Dr Lynn Chiam speaks on children’s skin on 28 September Rise and Shine Expo 4.30pm to 6pm
There is an exciting event this September which is the Rise and Shine Expo. Even more exciting for those of us with children with eczema or sensitive skin, is that there will be a talk by Dr Lynn Chiam, on ‘All about Children’s Skin‘. Dr Lynn has helped out in this blog on Teen Eczema and Facial Eczema, and helped set up the Eczema Support Group.
Hi! I think everyone’s eczema is well under control, because no one feedback for the support group’s session tomorrow. So, please do not turn up last minute for the session, as it has been cancelled. In the meantime, if there is a topic that you like to discuss, feel free to let me know!
Last Saturday’s forum and Art Therapy was a success with over 100 participants! This month of July we are back to our monthly sharing session and this will be over Friday lunch on 26th July 12pm.
It’d be the first where we have special guest- Senior Pharmacist Winne Li. Winnie will be sharing her experience and knowledge as a pharmacist who has worked at National Skin Centre for 5 years. Topic “General Tips in managing Eczema in children with over the counter products”
More on Winnie Li: She is the Senior Pharmacist experienced with Eczema and Itch Management. She was an invited speaker for a regional Congress organized by Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore on the topic “Off-label Uses of Oral Drugs in NSC for Pruritus and OTC Itch Relief Remedies “. She was also the speaker for annual NSC Pharmacist Seminar on the topic “Products of Itch Relief in Atopic Dermatitis”
26 July 2013 (Friday) – Venue, NSC Room 401, 12 noon to 1pm
1. 12.00 – 12.15pm Introducing Ourselves – we can do this with our mouths full (lunch provided).
2. 12.15 – 1pm I’d be facilitating the discussion and Winnie will share her experience as a mom with daughter with eczema, followed by tips on itch management and selection of OTC products.
There will be balloons for sculpturing, puzzles and coloring to occupy your children. Same note: Information shared is not medical advice, please still see a doc. No selling anything or pretending to be a parent of eczema child. Information on my blog is not pre-approved by NSC.
3. What’s for Lunch – Very likely, pizza.
4. YOU MUST RSVP – Our medical social worker who is helping with the Eczema Support Group will be in-charge of confirming your attendance, which isn’t confirmed till she says so! If you’re coming, please email me ([email protected]) your name, mobile and email, number of adults & kids coming, so that I can get her to contact you.
Come and join me and the Eczema Support Group in National Skin Centre on 29 June (Sat) 9.30am to 1pm, includes an art therapy session for children from ages 6 to 12. Register via this form, and sending email to the rsvp contact.
Last Friday’s eczema support group session with Dr Lynn Chiam was a fruitful one – the topic was Treatment for Kids’ Eczema and we had pizza and chicken wings for lunch at the National Skin Centre Singapore! Dr Lynn is a consultant dermatologist who subspecializes in paediatric skin conditions at Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Medical Centre, Children & Adult Skin Hair Laser Clinic, Singapore.
Eczema Tips for Children
1. Moisturizing within 3 Minutes After Shower
This is inline with Dr Jennifer Shu’s tip here, so it appears that it’s an international recommended practice. Dr Lynn shared that should it be difficult to do so, or if skin is still dry, wet wrap can be implemented. For practical purpose, should the child not be able to tolerate wet wrap overnight, instead implement at least an hour, 5 times a week. Even a dry wrap will retain moisturizer better for the skin.
2. Removing House Dust Mite (if it is an allergen for your child)
Dust mite can be killed either by extreme cold or heat – so wash bedsheet in at least 60 deg C water (read this post) and for stuff toys, freezing them may help decrease the amount of dust mite as they are affected by extremes of temperature. Dr Lynn recommended sunning mattresses and changing mattress once per year, i.e. don’t get a thick and very expensive one. Remove carpets.
3. Use of Topical Steroid – Don’t be Steroid-Phobia
I shared that there is a lot of fear out there among parents on using even the mildest steroid cream, and I’ve heard of increasing number of children hospitalized for infections due to fear of using steroid. Read more here on ‘Is Steroid Cream Safe?’. Dr Lynn explained 4 side effects of topical steroid (i) skin thinning (ii) easy bruising, (iii) fragile blood vessels and (iv) excessive hair growth. However, these can be avoided if patients ensure they use (1) the right steroid (2) at the right part of skin and (3) for the right amount of time.
For anyone who emailed me (and we’re talking many!) who ask if steroid cream is safe because they’ve read about the side effects (which further reinforces FEAR spread like FIRE), you know my reply is the side effects of MISUSE should not be confused with Right Use. There are also many who have an agenda for propagating fear – to sell a steroid-alternative. Again, there is no need to use one and not the other. You can use steroid safely to treat flare-ups and skin inflammation, while at the same time, moisturize, wet wrap, have healthy diet, healthy lifestyle, distract your child, protect their skin, covering their fingers..
Side effects of MISUSE should not be confused with Right Use
Dr Lynn shared that steroid treatment should be used pro-actively, to treat skin inflammation even after the rash disappear, and this is also consistent with what Dr Bridgett shared in this post. Protopic can be used for maintenance, and I’ve clarified with Dr Lynn that the stinging sensation that some experienced with Protopic will not be manifest as rashes. For more on Protopic, see here.
4. On Oral Steroid
This is usually a treatment for severe active cases, not lightly prescribed due to its side effects of osteoporosis, stunting growth and increased vulnerability to infection. Tomorrow’s post is on prednisolone, and you can also refer to previous post on cyclosporine.
5. This is my afterthought – Don’t Jump from Fear to Fire
I’ve shared earlier that Fears spreads like Fire, and I like to remind parents not to jump from fear into fire – for instance:
Is someone telling you not to use steroid but something natural? If so, do ask them and search Pubmed for studies. I’m not against natural and I’m not against any parent wanting to try something natural. Do check 1. It’s safe to consume/apply, 2. Keep up the standard treatment.
Is someone telling you that a steroid cream is not working and that the flare is caused by it? Think back – did your child have rashes before the steroid? and Dr Lynn shared that each steroid cream has its own molecular structure, suited for different purpose. You may wish to work with your doctor on another cream.
Is someone telling you their skin recovers after doing a,b,c and d? Ask them, did they do a,b,c and d while applying the steroid?
Is your doctor (I really hope not) telling you that established clinically trialed cream is no good and their own concoction is better? I do not know if it is/not, how would anyone know if it’s kept a secret, even without a medical name. If it doesn’t work for your child, it’d be impossible for the next doctor to understand what your child has been prescribed and how the skin reacted.
This is a very long summary of the discussion. But as you can see, I’m really AGAINST people who spread fear of steroid – again, I’m not saying steroid is the only way, I’m saying it has its place and fear shouldn’t be propagated for personal means.
On 27 April (last Saturday), the Eczema Support Group for Parents with Eczema Children held its 6th sharing session and it’s safe to say everyone had a good discussion!
It was a wet wrap demonstration by Tubifast, with a product manager from Mölnlycke Health Care Limited. The key sharing were:
1. Different color-coded are of different sizes, the most common ones are green and blue sold in Guardian pharmacies, the larger ones in Singapore at Paragon, Novena, Woodlands, Jurong, Parkway Parade, Yishun and Bkt Batok. Mt E, KKH (not OTC, ask to be redirected to another dept but need not be consulted there), polyclinic pharmacies also carry, and the full range is available in NSC. (I’m writing this because I receive requests from moms all the time on where to buy, and many go to their nearest Guardian and can’t find them)
2. Wet wrap will require 2 layer, inner moist, outer dry. if you’re buying garments, that would mean buying 2 boxes, or some prefer to use a dry pajama for the outer layer. You can also choose to dry wrap, moisturize and wear the garment as it’s harder to scratch with the fitting garments/wrap. Some kids prefer cool water, while some prefer lukewarm for inner layer, as long as it’s not hot (strips moisture!)
3. Wet wrap can be hand washed, air dry (not in direct sun) and reused as long as it’s still elastic. You can refer to this post for more tips on wear and tear.
4. Size – Always cut a longer strip than the area to be wet wrapped, and there will be some fraying, fold the frayed ends in; and don’t keep trying to cut the frays away. For the face, as it’s irregular shaped, cut even longer than the length of the face. The maximum size for garments is 14 year old.Materials for garments and bandage are slightly different – for garment, it is elastane, nylon and viscose and for wrap, viscose, elastane and polyamide. Gloves are available, even for infants – they make look too small, but they are stretchable.
5. Tie it up – Try tying knots to secure one part of the wrap to the next, perineal dressing, picture above. Basically cut a hole in one part of wrap, say body, and cut another on the hips, cut a thin strip and loop that strip through these two holes.
MarcieMom’s Sleeping Tips
I’ve shared the importance of sleep to a child’s healthy weight gain and behaviour/learning. Also, shared tips to better sleep, such as bathing closer to bedtime, moisturizing, keeping room cool and not too dry and following through with a sleep routine.
The next session will be a first, where a doctor will sit in and help answer questions on a topic – it will be on a friday lunch, and I’d be releasing details soon so everyone can block out lunch on that day! (food provided)
Thank you to the nurse, and medical social worker for sitting through this with me, and being such good encouragers! And of course, I appreciate everyone’s participation, we had many light moments despite the stress of being parents to eczema kids!
Tubifast Garment (pic taken from www.molnlycke.com)
Time flies when you’re having fun! Last month’s Step by Step sharing by Sister Wong was such a hit, that this month’s 27 April (Sat)’s sharing session will be another Step by Step on Wet Wraps.
For this session, we have Tubifast to show you a step by step guide on wet wrap, including covering parts of the eczema child’s body that may be more difficult to wrap. You can read more about wet wraps here.
So MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
27 April 2013 (Saturday) – Venue, NSC Room 401, 10am to 11.30am
The program:
1. 10.00 – 10.15 am Introducing Ourselves – Feel free to bring your child, I usually bring mine but this month’s she’s having gym class. We have puzzles, coloring, balloon sculpture to keep your little ones occupied.
2. 10.15 – 10.50am Tubifast team will share on wet wraps. We can relax (especially me) and watch. Be prepared with your question, or better still, bring your child!
3. 10.50 – 11.15am I’ll share on some bedtime tricks I use for a better night’s sleep, can’t say I perfected it but at least I’m not panda-eyed in the morning!
Same note: No doctor present, so don’t expect to ‘Ask the Doc’. Information shared is not medical advice, please still see a doc. No selling anything or pretending to be a parent of eczema child and the session is for parents with eczema kids. Information on my blog is not pre-approved by NSC.
4. 11.15-11.30am – Light refreshments while we roam freely in the room to catch up with one another. Plus special giveaway of sample size packs of Cetaphil Restoradem.
5. YOU MUST RSVP – Our medical social worker who is helping with the Eczema Support Group will be in-charge of confirming your attendance, which isn’t confirmed till she says so! If you’re coming, please email me ([email protected]) your name, mobile and email, number of adults & kids coming, so that I can get her to contact you.
Nurse Sister Wong shared her experience caring for your child’s skin
On 23 March (last Saturday), the Eczema Support Group for Parents with Eczema Children held its 5th sharing session and it’s the 1st time we have a nurse sharing her expertise!
She shared on:
Moisturizing – how to choose between lotion, cream and ointment, for instance, a cream is preferable for most of the time and ointment for bedtime for many in hot, humid weather. Also to apply in the direction of hair growth and if applying a cool moisturizer helps reduce the itch, by all means put in the fridge – just be sure that your child will not mistake it for ice-cream!
Topical Steroid – various types of steroid creams, and their potency and how to measure using finger-tip
Antihistamine – various types of anti-histamines and to remember it takes about an hour to take effect
Wet-wrap & Bath oil & Bleach bath
For those of you who missed the session, there are some related posts I’ve written on above topics, here on moisturizing tips by Dr Bridgett, here on steroid potency, here on finger tip units, here on wet-wrap and here on bleach bath.
The date for next session has not been confirmed, email invites will be sent out once ready. Do note that this session is for parents with eczema children, adults and teens’ sessions are separately run by another co-chairperson.
Thank you to Nurse Wong for sharing and taking her Saturday to do so, NSC staff and also everyone for your sharing!
Nurse Sister Wong will share caring for your child’s skin
Hope everyone had a Gong Xi Fa Cai Chinese New Year, and I’m excited to share about March 2013’s Eczema Support Group sharing session!
For this session, we have a special guest- Nurse Sister Wong. Sister Wong has volunteered her time and expertise to share her experience taking care of patients with eczema, from mild to moderate to severe patients. She will share practical skin care tips and offer a systematic step-by-step regime for taking care of your child’s skin.
More on Sister Wong: She is the Senior Nurse Educator at National Skin Center and trained in Dermatology and STI (Sexually Transmitted Infections) Nursing in UK. She had spent many years in the inpatient nursing care in CDC and currently based in outpatient services in National Skin Centre. She is also in charge of training programmes for the nurses in Dermatology.
So MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
23 March 2013 (Saturday) – Venue, NSC Room 401, 10am to 11.30am
The program:
1. 10.00 – 10.15 am Introducing Ourselves – Feel free to bring your child, my hubby and my 3 year old girl will be there. We have puzzles, coloring, balloon sculpture to keep your little ones occupied.
2. 10.15 – 11.15am Sister Wong will share her STEP-BY-STEP REGIME. We can relax (especially me) and learn from her. Be prepared with your question, and be straight to the point with it as I’m sure many more parents are eager to ask Sister Wong!
Same note: No doctor present, so don’t expect to ‘Ask the Doc’. Information shared is not medical advice, please still see a doc. No selling anything or pretending to be a parent of eczema child. Information on my blog is not pre-approved by NSC.
4. YOU MUST RSVP – Our medical social worker who is helping with the Eczema Support Group will be in-charge of confirming your attendance, which isn’t confirmed till she says so! If you’re coming, please email me ([email protected]) your name, mobile and email, number of adults & kids coming, so that I can get her to contact you.
On 26 January (last Saturday), the Eczema Support Group held its 4th sharing session and it’s the 1st in 2013! Though not too many parents could make it, the few of us had a wonderful sharing.
I shared what I know about allergy, allergens and allergy testing. More importantly, parents with eczema children are all truly in the same boat, and everyone can identify with each other’s experience.
There’s a question on whether it’s possible to over-moisturize using wet wrap, and the doctor on the support group’s advisory panel suggested not to wet-wrap if the wound is infected and to be mindful of use of topical steroid cream on flexural areas where the skin is thinner (as wet wrap increases the absorbency of steroid to skin). Also not to moisturize on weepy wounds and when the skin is better, wet wrap can be stopped and see your doctor again to assess the next-step skin management steps. There’s also concern on steroid potency, as GP/pediatrician and specialist tend to carry different steroid creams, you can check the table for steroid potency here.
The next sharing session is on 23 March (Sat) 2013, 10am. Check back for updates and meanwhile, please feel very free to drop me a comment on how to improve the sharing session! Thank you to everyone who came, including NSC staff!
Happy New Year everyone and for those of us in Singapore, it’s time for our 4th monthly support group sharing session!
For this session, I’m thinking of sharing about allergy tests where everyone can share your experience on what your child is tested allergic/ not allergic to, and whether he/she has outgrown it.
26 January 2012 (Saturday) – Venue, NSC Room 401, 10am to 11.30am
The program:
1. 10.00 – 10.15 am Introducing Ourselves – Feel free to bring your child, my hubby and my 3 year old girl will be there. We have puzzles, coloring, balloon sculpture to keep your little ones occupied.
2. 10.15 – 11.15am We will share our experiences of allergy tests, and I think it’d be interesting because we know that allergy testing is not 100% accurate, so what are the advice from your doctors after the allergy tests? Do you subsequently introduce an ‘allergen food’ and find that your child can eat it without any reaction? Let’s share on Saturday, 26th!
Same note: No doctor present, so don’t expect to ‘Ask the Doc’. Information shared is not medical advice, please still see a doc. No selling anything or pretending to be a parent of eczema child. Information on my blog is not pre-approved by NSC.
4. YOU MUST RSVP – Our medical social worker who is helping with the Eczema Support Group will be in-charge of confirming your attendance, which isn’t confirmed till she says so! If you’re coming, please email me ([email protected]) your name, mobile and email, number of adults & kids coming, so that I can get her to contact you.
On 30 November (last Friday), the Eczema Support Group held its 3rd sharing session and it’s the 1st over lunch! We had Subway sandwich and indulged a little in their yummy cookies too 🙂
Having it over lunch allows working adults to join during their lunch break and I’m happy to meet new people. We talked about food, what we feed our children with eczema and while we were munching on our sandwiches, I shared Julie Daniluk’s video, here. She has another video on eating organic food and I found another interview she had with Dr Oz on craving killers here.
I’m taking a break in December, but will hold another sharing session on 26 Jan (Sat) and 23 March (Sat) 2013. Check back for updates and meanwhile, please feel very free to drop me a comment on how to improve the sharing session! Thank you to everyone who came, including NSC staff!
30 November 2012 (Friday) – Venue, NSC Room 401, 12 noon to 1pm
Wait! Before I go on to talk about what is happening for 30 Nov lunch sharing, I’d like to first explain why it is on a Friday and at lunch time – Reason (1) Some parents feedback that Sat morning is not possible for them to attend as their kids have classes; Reason (2) lunch time, with lunch provided, can hopefully give parents who are working near town a chance to attend, i.e. slip out of office earlier, enjoy lunch when having fun meeting other parents and get back to office by an acceptable time (which is why this session is an hour, while Sat morning’s session is 1.5 hour)!
1. 12.00 – 12.05pm Introducing Ourselves – This will be shorter than usual, so for those of you who have not been attending because you don’t know what to say, just remember your name!
2. 12.05 – 12.30pm I’d be playing two videos relating to food and inflammation, so that everyone can eat your lunch without worrying of speaking with your mouth full. My hubby, who attended both previous sessions, will not be present to help entertain the younger kids but I will still bring along balloons for sculpturing, puzzles and coloring.
3. 12.30 – 1.00pm We would be discussing ‘What we Feed our Eczema Child’; I’d be sharing some advice from the nutrition experts I’ve interviewed. This is the time to share what food, supplements we have fed our kids in the past and thought it helped a little.. somewhat… maybe. With everyone’s inputs, we can even decide to try cooking a certain food for the next month and report back in January if our child is healthier!
Same note: No doctor present, so don’t expect to ‘Ask the Doc’. Information shared is not medical advice, please still see a doc. No selling anything or pretending to be a parent of eczema child. Information on my blog is not pre-approved by NSC.
4. What’s for Lunch – Very likely, Subway. Because it can be purchased at nearby Tan Tock Seng Hospital, we can eat it without messing the floor and you can visit their website to know how many calories you’re consuming (for those of us concerned with weight gain!).
4. YOU MUST RSVP – Our medical social worker who is helping with the Eczema Support Group will be in-charge of confirming your attendance, which isn’t confirmed till she says so! If you’re coming, please email me ([email protected]) your name, mobile and email, number of adults & kids coming, so that I can get her to contact you.
Parents noting child is scratching (picture credit atopicskindisease.com) Chapter 5 of the habit reversal manual was the giveaway! Thanks DrB!
Last Saturday, the Eczema Support Group met for the 2nd sharing session and everyone had warmed up to each other and shared tips freely with one another!
For those who are new, I’m hosting monthly support group session held under the Eczema Support Group, for parents with children.
Once again, for those who missed the session or STILL waiting at the sidelines before taking the jump to meet up, below is a glimpse of how the sharing session went.
1. Cosy turnout – It could be exam month for kids, so we’d a smaller turnout compared to the first session, but it’s cozy and getting to feel like family!
2. Topic was distracting from scratching and everyone shared about their tricks but as we all know, it’s easier said than done.
3. A video was shown of the successful 2-week wet wrap program under National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (I’ve learnt of this as many moms in US shared that their child’s eczema became manageable after the program).
4. People brought food and everyone was happy! Thank you to everyone including NSC staff for making it so!
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Dr Mark Tang, one of our doctors on the Eczema Support Group’s advisory panel, came and interacted with our members. No medical question posed to him in this session.
For those of you who are new to the Eczema Support Group’s sharing sessions, do check out this post and this post on how the first sharing session went!
I’m excited by the response and feedback received after the first meeting, and decided to be ambitious and hold 2 sessions concurrently – one for the parents and one for the kids! It wouldn’t be possible without the kind help of volunteer, Norah, a mom with eczema herself who is helping to facilitate the primary school children’s session. Here’s the session program!
Update Notice on 15 Oct: There will be no separate session for primary school age kids because less than 4 RSVP. Kids are still welcome to come, but will join parents in same session.
20 October 2012 (Saturday) – Venue, NSC Room 401, 10-11.30am
So, What’s the Program? Topic is “Distracting Tricks & Tips!”
1. 10-10.15am Introducing Ourselves – Feel free to bring your spouse, your helper and especially your primary school age child as there’s a special program for them this session!
2. 10.15-11.15am Parents will be in one room sharing all the tricks and tips we have to distract our child from scratching, while the primary school children will go to an adjacent room for their program, facilitated by Norah, a mom who has eczema and is passionate about learning about skin, allergies and eczema. My hubby will be present to entertain children of pre-school age with balloon sculpture, puzzles and coloring.
Kids’ Program – Mölnlycke Health Care representative, the company behind wet wrap Tubifast, will share a video teaching kids about wet-wrapping. This will be followed by a game and quiz that will center on moisturizing and distracting your child from scratching. As additional resources are required to hold the kids’ program, it will be cancelled if less than FOUR children from age 7-12 RSVP for the session by 12 October (Fri), so please if you’d like your child to meet other kids, you’ve to RSVP and bring him/her. Cancellation Notice, if any, will be updated in this post by Monday of the week of event.
Kids’ Program has been cancelled – update on 15 Oct.
Parents’ Program – Sharing about ways we distract our child from scratching and a chapter Working with younger children, from “Atopic Skin Disease – A Manual For Practitioners” will be made available to you. It’s copyright material which Dr Bridgett agreed for a hard copy of the relevant chapter be given to you! You can learn more about habit reversal through Dr Bridgett’s Combined Approach series on my blog.
Same note: No doctor present, so don’t expect to ‘Ask the Doc’. Information shared is not medical advice, please still see a doc. No selling anything or pretending to be a parent of eczema child. Information on my blog is not pre-approved by NSC.
3. 11.15-11.30am Food – I’ll bring some and everyone feel free to bake or bring whatever you like yourself/ your kid to enjoy! Last session, everyone was happy eating cakes!
4. YOU MUST RSVP – Our medical social worker who is helping with the Eczema Support Group will be in-charge of confirming your attendance, which isn’t confirmed till she says so! If you’re coming, please email me ([email protected]) your name, mobile and email, number of adults & kids coming, so that I can get her to contact you. REMINDER – KIDS’ PROGRAM WILL BE CANCELLED IF INSUFFICIENT KIDS RSVP. Kids’ Program’s cancelled.
Look forward to seeing everyone!
Mei
p.s. It could be primary school exam time but we don’t have enough primary school age kids to run a separate program. Hope to see more of you next time!
No photos please! Only the dog can be photographed! Balloon Sculpture to occupy children during the sharing session
I had a wonderful time meeting up, learning and sharing with other parents of eczema children last Saturday, the very first of a monthly support group session held under the Eczema Support Group.
Everything shared was in confidence, so no specifics or pictures would be published (none taken in fact!) But for those who missed last Saturday’s sharing or waiting at the sidelines before taking the jump to meet up, below is a quick snapshot of how the sharing session went.
1. Good turnout – the meeting room was packed and thank you to my hubby for occupying the children with balloon sculpture & puzzles!
2. Topic was moisturizing and everyone shared readily about their moisturizing and eczema management experience.
3. Tubifast came to demonstrate how to wet wrap their bandage on various parts of the body, such as face and hand.
4. People brought food and everyone was happy, I hope! Because I know I’m happy and thrilled it went well, thank you to everyone including NSC staff for making it so!
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Oh & before I forget, I asked Dr Mark Tang, one of our doctors on the Eczema Support Group’s advisory panel, questions I noted:
1. If steroid is put on the skin before moisturizer, will the steroid be diluted? Answer is putting steroid before or after is more of a personal preference and there is no clinical difference noted in either.
2. How frequent can a child with eczema go for swimming? About 15 minutes each time, 3 times per week.
3. Should rotating various moisturizing brands be practiced? No clinical basis for rotation.
4. Are natural or organic skincare products better? Natural/organic doesn’t mean no allergy reaction, best to look into ingredients.
OOPs #1 – There’s nothing to be happy about when you’ve eczema
OOPS #2 – I just found out that it is Eczema Week! I didn’t know and just assumed that everyone holds their eczema events this week around the world, just as I’m holding a sharing session this Sat! There’s still some time to RSVP if you like to come, RSVP by end of the day.
Three of my best allies on eczema online are collaborating in the NHS Online Skin Clinic where you are free to ask any skin condition and the doctor panel will answer. Here’s the link.
OOPS #3 – I’m not supporting parents on facebook yet (I know! I’m a resistant dinosaur-ess!) In fact, I need your help to share my content if you use facebook and you can share my latest, just brewed eczema newsletter too.
As you might have read, Eczema Support Group, Singapore, kicked off to a successful start with its inaugural event on 14th July 2012.
Thank you to the close to 100 attendants who filled up the feedback forms, from which we got a better understanding of the needs of our members & participants. The top three are (1) eczema information, (2) raising awareness and (3) sharing. As all of you know, I’ve been passionate about running support group sessions and will now do so under the Eczema Support Group.
Mark Your Calendars for Sharing with Parents with Eczema Children!
22 September 2012 (Saturday) – Venue: National Skin Centre (NSC) Room 401; Time: 10-11.30am
20 October 2012 (Saturday) – Venue, NSC Room 401, 10-11.30am (tentative, check back to confirm)
30 November 2012 (Friday) – Venue, NSC Room 401, 5.30-7.00pm (lunch at noon)
So, What are we Sharing?
Since this Eczema Suport Group is the first in Singapore and I assume, a sharing session like this is also the first! – we are all pioneers in this and so everyone got to bring a little patience with a big open heart.
We will be:
1. Introducing ourselves – a few words about your child’s eczema and better still, bring your child! (I would be bringing my toddler and hubby! I don’t have a helper/maid, but if you have, feel free to bring her along if she can help to take care of your child while you attempt a decent conversation!)
2. Topic of Sharing – Moisturizing! Do feel free to bring along your favorite moisturizing lotion/cream/ointment (if you’re like me, I’d suspect it’s already in your baby bag) and we can all share how we moisturize, when we moisturize & what we moisturize with. Mölnlycke Health Care representative, the company behind wet wrap Tubifast, will be on-hand to help out with your questions on wet-wrapping. There will be no doctor present, so don’t expect to be able to ‘Ask the Doc’. Information shared is not medical advice, please still see a doc. If you’re a product company checking this post, please don’t masquerade as a parent and attend the session to promote your product, you will be asked to leave.
3. Goodie bags – We have goodie bags with some sample-size creams from Ego, maker of QV as well as hard copies of my picture book ‘A to Z Animals are not Scratching!‘ for giveaway.
4. Food – I’ve a little budget, courtesy of National Skin Centre Health Endowment Fund to buy food. If you like to bring a cake you bake to share, do feel free. Or I heard this thing called cake-pop is really ‘in’ now, so anyone who like to make some and bring, we’d be more than happy!
5. Toys – I’d be bringing my toddler’s color pens, puzzles to occupy our kids. If you’ve a toy that you know would occupy your own kid, please please bring along.
6. Setting – It’s not cosy but we can make it so! It’s a meeting room 401, with a big table and chairs. There’s a sofa and a little (small area) where your kid can sit and play. Hmm.. if everyone bring your kid, there may be overcrowding, well, please wash their hands before coming and make sure they are not down with HFMD or flu.
7. YOU MUST RSVP – Our medical social worker who is helping with the Eczema Support Group will be in-charge of confirming your attendance, which isn’t confirmed till she says so! If you’re coming, please email me ([email protected]) your name, mobile and email, number of adults & kids coming, so that I can get her to contact you.
8. Ok, I’m long-winded, but so excited! Bring lots of patience please… for bearing with me and any hiccups that may happen on that day.
Picture used in my first blog post on Jan 2011 – Turning Blues to Bliss
This is a post out of the ordinary.
It is a post that I write, after thinking for sometime… I
PAUSE – Because I started to feel I’m blogging for the sake of fulfilling my (heavy & punishing!) commitment of Monday cartoons, Tuesday guest posts, Wednesday blog series and Friday Q&A. It’s punishing because I’m very particular about what goes on my blog – I always read up all I can before I publish my blog post or guest interview.
THINK – For the past 19 months, I have devoted my time to make EczemaBlues.com the place for parents with eczema children to go to. I started this blog in Jan 2011, with a simple purpose – to provide a lighthearted yet comprehensive resource for parents.
I believe I’ve achieved that.
Starting with information posts covering topics I myself like to know more, my blog has expanded over the past year:
Along the way, I’ve also started my support group and has been faithfully organizing face to face meeting bi-monthly since Aug 2011. I’ve also initiated the very first eczema fund in Singapore with my donation in Jan 2012. I’ve designed and printed my calendar and book ‘A to Z Animals are not Scratching!’, both personally illustrated for eczema kids. Just two weeks ago, the Eczema Support Group (supported by NSC Health Endowment Fund) had its inaugural event! Phew.. with so much going on…
RE-FOCUS – I feel that with all the information on my blog, it’s a comprehensive & fun resource for parents. While I’d still continue working with experts and doctors, I’m not going to hold myself to Tues, Wed and Fri posts weekly. So, don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post!
Instead, I’d be focusing more time on Eczema Support Group and connecting with other parents in Singapore. Also, I’d find time for my own endeavors – I’ve books to write and to design/illustrate and many more ideas… all put on hold for the past 19 months and now, finally, I’ve decided to focus a little more on myself!
