Most students agree that school is stressful, and adding health conditions into it makes it even more so. But even with the stress of school and medical conditions, students still find a way to be regular teenagers.

Tyra Bosnic, Div. 570, has been balancing her school life and health for the majority of her life.

“Probably around five years old, that’s when I was diagnosed with severe asthma,” Bosnic said.

That’s also when she was told she has flooding in her left lung. She was getting sick for long periods of time and she could not breathe either.

“One night it got so bad that my parents had to take me to the emergency room,” Bosnic said. “There they did X-rays to see if there could be a solution there. That’s when they saw a lot of fluid build up and basically weighed my left lung down.”

It makes breathing difficult and takes her out of school a lot. The flooding also makes Bosnic more susceptible to upper respiratory infections.

Bosnic was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder her freshman year of high school. Both health conditions keep Bosnic from attending school on a regular basis.

“50 percent of why I’m gone is because of my lungs, the other 50 percent is because of my brain,” Bosnic said.

Bosnic was on an antihistamine for a while but she said it interacts badly with her other medicines so now she is only on a rescue inhaler while she and her doctors look for other options.

“Just having that has affected me a lot and caused me to miss more school because it’s harder to breathe without [the antihistamine],” Bosnic said.

Antihistamines are usually used for allergies but can also help with asthma. They counteract the histamines that cause cells in the human body to swell and leak fluids which can block airways. The antihistamines help open up the airways. Bosnic cannot exert herself physically and mentally or it might trigger an infection. She has to be cautious with everything she does.

“All my teachers know about my condition and they’re extremely understanding,” Bosnic said.

Bosnic keeps up with her school work, but being out of school so much can cause a lot of stress.

“It does stress me out being in the hospital a lot and missing school,” Bosnic said.“I just try to relax about it and try to accept it and [stay] motivated to keep up with my other responsibilities.”

Bosnic does after school activities like After School Matters. In her spare time, she also writes, draws and makes zines, mini homemade magazines. She is currently working on her first book, which she hopes to get published before college.

Megan Konrath, Div. 664, also struggles with missing a lot of school due to chronic migraines. On average she misses about two and a half days per week because of them. They started out as abdominal migraines, migraines that come with severe abdominal pain and can cause vomiting. Konrath started having these migraines when she was six years old.

She started getting migraines every day during freshman year; her doctor then referred her to a neurologist when the migraines were past her doctor’s expertise.

“It’s in my genetics — both on my mom’s and dad’s sides, there are migraines,” Konrath said.

Konrath said that most kids who suffer from the migraines grow out of them through puberty like her brother did, but hers never went away. Because her migraines became more severe, she will most likely have them for the rest of her life, she said.

Konrath goes to Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago where they help people with chronic pain. She is also on pain medication from her neurologist; though they do help her, there are not many other things that help.

“The only thing that really breaks my migraines are medication and sleep,” Konrath said.

Because Konrath misses so much school, Lane has set up a homebound teacher for her. Mr. Piwowarczyk is a math teacher who collects all the schoolwork Konrath misses, brings it to her house, and then tutors her in Algebra II/Trig for an hour. Konrath also goes to Saturday tutoring and watches YouTube videos to help her catch up with the material she missed.

Konrath also has a 504 plan. The 504 plan accommodates students who miss a lot of school. For Konrath, her grade is not lowered after five absences, she receives extra time on tests, and she is allowed to eat and drink in class because of her medicine that can lower her blood pressure.

“[The 504 plan] makes school [a bit easier] when I have a migraine,” Konrath said.

Homeschooling is always an option but Konrath said she would hate it.

“I’ve always been in public school,” Konrath said. “In theory [homeschooling] makes sense be- cause I can get hypersensitive — sound, light and smells bother me — and at home I wouldn’t have to worry, but I’m not that behind in a lot of my classes and I would miss Lane too much.”

Konrath is a junior, which means she also has the ACT coming up.

“I hope I don’t have a migraine,” she said. “I also hopefully will be permitted more time so if I have one it won’t be so terrible. And if I have to I’ll take the makeup.”

Despite having the migraines often, Konrath still goes out and considers herself a regular teenager. She goes out with her friends and spends time with her family and participates in after school activities like Key Club, GEMs, and ACES. If she happens to be out with her friends and gets a mi- graine she said she deals with it until it gets to the point where she cannot. Since she gets them frequently she has figured out some telltale signs, or auras, of a migraine — her face gets hot and she gets sleepy and hypersensitive. But because of her migraines she cannot participate in sports because the physical activity may trigger a migraine. There are other things that can also trigger Konrath’s migraines like stress and crying.

When Konrath cannot handle the pain anymore she goes home and lies down and takes her abortive medication, a medication that helps stop the migraine.

Because of the migraines, Konrath said her pain tolerance has increased and she has stopped feeling so helpless, not only when she gets the migraines, but with everything in and out of school.

“I feel like I can better help myself [with everything],” Konrath said.

Konrath has been to the emergency room three times in October and November of this year.

Her parents are very supportive of her and try their hardest.

“They do everything they can — doctor appointments, talking to my counselor and teachers, staying with me in the hospital,” Konrath said. “I am very lucky. I know that they feel a little help- less because there is only so much they can do.”

Bosnic’s parents both support her but from different perspectives. Bosnic said her dad has the tough guy attitude where anything can be fixed with some strong tea, while her mom is the more heedful type.

“They’re part of the reason I can handle it so well. They keep me pretty grounded,” Bosnic said. “My dad gives me the strength to stay tough and get through the obstacles and my mom keeps me cautious to make sure I can prevent things from getting too bad.”

Bosnic’s condition has made her appreciate things more and not take much for granted.

“Well, I’ve gotten into the habit of saying to my- self, ‘it could be worse’,” Bosnic said. “I love that I have two supportive parents and I go to a school [that is] very understanding of my condition. If I can handle constant hospitalizations, I can handle anything, like college.”