Anxiety & Allergies

I have spent every summer for the past 10 years at a summer camp in Pennsylvania called Camp IHC. The camp takes you on a four week trip, called “IHC West”  around the West Coast of America going into your sophomore year of High School. I went to “IHC West” in 2022. The trip provided me with many new experiences like hiking the Grand Canyon, surfing in California, and mountain biking in Moab. Along with all these physical activities, I experienced what it was like to handle my allergy without my parents.

IHC West was the first time I was a plane ride away from my family for a long period of time. Additionally, I was not given my phone. So, it was up to me to make sure what I was eating was safe. Knowing that my parents were unable to help me in a case of emergency evoked anxiety. Prior to this trip, I was not an anxious person - especially when it came to my allergy. 

However, when I was on IHC West I was so careful about what I was eating to the point where I would reread the ingredients list about five times. I would tell waiters multiple times about my allergy. I would analyze my meals, and call the waiter over if I saw something that looked suspicious. And after all the confirming and rereading, when I would eat the food, my mouth would start to get itchy. 

The idea of having an allergic reaction away from home, without my parents, and with no phone, drove me crazy. It was the first time I was experiencing real anxiety from my allergy. Unfortunately, after the trip, the anxiety still stuck with me. However, throughout the years I have learned to deal with it and how to handle it. I bring my epi-pen around with me, and I remind myself that no matter what I am going to be okay.