Allergies in Luxembourg

  I'm Tamara, mum of twin boys, Oliver and Aiden (9 years), who both have allergies to nuts. We have been on the immunotherapy road for 3 years now and would like to share our story with you. I ntroduction Oliver was diagnosed with food allergies when he was about 3 months old. Very bad exczema over his whole body and spitting out breastmilk were the early signs that something wasn't right. We were lucky that our pediatrician worked with an allergist, so we got a quick diagnosis and found out that he was allergic to eggs and some nuts (only 3 got tested). We continued our lives but still did not really know much about food allergies and how dangerous they can be. Avoiding eggs and nuts in his diet and mine signficantly improved his skin. At the age of two, I very naively let him have a bite of a cashew nut cake as he hadn't been tested for cashews. Immediately after the bite, his eyes started swelling up, his nose started running and he cried. I had no medication bag and no...

Hello. My name is Filipa and I am a proud mum of three beautiful little girls.  Carmo is the eldest and is now 8 years old. Carmo has a life threatening allergy to cashew nuts and pistachio.  We discovered Carmo’s allergy when she was two years old. Carmo was a happy baby although she was often with watery eyes, constipated and suffered from eczema on her face for a long period (only went away with cortisone). When she was bitten by mosquitos she had always very big skin reactions and once we ended up staying at home with her for several days and the pediatrician checking her every day. Carmo was our first baby, so we took all these little things as “normal” baby things. It was January and Carmo had just had her second birthday and we went visiting a friend for lunch. He had a bottle of a cashew drink on the kitchen table and I asked him to try. Carmo was seated on my lap and demonstrated signs that she wanted as well to try and trying to grab my small cup. So I had some to ch...

Margot, 20, has suffered from life-threatening allergies to peanuts and lupins since she was two years old. She is now studying International Media and Entertainment Business at the University in Mechelen in Belgium. We met up with Margot to find out more what life was like as a teenager with food allergies. Transitioning from primary to secondary school Starting secondary school at the Athenée de Luxembourg was a different experience compared to her primary school years, where everyone knew about her allergies, the teachers were aware and trained. The environment around her no longer felt as safe as it had been. Her mum tried to talk to all the teachers and together with a nurse helped with the allergy training. Her emergency medication was stored at the nurse’s office, together with the medication from other pupils. A nurse from the Médicine Scolaire made sure that all emergency kits were clearly labeled, with a photo of each child and a description of the illness. Of course, Margot ...

Meet Habba - "learning the hard way" I ntroducing Habba,  secretary of the Luxembourg Allergy Network and one of its founding members. Habba is a mum of two and has already been on a long allergy journey with her son, who suffers from multiple allergies as well as asthma. What made you look for a support group, and how did you find out about the group ? My son age 8 at the time, 21 today, had been attending Maison Relais in our commune for many years and started to refuse any food served for lunch because it made him feel very ill. MR advised us to have his allergies tested again. It turned out that he had developed more and new allergies than those we already knew about and that they were considered severe. We did not know anybody with food allergies among our close friends or family and were convinced that our son would simply outgrow his allergies.   Nicky had made herself known in the commune and at the MR and the director informed me abo...

Introducing the PatientenHouse The patient as partner The Luxembourg Allergy Network (LAN) is proud to announce that it has become part of the wonderful new project set up by the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL) called the PatientenHouse. The PatientenHouse was officially inaugurated on the 1st of February 2023 in the presence of health minister Mrs Paulette Lenert. Many Luxembourg patient associations that support those who suffer with chronic illnesses, including the LAN, were present for the opening at the CHL.   The PatientenHouse offers a link between the patients, their families and the hospital. It sees the patient as the partner. A patient is an expert of their illness. By capitalizing on their own experiences and expertise they can offer invaluable support to other patients and their families that goes beyond the medical support that health professionals can offer. An illness is not something that you choose. It usually enters your life suddenly and unexpectedly, and...

Meet Nicky - the story of LAN Lets meet the incredible lady behind LAN - Nicky, mum of two, Sam (15) and Alex (11). After a year of struggling to find answers to Sam’s health conditions, the family discovered that Sam was severely allergic to multiple foods when he was around 1 years old. “ After receiving the news from Dr. Morel that our son had multiple severe food allergies and was at risk of anaphylactic shock, we left the Kannerklinik feeling numb and not knowing what was next and where to turn to. The clinical support from Dr. Morel and her team of nurses is excellent, however, there was no (known) peer support set up where it was possible to speak with and share experiences with other families learning to live a full life with a child with such severe allergies. ” The food allergy world was completely new to the Wallace family. Nicky believed that there must be others in Luxembourg in the same situation. But how to find them.  “ The support group began in 2012 when, after de...

On the 8 th   of October 2021 a very interesting online conference was held in Luxembourg about food allergies in the children’s sector, organised by the Securité Alimentaire.     It was directed especially towards those working in the food sector of educational and care structures, such as the maisons relais and creches, with the aim of providing a better understanding in dealing with children with food allergies and how to provide them with a safe environment when it comes to food.   It is clear that the number of people with food allergies is increasing, especially amongst children. Life with food allergies can be very challenging for these children and it is of great importance to make it possible for them to lead an as normal life as possible. Inclusion is key and children with food allergies should be able to eat at their care establishment just like any other children. Staff has to be trained and follow strict procedures in order to manage the risks associated...