getting older and more independent, they get more difficult to deal with. This is true for me. Let’s say on a scale of one to ten, one is easy, five is moderate, and ten is hard. I think going into the teen years, it goes from two or three, to five or six. This is a result of many factors, including filling prescriptions, school, and having more freedom. Remember, these reasons don’t only apply to allergies, but other conditions too.

First, let’s talk about prescriptions. Allergies and asthma can require lots of prescriptions. When you’re less than nine or ten years old, your parents do all the pharmacy and doctor’s calls for you. As you transition into the teen years, you’re expected to do those things yourself. There’s also knowing certain situations and what medicines would work or not work. This is especially important with environmental allergies. Does Claritin work? Does Flonase work? This also applies to conditions like asthma with the albuterol inhalers and nebulizers. There are also many other conditions like diabetes with insulin and blood sugar and hypo- and hyperthyroidism, making sure that you grow right.

The second thing impacting allergic teens is dealing with them at school. I know I myself have a hard time remembering to talk to teachers or instructors about my allergies. I know for a fact that talking to teachers about allergies can be intimidating. I highly suggest having a 504 meeting with your school counselor if it is available. It helps a lot with dealing with allergies and covers all the practical answers to all the practical problems. I also recommend having one of your teachers there at the 504 meeting if possible. If you know you will be doing a club and you know who the advisor will be, you should notify them about your allergy ahead of time. If you can’t notify them ahead of time, you should tell them within the first few days. If you are going to do a club that is past school hours and you have to eat, figure out something that works for you. No, I am not telling you to go off of other people’s suggestions when they say, “Well I’ve always done it this way, and I was fine. You should try it.” I’m telling you to make a plan that works for you.

The third thing impacting the transition into the teen years with allergies is that you get more and more freedom. At my school, you take the five core classes (English, Math, Social Studies, Health/Gym, and Science) and then you get to choose your two elective classes. These electives would be matching your skills and passions. Electives we have include band and orchestra, a STEM class, an art class, and in eighth grade you have a language class option. In 7th and 8th grade you can do sports. There are also many before and after school clubs like Drama, AV, and sports meets and practices. I am in 7th grade and I am personally going to do Cross Country. I also did Ski Club, but I’ll talk about that another day.

In conclusion, having allergies can get a bit more difficult going into the teen years, between prescriptions, school, and freedom. Remember, I told you how to make a plan, not what to specifically do.

I found out I love running cross country this year! We managed my asthma and food allergies all season.

TAGS: allergies, asthma, food allergies, Teen Teen with Allergies

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